They weren’t supposed to hit me, since they didn’t want to risk injuring their star quarterback, but my head wasn’t in the drill. I just kept thinking about Avery and my mafia problem. As the defense closed in on me, I turned to scramble but ran right into a big defensive player.
He fucking leveled me. Normally I would have gotten away from him, but I was just so distracted that I never saw him coming. He tried to pull up and not hit me, but it was too late. I was knocked down to the grass, the wind knocked from my lungs. I heard whistles blowing all over the place.
“What the fuck are you doing, son?” the defensive coach screamed. “Are you fucking stupid? What’s he wearing?”
“A red jersey,” the defensive player answered.
“A fucking red jersey, you dimwitted fucking asshole. Do you know what that means, cockhead?”
“Don’t hit him.”
“Don’t fucking hit him, you piece of shit. And what did you do?”
“Hit him.”
“You fucking hit him, you silly titted dick swaddler!”
I slowly go to my feet as the defensive coach chewed out his player with some really fantastic language. I was turning toward the sideline when my coach got in my face.
“The fuck you think you’re doing out there?” he asked.
“Practicing,” I said.
“You fucking scrambled right into him. He only hit you because you let him.”
“It was a mistake.”
“You’ve been making a lot of mistakes lately, Gibson,” Coach Taylor snarled. “Don’t fuck up, son. Get your fucking head in this game.”
“Yes, sir.”
He nodded and I headed to the sideline to get something to drink.
This was typical football. The coaches yelled insults and lit a fire under our asses. That was how they motivated us to be faster, better, stronger.
But I didn’t feel motivated. I felt like I was being fucked on both ends by some big motherfuckers intent on making me bleed. I was stuck between the mafia wanting more from me and Avery wanting less, and I still needed to figure out how to make more money.
I was fucked, and now I was probably bruised, considering the hit I just took.
But I wasn’t down. I wasn’t the kind of man that stayed down. I had to figure my shit out and get my head right, and I wasn’t about to lie down and take this shit. I was going to fight back, and I was going to win.
Because that was what I did. I was a fucking winner.
Practice went smoothly after that. I got my head into it and the defense came a little lighter, a little smarter. Nobody wanted to be called a cum-guzzling twat in front of their team. It just wasn’t dignified.
Once I was finished with practice and showered, I headed back toward the apartment with Hynes.
“Hell of a hit,” he said.
“Yeah, man,” I answered. “Still feeling it in my ribs.”
“Did you get it checked out?”
“Nah. I’m fine.”
He laughed. “You’re always fine, brother.”
“You just worry about yourself. I saw you miss a few holes today.”
“Yeah, well, we ain’t all perfect like you.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Anyway, how’d it go with your girl? I noticed she wasn’t over this morning.”
“Fucked that up,” I said.
“You did what now?”
“I fucked that up. She’s not happy with me.”
“What the fuck did you do?”
“You know me,” I said, grinning at him. “I can always find a way to ruin shit.”
“You’re a master of pushing people away.”
“Even when I don’t want to.”
“Look, man, you like this girl, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I said, “I do.” And that was true. This was about more than just our baby at this point. With Avery, it was about everything.
“Then fix it. When you get hit, you get up. Right?”
“Of course,” I said. “Nothing good happens when your ass is on the grass.”
“Truer words have never been spoken,” he said.
“Not sure how I’m coming back from this one.”
“Try anyway. Then try again.”
I sighed. “All right, Hynes, man. I’ll see you later.”
“Where are you going?”
I grinned as I walked away. “Gonna go try.”
I waved and then headed toward Avery’s apartment. Hynes just shook his head, laughing to himself.
Avery didn’t live too far away. On a bike it would have taken me just a few minutes, but the walk wasn’t so bad. The town around MD wasn’t exactly a beautiful place. In fact, it was actually a shithole. I was pretty sure MD basically supported most of the town’s economy.