He huffed, and puffed, and yet no one said anything. What could we say? It wasn’t our night. Even I had a bad game from the side of the field.
“It better not happened again, boys. Dane,” Coach looked at me, “I have no idea where your head was at tonight but you better sort it out before the next game.” He turned to the rest of the team with a heavy sigh, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hit the showers, and get out before I make you run suicides until you know what it means to be a damn team.”
Coach walked away, and the guys all started shuffling around towards the showers. I knew how they felt because I was right there with them. I had no idea what happened tonight, but we sucked. Even Chase, our prized destined-for-the-NFL quarterback was playing like a complete rookie.
“I need a drink,” murmured Reid. “We going out?”
He started removing his shoulder pads, and grabbed a towel. I stood up, and moved towards the locker I used to keep a change of clothes in. “Yeah, I think we all need it.”
“You bringing Amy?” He asked.
My brows furrowed. “No, why would I be?”
He snorted. “You’ve been spending almost every night at her sorority house haven’t you? That’s who you’ve been fooling around with?”
I’d forgotten about that. Everyone had assumed I had been ‘seeing’ Amy, and the only one who actually believed it was Amy. It didn’t really bother me, because I knew the truth, but for some reason this time it didn’t sit well with me.
“I’m not in the mood for her tonight,” I replied, avoiding his question. “I just want to hang with the guys.”
And see Kennedy later.
“Sounds good, man. I’ll meet you outside in a bit.”
Reid walked away, and I took a few minutes to catch my breath, and clear my head. I hadn’t been in the best frame of mind after my father’s visit, and losing the game made it worse. Maybe a night out was exactly what I needed. I hadn’t done anything other than study, attend practices, and even when I was tired to the bone, I saw Kennedy. Every night.
I got dressed, and went outside to wait for Reid. The tunnel was just now starting to quiet down when I spotted Kennedy and Jade at the end. Amy was standing there too, and she was exchanging some heated words with Jade, while Kennedy just looked down at the floor. She must’ve felt my eyes on her because she looked up, and sought me out through the thinning crowd. Her eyes found mine, the look on her face unreadable. I frowned, and she looked away.
What’s up with that?
“Just walk away you stupid tramp!” Jade’s shrill voice made me straighten. I struggled to hear what Amy said, but I could see that it had upset Kennedy. My first instinct was to protect Kennedy from Amy’s vicious tongue, but I held back. What would they think if I suddenly came to her defense?
I held back, and when Amy walked in my direction, a smug look on her face, I tensed. Kennedy looked at me, and then Jade ushered her away. I wanted to ask her what happened, to make sure she was okay, but there were too many things holding me back.
I was so fucking confused.
“Hey baby,” cooed Amy. She gave me a sexy grin, and I immediately compared it to the way Kennedy’s mouth turned up when she was being sexy without even trying.
“What was that about?” I asked, tilting my head in the direction Jade and Kennedy had just left.
Amy rolled her eyes, and started rubbing my arm. “Nothing serious. Jade was overreacting, as usual, and I set her straight.”
I didn’t believe a word this girl was saying, especially after seeing Kennedy’s expression when she turned away from me.
“We’re having a party at the house,” Amy continued, “You’re coming right?”
I needed to be done with this girl. I might’ve been unsure about what was happening between me and Kennedy – because I could feel it changing – but I didn’t need Amy around anymore. Her rumors were just that, rumors, and I didn’t want anyone to keep thinking there was something between us when there wasn’t. The scariest thought, however, was that I no longer wanted Kennedy to see Amy hanging all over me in the cafeteria or on campus. I wasn’t even going to try figure out why I felt that way.
“No, I’m going out with the guys.”
I pushed her hands off me, and stepped back if only to get some space. “You need to stop telling people we’re together. You know we’re not, and I sure as fuck haven’t been in your bed in the last month, let alone this past week.”
Amy’s mouth opened, but she was interrupted when Reid walked out of the locker room. His brows scrunched when he saw her, but he spoke to me. “You ready?”