Duh. Because I literally didn’t care and was dying to get out here.
A hand slowly lifts from his hip. He beckons me over and my gut plummets. What does this mean? Am I in big trouble? Like, officially off the team trouble?
When I stand there, motionless, he shouts, “Now!”
“James,” Kai calls, jogging over to me. “I’ll go with you. I’ll talk him into going easy on you.”
I shake my head and nod toward Coach. “No, I don’t think that’ll help right now. I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Are you sure?” Kai asks with concern.
I give him a nod and then leave Kai and his teammates behind me. With every step toward my coach, a new knot forms along my back. Besides my aunt, he’s the only adult I actually care about disappointing. And as I approach, it’s clear that disappointment is all over his face.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asks in a reasonable tone.
“What?” I stammer, motioning behind me. “I just thought… Seeing as I missed this morning’s practice… Plus, I caught up with studying…”
“Jamie,” Coach says in a low tone that’s wrapped in concern. “I was being serious when I said I didn't want you to touch a ball. You’re a good player, I’ll never deny that, but the sport consumes you. I need you to refocus because we can’t afford to lose you from this school.”
I dig my cleats into the ground as my gaze dips low. “Playing soccer won’t make me lose my scholarship.”
“But it doesn’t help you keep it,” Coach argues. “You have an academic scholarship and that’s where you need to focus all your attention. I’m serious, Jamie. I need you to do better.”
“I can’t just snap my fingers and become a better student.”
“But you can adjust your attitude.”
I scoff and turn away from him.
“Come on, kiddo,” he says, patting my shoulder. “Grab your gear and I’ll drive you to the cafe.”
“Can’t I just finish the drills first?”
He frowns hard. “Am I talking to a brick wall or a functioning human?”
I huff. “Okay, okay. I’ll get my stuff.”
Coach doesn’t talk on the car ride over to the cafe. At least he’s smart enough to know he can’t say anything without getting a snarky response. I clutch my elbows, squeezing my forearms against my ribs. The discomfort mixed with the gritting of my teeth is a good distraction from this hellish day.
“What’s going on?” Aunt Maddy asks with concern. Her eyes dart from me to Coach, and then back to me.
“Are you going to tell your aunt what I caught you doing?” Coach asks.
I grumble. “Can we not make this seem like an earth-shattering big deal?”
“Jamie, what happened?” Aunt Maddy asks.
I huff and throw my arms up haphazardly. “I joined Kai for soccer practice.”
Aunt Maddy’s bottom lip drops, and she looks at Coach for further clarification.
“Jamie promised she’d only train with me,” Coach says. “So, to find her with Coach Lyle’s team was a broken promise.”
“You joined Kai’s soccer practice?” Aunt Maddy asks, pulling her phone from her pocket. “I thought you texted, you were studying with Milo at his house?”
I push down Maddy’s phone before she opens the text messages. “You don’t need to read it. We both know what I texted.”
Aunt Maddy throws her hands in the air. “So, what gives? Why are you lying to me? And why are you going against what your coach asked you to do?”
