His mouth twitches slightly like he wants to say more but can’t. Instead, he claps my shoulder once. “Look, your first camp is always rough. Especially with this organization.”
“That supposed to make me feel better?”
“A little.”
I huff out a laugh.
He nods toward the stadium lights overhead. “This league eats people alive at first. Then one day you wake up and realize you survived it.”
My grip tightens slightly around my helmet.
“And Owen?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Coach Smith’s expression falters for just a second.
“He’s a good player,” he says carefully. “Sometimes good players forget that when somebody keeps telling them otherwise.”
And Coach Masters wonders why the defense is sloppy.
Coach Smith pats my shoulder again before heading toward the tunnel. “Get cleaned up, Evans. You did good today.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
When he disappears, it’s just me, Owen, and Coach Masters left on the field. Owen’s posture’s gone stiff, and his gaze hasn’t moved from the floor.
Finally, Masters throws his hands up dramatically and walks away, leaving Owen standing there alone on the fifty-yard line.
Owen doesn’t move for a second. Then he bends forward slightly, resting his hands on his hips as though the weight of the entire damn team is sitting on his back.
I exhale slowly before walking back onto the field. His head lifts when he hears me approach.
“You surviving?” I ask.
He lets out a rough laugh. “Debatable.”
I stop beside him, staring at the empty stadium seats. “For what it’s worth, the defense looked better today.”
“You think?” he asks, almost amused.
“Yeah.”
He snorts quietly. “Coach disagrees.”
“Coach also thinks yelling counts as leadership.”
That finally gets a real laugh out of him.
Owen straightens and rubs a hand across the back of his neck. “Sorry you guys got dragged into this shit too.”
“You kidding?” I glance sideways at him. “I’m the quarterback. Getting yelled at is basically part of the job description.”
“Still.”
I shrug. “Just know, you’re not the only one trying to survive camp.”
He gives me a small smile.
I clap his shoulder and lead him toward the tunnel. By the time we’re in the locker room, the rest of our teammates are mostly dressed.
