“What?”
I gesture toward the bleachers where Lucy is setting up her padded folding chair—complete with a cup holder and footrest. “Mrs. Brennan said she does this for the coaches every year.”
A sardonic laugh leaves Ainsley’s throat. “And you fell for it?”
My eyes shift to Quinn, looking for an explanation.
Quinn leans in, lowering her voice. “If Lucy Loose-lips Brennan brings you coffee, it isn’t because of tradition.”
I rub the back of my neck, staring at my reflection in Ainsley’s dark sunglasses. “She going to be a problem?”
“Not for me.” She turns toward the group of girls gathering around us and lifts her whistle to her lips, blowing out a short chirp. “Everyone, take a knee.”
I shake off the unease as it twists my gut, and focus on the girls in front of me. As long as I play nice, and keep my distance, the parents shouldn’t be an issue.
“Welcome to the team,” Ainsley says.
Smiles ripple through the two teams while I clap. “You’ve earned your spots.”
“Now you need to work to keep them.” Ainsley pushes her sunglasses onto the top of her head. “The amount of field time you get in a game is dependent upon one person and one person only: yourself.”
I half-zone out while she continues her cold speech about working hard, andbeing the best you can be. It’s clear what she values, and while there isn’t anything wrong with hard work, she’s leaving out important factors.
“Look at the people to your left and right,” I add, once Ainsley finally takes a breath. “These girls are your teammates now. You need to learn to work together. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, so make sure you’re helping each other too—on and off the field.”
Ainsley lifts her hands and tugs at her ponytail to tighten it, though I don’t know how she could get it any tighter than italready is. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen her with her hair down, and I’ve always wondered why she keeps it so long to begin with if she doesn’t bother to show it off.
“Hello...?” Ainsley snaps her fingers in front of me. “Did you fall asleep?”
I blink and clear my throat. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“I asked if you were ready to split up and get started.”
I nod once. “Ready.”
Her eyes roll before she slips her sunglasses back onto her face. “Maybe you do need that coffee after all.”
I swipe my clipboard off the table. “Yeah, wouldn’t want you to drink it; I think you’re wound tight enough.”
She snaps her gum as she spins around, her ponytail whipping around with her. For a second, I think she doesn’t have a snarky comeback for me.
Then I glance down to her middle finger hiding behind her back as she walks away.
A smile threatens to tug at the corners of my mouth, that old familiar feeling creeping its way into my skin. The kind of craving that’s only satiated when I’m getting a reaction out of her. It feels good scratching that itch after all this time, though I’m not proud of it. It’s just as much frustrating as it is satisfying.
We split the field, JV on the left and varsity on the right. I breathe a bit easier with her out of my space. Still, I feel her watching, her gaze like a spotlight on me everywhere I go.
Judging.
But I’m not here for her, nor for her approval. This team is mine, and I plan on giving these girls my all.
“Let’s head down this way.” I wave my arm for the team to follow, and fall into stride beside Quinn.
She follows my line of sight where my attention snags on the cluster of parents gathered behind the fence by the bleachers. “Don’t pay them any mind.”
“Easier said than done when they’re waiting for me in the parking lot with a cup of bribery.”
Quinn chuckles, and tucks a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “You’ll be fine. Be polite, and focus on winning games. That’s all they care about anyway.”
