Page 170 of Forever Relentless

I held her gaze. “Is that all I am?”

Briar looked down at the camera. “You’ll have it after practice,” she said. “If you need help with a caption, ask Hadley. She’s good at that kind of thing.”

Ouch. She moved away.

“B?” I called, and she turned back and looked at me. She gave a small shake of her head and gave me a look that almost brought me to my knees. She wasn’t angry anymore.

“Later,” she promised and then hurried away.

The shrill whistle cut across the field again, and I turned back automatically. Coach Sutherland was already looking at me. He gave me a slow, satisfied smirk.

And I had the sinking feeling I’d just played straight into his hands.

Chapter 32

Noah

My foot tapped off the floor impatiently.

I’d been sitting in his office for ten minutes. Ten very long minutes.

I’d showered after practice, got dressed, all routine. The locker room was more subdued than normal; his lesson was still very loud long after he’d finished speaking.

I’d almost been at the door when he called my name. I turned back and got the ‘come with me’ gesture. Dante had paused, but I hadn’t hesitated.

I followed the head coach to his office. He’d told me he’d be right back, and then closed the door behind him.

And I was still sitting here waiting. I’d taken my phone out, seen the message from Dante asking if I needed him, and put my phone on silent.

Coach Sutherland walked into his office, closing the door firmly behind him, and took a seat behind his desk.

“Noah.”

“Coach.”

Coach Sutherland sat back in his chair and watched me. I didn’t shift in my seat; I simply watched him back. I had no idea what I was in here for, but I could play poker really well.

“I’m going to be frank with you, Matthews,” he said suddenly.

“Never known you to be anything else, Coach.”

He didn’t react. “I’ve considered letting you go before. You know that.” He said it so matter-of-factly that it softened the blow. “You see, I don’t like troublemakers.”

I almost laughed.

“I knew you were trouble,” he told me, still relaxed like we were discussing the weather. “You have a temper. Seen it on the tape from your high school. Seen it on the tape of the first two years at your old college.”

“Coach.” I neither confirmed nor denied.

“But you haven’t had one punch-up since you joined my team. Not one skirmish on the field at all. You didn’t even throw down against Gray Santo, and I’ve not seen one player not take a swing at that cocky bastard.”

I scoffed at that.

“But my quarterback picks a fight, and you are right there beside him.” He nodded as he spoke.

“Teammates, Coach. And Dante never started it.”

He waved away my words as if I hadn’t spoken. “Dante Spence is a great quarterback. He is going to go, phew—” His hand lifted from the desk, making like an airplane taking off. “If he gets there.”