AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is one of you going to answer me?” Cal pressed.
“Just a difference of opinion, sir,” Andy mumbled.
“A difference of opinion? That’s your story? Just a difference of opinion?” Cal stared at them both. Ryan kept his head down not wanting to see the disappointment on the team manager’s face.
“Ryan?”
He glanced up at the man who had the ability to change the trajectory of his career in a heartbeat. The disappointment on Cal’s face hit harder than any punch Andy had landed. Shit.
He couldn’t say he was sorry for hitting Andy. The asshole more than deserved it. And he’d do it again in a heartbeat. But he could have chosen a better time and place to have their discussion. By letting Andy goad him into fighting at practice, he’d let the asshole win. He knew better than that kind of thing. He’d spent his entire life working hard to be the best, to be respected, to be controlled, to be admired, and in one afternoon he’d thrown it all away.
“I expect better than this from you, Ryan. Some of the other guys? Smitty, Sanchez, Reed, sure, but not you. You won MVP of the league for a reason, Ryan. What the hell? Difference of opinion? That’s all you two clowns will give me.”
“I’m sorry I disappointed you, sir,” Ryan replied.
“Sorry you disappointed me. Not sorry you fought, but sorry you disappointed me?” Cal replied.
Shit, he’d been hoping he wouldn’t catch the distinction in that apology. He glanced up at Cal who sat waiting expectantly. He looked over at Andy. Was he sorry for fighting? No. Andy deserved to be tuned up. Just thinking about it now and he wanted to hit him again for what he’d done to Peyton.
“Yes, sir.” Ryan sat up straight and met his manager’s stare head on.
“Care to explain?” Cal asked.
Ryan looked over at his teammate. He didn’t feel connected to the other man at all. He no longer had those feelings of camaraderie that he normally felt with the guys he played with. Everything about the guy made him angry. Andy had no remorse for what he’d done to Ryan, to Peyton, to his own wife. What kind of person was like that? How could he ever trust him to have his back? And wasn’t that something he needed in his catcher?
“Let’s call it irreconcilable differences, sir. I think with our history it would be difficult for us to trust each other on the field. Given that I’d like Patel to catch on my days. You have Andy playing DH quite a bit lately, so it’d be easy to line that up with my pitching days.”
“You’re trying to get me fucking benched, you pussy,” Andy yelled. “Over some bitch?”
“Stop fucking talking about Peyton, Andy. I’m not fucking kidding.”
“Enough,” Cal yelled.
Ryan pushed back in his chair. He needed to chill out if he had any hope of this turning out in his favor. He took a deep breath.
Cal leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “So let me get this straight. You two are fighting over a woman?”
“Yeah, basically,” Andy replied.
Ryan’s jaw flexed. It was a little more than that.
“Ryan?” Cal said.
He glanced up at his boss. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
“If you expect me to separate my best pitcher and my best catcher. I’m gonna need a little more than that.”
“We don’t need to be separated. Ryan is upset because I had a relationship with Peyton in the past, and he just found out some details about how close we had been,” Andy said.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ryan growled. Hell no, there was no way that little asshole was playing the victim in all of this.
“I think he’s a bit surprised by his feelings for Peyton, and he got jealous. But it’s all good on my end, honestly,” Andy said.
“No.” Ryan shook his head. “No… fuck no… you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to be a complete sleazy degenerate and try to play it off like I’m just a jealous lover. No.”
“Come on, Ryan, you’re jealous.” Andy leaned back in his chair and hooked his arm over the back of his seat.
Ryan’s hands clenched around the arm of the chair. It was taking everything in him not to knock the cocky little shit out. “The reason we got into a fight is because you’re a piece of shit who can’t keep his mouth shut. I tried to put the team first, like I’ve always done. But fuck that, you’re not worth it, Simon,” he snarled out the name, making it clear they weren’t buddies.
