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However, the way the trainer spoke to her rubbed me the wrong way. Who the fuck did he think he was? “Leave us.” Natalie dropped her hands from my calf like a hot potato. I rolled my lips in frustration. “Not you,” I said quickly and pointed to the trainer who was pushing my foot forward, nudging him away. “You. Go.”
“But I’m the head trainer.” He glanced at me as if I were crazy. “It’s my job to make sure you get proper treatment.”
“I will get proper treatment.” I glanced at Natalie, whose cheeks were now flushed. “She can take care of me.”
“But she’s just an intern.”
“Do you think I’d risk myself? My health? My body? I call the shots here.” I glared at him in annoyance. I knew I sounded like a douche, but dammit, I wanted to talk to her and find out why she’d ghosted me. He still stood there like he didn’t believe me, which pissed me off. “Leave us before I lose my shit.”
With his lips flattened together, he turned to Natalie with disapproval dripping from his eyes. “Is this how you got the internship? Using yourconnections?”
She physically cringed and dropped my leg. “No. I would never.”
“Whatever. Be a little more creative.” He stalked off, and Natalie was about to trail after him, apparently set on pleading her case. But I sat up and grabbed her wrist, keeping her near me. I’d deal with that asshole later.
She tried to yank her arm away, but I didn’t budge. “Let me go,” she gritted out as she scowled at me.
“You’re here to take care of me. That’s your job.”
“I didn’t sign up to be humiliated.”
“I didn’t sign up to humiliate you, so I don’t see the fucking problem.”
“Did you hear him? I’m going to lose this internship.” Panicking, she tried to tug her hand away again and sighed in exasperation when I didn’t relent. “Why are you doing this?”
Why the fuckwasI doing this? She was obviously trying to do her job, and here I was, messing shit up for her. However, I wasn’t beneath giving her grief. “You’re here to tend to the players. That’s what you did sign up for, right?” I lifted my leg and brought her hand to my calf. “Do your job. Heads will roll if Coach finds out I wasn’t served proper treatment.”
“Wow. I’ve been insulted by two jerks today when all I wanted to do was try to help people. Now, I’ll probably lose this internship, and at this point, it doesn’t really matter.”
I could feel her releasing my leg, and again, I gripped her wrist. “Massage my calf, Hardcore.” I could see her eyes narrow, and she looked like she was about to kill me. Then she must’ve realized I was high up on the food chain because she unwillingly started digging her small hands into the back of my calf. Hard. To the point it fucking hurt. “If this is how you do your job, then I wouldn’t be surprised if you do lose this internship.”
“Do you find this funny?”
“No. Not at all, at the moment. You’re digging into my skin, and it hurts like a bitch.” She seemed to ease up somewhat, but it was still uncomfortable. “What I find fucking funny is how I texted you after the formal and never heard from you again. You could’ve at least said thank-you for delivering your car back to its original state. Actually, better than that because I had the shop replace your tires and rims and had your windows tinted. That was an extra two thousand dollars, by the way, that I gladly ate because I wanted to help you.”
The pressure of her hands eased up even more. Her eyes were focused on my leg. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“I told you. I don’t want your money.”
She kept her eyes downcast, focusing on her hands.
“I want to know why you never returned my texts,” I said quietly.
Her head shot up and sad confusion settled over her face. “I lost my phone.”
That sounded like some kind of bullshit excuse I would’ve given a stage-five clinger who wouldn’t stop DM’ing, texting, or even showing up at my front door, which had happened a time or two. But her saying that to me? “Okay, Natalie, couldn’t you think of a better excuse than that? I didn’t know you were that much of a liar.”
“It’s the truth,” she rushed out, seeming frustrated. No. Actually, she seemed visibly upset, like she might cry at any moment. I wanted to press her, but something told me to let it go.
“I’m sorry. I can’t—” She dropped my leg and ran off toward the field house. I watched her disappear in bewilderment.What the actual fuck?
Natalie
It’d been three months since my father died. He had a massive heart attack and was already pronounced dead by the time I made it to my parents’ house. I would never forget the flashing lights of the EMT vehicle in my parents’ driveway and how our neighbors were crowding the front yard when I stepped out of the Uber.
I’d rushed into the house to see my mother wailing in agony over my father’s lifeless body. My older brother and my sister-in-law were at her side. I dropped to my knees and broke down. My heart had been shattered. My father had always been larger than life. He’d taught me so many of my firsts. How to ride a bike. How to ice skate. Anything I wanted to learn, he’d always been eager to help me with. He said I was his shining star. He was our rock. And now he was gone.
Everything after moved in a blur. First, I realized I’d lost my phone, which I probably left in that Uber, but didn’t realize it until days later. And it was a rude awakening because whoever stole it hacked into my banking account and went on a shopping spree. So I decided to get a new number when I bought a new phone. However, some of my contact information was lost during the transaction. It was a nightmare.
