AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Goals are reckless.”
ChapterOne
Rhys
“Not interested,” I mumbled, kicking a ball directly to the corner of the net. Colin was catching on that I was too fucked up to be of any help to him.
“There's no one better,” Colin urged. “Plus, I could use the help, and you could use the distraction.”
“I spend ninety percent of my life on a soccer field. What makes you think I want more right now?”
“Because ever since Mel disappeared from your life, you've been a dick.”Ouch, he came right out and said it. Poked the bear. Hit me while I was down.
But that wasn’t going to work.
“No,” I said again, stoically, kicking another ball as hard as I could. That time, I lacked my usual precision and finesse, and the ball flew past the net into Row Z. “Godammit.”
Colin Mestick was an ex-player, the captain of my first ever Major League Soccer team. Once upon a time, I looked up to him, idolized him. Now I was having trouble tolerating him. Yet, there he still stood, watching me lose my cool.
“I need you.”
“You don’t need me.” I walked closer to him as I wiped the sweat from my brow with my forearm and then crossed my arms over my chest. “So what gives?”
“Sandy,” his breath came out quickly, a hint of exasperation in his tone—along with a hint of truth. “He came to me and asked me to find you something to do.”
That actually made more sense. Sandy was my head coach and sincethat day,he’d been questioning my sanity almost daily.
But still.
“No.”
“Can’t you just make this easier on both of us and show up for me? It won’t even be the whole team, just one girl that needs extra work. Ashlynn Keller, maybe you’ve heard her name?”
How the fuck would I know her name?
“You’ve never minded the extra work,” I reminded him. He would sleep in his office if he could. He’d spent years helping players at the college level. Most of them were now pros.
“Justine minds the extra work,” he pointed out. “See where I’m going with this? Sandy? My wife? Hello? Between the two of them, I practically sprinted out here to find you, and ask you to help me. Justine wants me home more, and Sandy needs you out of your sad, depressed era. He even threatened to bench you.” He paused for a moment and then added. “Plus, Ash really does need help focusing on the game. I’m not making up busy work.”
“For the record,” I bit out. “I’m neither sad, nor depressed. I’m pissed. And Coach won’t bench me.”
“As you should be. I never even met the girl but I know how much she meant to you. She put you through hell, and you’ve played the last two months without her like a man possessed. If I were Sandy, I would let you just keep tearing everyone apart on the field. But he thinks you are one game away from self-destructing. Hewillbench you if it helps the rest of the team. Just like I’ll have to do to Keller if she can’t remember why she’s on the team in the first place.”
“Sandy isn’t my dad.” I practically growled, glossing over everything else he said, and knowing damn well I sounded like a pissy teenager.
Fuck, maybe I did need something else in my life.
Levi was in Atlanta so he wasn’t around as much as I wished. Mom still lived in California, where we grew up, spending all her time doing volunteer work. And Mel disappeared from my life just like my father had, leaving me too pissed off to be around anyone else.
Colin must have sensed my internal debate starting to shift in his favor because he was no longer asking me to do it—he was already assuming I would.
“I’m going to have Ash stay after practice tomorrow. Show up at seven. You know where—across from the stadium. I’ll introduce you to the team, and then you can run drills with her. She’s distracted, and needs the extra work. Just see how it goes.” He babbled on while he backed up toward the exit. Not waiting for an official answer, he turned and walked off the field toward the benches.
What the hell?
The stadiumwas dimly lit, most everyone else had left for the night. I was always the last to leave. It was part of my post-relationship personality, to work myself until I could no longer stand, and then go straight to bed when I got home. It kept me from wallowing in anger at my ex—or being tempted to call her.
I guessed if I helped Colin, the outcome would be the same. Instead of working out at the stadium, I would be working out at the University. Sandy would be off my back for a while, that would be nice. Plus, Justine would be happier–I liked Justine.
