Chapter 20
Randy
Coach gave us the morning off, but we are straight back into training this afternoon with a gym session to sweat out the alcohol and sugar. Just thinking about the punishment my body is going to take makes me nauseated and reaching for the tap to refill my glass.
Coach is a powerhouse in the gym, and if we can’t keep up with him, we are in a world of hurt.
We had strict instructions to stay hydrated, stop drinking at ten, and I quote, “for fuck’s sake, don’t break anything or get arrested.
” I may have missed the staying hydrated part, and my body is not accustomed to the sugar in the cola I had in my scotch.
I already know Coach is going to enjoy the gym session this afternoon and weed out the people who drank too much and didn’t follow his instruction.
I had already spoken to Coach about tomorrow’s training session and the bet payout.
To say he was less than impressed with the strip show would be an understatement.
But I assured him it wouldn’t affect my on-the-field mindset; actually, I told him if anything, it would boost my ego.
He mumbled something about that not being possible since my ego maxed out years ago. Regardless, tomorrow is all set.
I turn to take a seat at the kitchen island and see movement in the foyer. After a few moments, Walsh enters the kitchen. “H-hey, I didn’t see you there,” he stammers in a nervous awkwardness.
I look at him questionably. “Hey,” I reply, sensing his apprehension as he walks to the cupboard to grab a glass. I look back in the foyer to check that no one else is there. “You okay?” I question.
“Yeah, I’m good, you just startled me, that’s all.”
“Did you have a good night? I lost you before midnight.”
He smiles, and without even saying a word I can tell he must have had a very good night.
“That good?” I say before he has a chance to answer me.
“Maybe not as good as Shelby,” he deflects, pouring orange juice into his glass.
I chuckle in response nodding, thinking back to the night and how drunk the four girls were.
“She was dancing on the pool table with Dani at one stage; I had to lift them down before they broke something in those heels. Letti slipped down the back stairs; luckily, Travis caught her arm before she actually fell,” I remark.
“Lucky for Travis’s lightning reflexes,” he adds.
“Well, he needs them to dodge the bodychecks while flying across the ice.”
“And to catch his girlfriend, apparently.”
I nod. “Apparently.” Then I reach for the orange juice and pour some into my glass.
“How is Shelby?” he asks.
I smirk. “After she busted in on you in the shower? She went back to bed. I’m not quite sure when she might re-emerge.”
He starts pulling leftover food out of the fridge from yesterday’s barbeque.
“And to think I paid you out for getting those octopus shower curtains, but thank Christ you didn’t buy the clear ones.
I think she apologized to me about seven times while vomiting and brushing her teeth as I stood there, unable to move in the shower.
How’s Seth?” he says, shoving some meat patties into the microwave.
“He drank more then he should have before we left our place, but I know he stopped drinking at ten. Saw him making out with a chick around one, and then saw him leave with two completely different girls an hour later. I haven’t seen him this morning, so I’m not sure how he is, but…
and I’m just spitballing here.” I leer. “I think his night was probably pretty great.”
Walsh shakes his head and laughs at the same time our downstairs housemate leads two giggling ladies through the living room.
I lean forward, my forearm resting on the cool kitchen island to get a better view.
Walsh cranes his head backward as we both watch Seth escort two ladies to the front door, giving them a peck on the cheek and closing the door behind them.
“Hey,” he greets entering into the kitchen a few moments later dressed in black shorts.
“Good night?” Walsh asks him.
“Fucking blurry! Drank far more than I should have. Coach is going to smash me this afternoon,” he mumbles. He drags his feet to the island, grabbing the orange juice and drinking the last of the contents straight out of the carton.
I raise my eyebrows at him. “Some parts must have been memorable!” I wolfishly grin at him.
He places the carton back onto the countertop and wipes his lips with the back of his hand, the corner of his mouth tipping upward. “Oh, don’t worry, some parts are going to be burned into my memory forever.”
Christian appears in the kitchen on a groan, stretching his body from side to side. “Where’s Rachel?” he asks as he looks to the four of us. “Is she in any better shape than Shelby?” he questions, pointing to the ceiling.
“Probably only just,” I say, grabbing at a meat patty and dropping it quickly onto my plate as it burns my fingertips.
“She asked her dad to pick her up early so she could get home to spend the day with Sam. Lucky her dad drove because she would have still been over the limit. She wasn’t looking at all well when she left. ”
Seth takes a seat at the table after making himself a coffee, and we all follow suit taking a seat at our cheap ass table.
“I don’t think I have seen any of the girls that drunk before,” Walsh comments.
“Me neither, but they had fun, we all had fun, it was a great night!” I add.
Christian cradles his shoulder. “Well, I think I’m coming around to Lucas, he seems pretty cool. Well, as much as he can be for someone who’s banging my sister; although, Shelby keeps insisting they are just keeping it casual.”
“He looked after her,” I add. “God knows she needed it last night. He basically carried her all the way home, so that scored him some points.”
“What’s up with your shoulder?” Seth says from behind the rim of his cup.
Christian cowers slightly. “Think I overdid it.”
“Maybe you need to put it back in the sling for a few days.”
“Yep, I might have to,” he agrees.
I look at Christian. “I was the one lifting your girlfriend and sister off the pool table, twice,” I say, holding up two fingers. “How the hell did you hurt it?”
“Scotch, it mixes well with soda, but not great with good judgment and decisionmaking. At one stage I remember racing mattresses down the main staircase; not sure if it was that or the strenuous games of pool.”
“We did throw the pig skin around for a while,” Walsh adds.
“I sat out for that one,” Christian corrects.
I think back remembering how much fun it was throwing the ball around the large open area. The strobe lights made it harder to keep an eye on the ball, but it was awesome…looked cool too. “That’s right, Jason scored a touchdown on the couch between those two ladies, then didn’t move after that.”
“I think I danced for a while, with Shelby, Letti, Rachel, and Dani. God, I must have been drunk if I was up dancing. I’ll blame Shelby for that one.”
“I think we blamed Shelby the last time you danced all night also,” Walsh states.
Making us remember the time Shelby broke up with Christian, we know now she was forced by her ex.
The boys and I hosted a quick ‘feel better party’ together.
Christian got sloppy drunk, and we danced the night away, shirtless, in our living room till the early morning hours.
Our motto for the night was ‘tomorrow’s problem’ and man, did we have problems the next day.
A few hours later we throw our gear in the back of Christian’s black truck and climb in to head to training knowing we are going to get smashed. On the way I send off a text to Rachel.
Me: How are you feeling?
Rachel: Not great! Luckily Sam is happy to just cuddle on the couch and watch a movie. So I think this is where I’ll stay all day snuggling with my baby.
Me: I wish I was snuggling my baby, but I’m off to training.
Rachel: Gross, I think I would vomit.
Me: I have a feeling a few guys will!
Meeting up with the team in the parking lot, we all look the same, like death.
Sunglasses in place, we open the door to the gym and cringe at Coach standing there, arms folded with a malicious smile spread across his face.
Colorful plastic buckets are placed sporadically around the gym along with the rest of the training staff.
He claps his hands together. “Come in, boys! This is going to be fun!”