Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
JAX
Coach blows his whistle for practice to be over. Finally. Today’s dragged on forever. I want to get to the locker room, shower, and change. I have more important shit to deal with than throwing a fucking ball around for other people’s entertainment.
“Jax, I need to see you in my office,” Coach shouts across the field. I’m already headed toward the locker room. I merely nod in acknowledgment of what he said. Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop by his office.
“Your mood went to shit,” Damon says, falling into step beside me. “Everything is handled," he tells me for the second time. I grunt a response.
I had been in a good mood because today is going as planned, but now that those plans are about to come to a head, I'm on edge. As each second of practice ticked by, I considered all the potential ways this could go wrong.
The first being that Kinsley could take off ahead of time. Typically, she hangs around after school in the media room, but the note Damon slipped into her locker might have spun her into action sooner than anticipated.
I want to kick my own ass for not thinking further ahead about the possible different outcomes. Dad always taught us that. That approach helps you stay ahead in life and often keeps you alive.
When I get to my locker, I jerk it open and grab my shit.
“Hey.” My brother grabs my arm. If he were anyone else, I would have clocked him.
If I hit Damon, it would be a full-on brawl, and I don’t have time for that shit right now, even if it can be rather fun to go a few rounds with him.
“I got a person on it, and your bunny is still in the media room.”
I relax marginally. “Thanks,” I tell him.
“You know I got you.”
“I know. It’s like I can’t control myself.” I don’t know how she does it, but she gets into my head, consuming all my thoughts. I take a deep, calming breath, but it is bitter and not filled with that sweet strawberry smell that is Kinsley.
“I noticed.” Damon releases my arm. “And that’s why I’m at your back. Now go shower. You fucking stink.”
“Fuck off.” I chuckle but head for the showers, ignoring the normal small talk.
It’s not till I’m out of the shower and getting dressed that it dawns on me that I should have kept my ear to the ground that one of my teammates might have been talking about Celia and Alice.
Any information I could scrape up about them will win me points with Kinsley.
Those are the only points I give a shit about. Not the scoreboard. I’ll pay better attention next time and not when I’m minutes away from luring Kinsley into my trap. Not sure if it’s going to piss her off or not.
Kinsley is a different kind of girl, and I have to think outside of the box with her.
The way to her is not by getting her flowers and chocolate.
No, it’s getting her keys to the rooms she wants to get into and information.
She’s a sucker for a good story, and I’m going to make sure she gets one.
Even if I have to create one. This bunny is going to keep me on my toes. The thought makes me smile.
“Are you good to go?” I ask my brother.
“Always.” He smirks. I can’t wait for the day he falls right on his ass. I bet my life he’ll try to hide that shit from everyone. It’s inevitable, though.
“Who are you riding with?”
“You don't trust me.”
“I do; it’s different. The details help to calm me down.” I do feel a tug of guilt questioning him. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop. Not when it comes to this.
Damon and I have always been tight. It’s not normal for me to want every detail when we form a plan. I trust that he’s got his side handled and vice versa, but when it comes to Kinsley, I need all the details. To make sure every I is dotted and T crossed. There’s no room for anything else.
"Going with our cousin, and Mom already picked up Nix."
"Fuck me." I run my hand down my face. Nix's way home slipped my mind—not that she couldn't handle it herself, but who knows what she might get into?
"Told you. I got you. Fucking hell, man."
"Jax!" Coach shouts at me.
"I don't have time for this," I mutter to my brother.
"You do," he says, checking his phone. I want to ask how he knows, but I bite back the question.
"Jax!" Coach shouts again.
"Give me a fucking second!" I bark back, making the whole locker room fall silent. Coach and I stare at each other. He breaks it, stepping back into his office.
"Don't be a dick."
"I don't need him barking orders at me. I don't get paid to do this shit." It’s starting to piss me off.
"Not what it's about." I get that. I do. Our parents put us in sports and school to learn rules and boundaries. Whatever. I don't even want to be here.
"Go pretend you can be a normal human." I nod, then head into Coach's office. I don't apologize. He and I have been butting heads since the start of practice this year.
I let him drone on about a few plays and the upcoming game this Friday.
I need to strike another deal with Kinsley to make sure she's at the game.
I'm guessing she will be. It's the first of the year, and she's the head of the media department of our school. Need to make sure she doesn’t send out another classmate to cover it.
"Are you listening to me, Jax?" Coach Kaufman lets out a loud sigh.
"Kinsley Blake."
"Notebook girl?" Coach questions. "She does all of the stories."
"I want her at the game." Coach has power of his own. He, without a doubt, has to be the highest-paid employee of the school. I'm sure he's had other offers for college coaching positions, but he took on this one for the pay.
"That's where your head is at?"
"If she's not there, I'm not there."
"That's how it is?"
"That's how it is," I confirm.
It's time for everyone to know where I stand when it comes to Kinsley Blake.