56. Bailey
56
Bailey
C oach had gone ghost white when we showed up without Nolan. I explained he needed a break, that he had hurt his muscle and needed to rest it. I didn’t go into detail, because I didn't want him going off the deep end.
“Do your warm-ups!” Coach shouted. “We will be right there.” He and the other coaches turned into one another in a circle and began talking, pointing to a board in Coach's hand.
We all stood for a second, staring, because…Nolan wasn’t here. He always led everyone. I almost had the courage to shout out, but Chase beat me to it, and I was so relieved. He led us through a few warm-ups before the coaches seemed to come to a conclusion and split us up into our usual groups…except Chase and me.
Coach called us over to him. “You two are going to be our back-up quarterbacks, in case Nolan is unable to play this weekend.”
“I’m not a quarterback,” I said right away. Chase chuckled at me. “No, no, like, I’m not a quarterback. I can’t think that fast.”
“Deep breaths, McCormick,” Chase said.
“We’re going to do some scrimmaging, get a feel for it, but I think you will do better than you think,” Coach said.
Chase and I stayed with Coach and went over the plays we had lined up for the weekend. When it was time to scrimmage, though, I completely choked. I was tackled every single time. The ball never even left my hands.
Chase pulled me aside while Coach was talking to the rest of the team, picking out what needed work and calling players out for not being where they needed to be.
“I didn’t take you for giving up,” Chase said.
“I can’t do this, the pressure is intense.”
“What’s the difference between this and halfback?” he asked.
“I don’t have to worry about everyone else. It’s easier to know my place and my role. The minute you start throwing in everyone else’s place and everyone else’s roles, it gets jumbled up in my head.”
Chase nodded, looking over my head for a moment, then refocusing on me. “Picture the pitts.”
“What?”
“The pitts. Imagine we are at the pitts. Just another fun free-for-all. You get to choose—hand the ball, throw it, run it. Don’t overthink it. That’s the best part of football. You can go with your gut and don’t have to overthink.”
I took a deep breath and scrubbed my hand down my face. Coach ran through a few plays with Chase first, which gave me a moment to get back into football mode. Chase was right—that was the best part of playing football, just playing. Not overthinking anything, not worrying about what was about to happen, just being in the now and playing the game. If I overthought too much, I would get plowed over by another player. I had to keep my head up and focus at all times.
Still, I worried when it was my turn to run through the play. Chase was really good as quarterback, and when I thought about it, of course he was. He was always going to quarterback clinics when we were younger, his dad pushing for him to be the best as a young child. He had more experience than I did. Neither of us were on the same level as Nolan, but together, we weren’t too bad.
Coach gave the signal, and when I called the play in the huddle, everyone broke off, and I got into position behind Ethan. I was so glad he couldn’t see me shake, but it took a few moments for me to realize I had to call the snap and everyone—offense and defense, alike—were all waiting for me.
I called it, my hands shaking so much, I fumbled the ball. I jumped for it, but Coach blew his whistle. “Bailey, you good?”
I nodded. “I can do it,” I told him and myself. The pitts. Remember the pitts.
Ethan eyed me a moment, and then smacked me on the shoulder pads. I got the message. As he got down into position, I lined up behind him and immediately called the snap. He smacked the ball into my hand and, this time, just like at the pitts, I put a death grip on it. Taking my two steps back, eyeing my target, I sent it flying through the air. No one got through the front line.
Coach blew his whistle when the catch was made. “Another,” he called. “Adams, watch your toe on that line.”
“How was that?” Chase asked.
I grinned. “I can totally do this. Piece of cake.”
Chase and I switched off throughout the rest of practice, and I learned quickly that playing quarterback was anything but a piece of cake. Actually, it made sense why Nolan was so good at it. He really was a fast-paced critical thinker, which was needed for the position. The movies got it all wrong. It wasn’t just about good looks and charisma—you actually had to have a brain.
I was drained by the time breakfast was done, having barely talked to the guys. Each of us was exhausted from the early morning. “You know, if Nolan plays like he does half asleep from being up all hours of the day and night training, imagine how well he would do after a full night's sleep,” I said as we walked to my locker.
Ethan had gone his separate way, as usual, so it was just Lachlan and Chase with me. “Do you think his father will change?” Chase asked.
“No,” Lachlan said.
I grabbed my lock, spinning it to the combination. “I think seeing Nolan in that state gave him a bit of a shock. I think Nolan has been hiding how tired he is and just doing whatever his dad sa—”
Manure fell out of my locker as I pulled it open. The hallway was crowded as a few moos came from the throng.
Chase shook his head, like he was watching the lamest prank unfold, which it was, because I was the least likely person to be bothered by manure. But Lachlan looked ready to murder someone. I grabbed his hand to keep him from turning on anyone. “I’m fine,” I told him. My locker and all its contents were not. I sighed. “I mainly needed my history textbook, but I will borrow Ethan’s for now.” I couldn’t shut the door, with the large pile of manure spilling out onto the floor.
“We can pass by the office on the way to class and let them know,” Chase said.
“It’s a shame that the janitor has to clean this up. Maybe if I can find a shovel—”
“Don’t.” Chase took my backpack from me and put it over his shoulder. “Don’t give them more ammo. You’ll only prove to the that you really are Farm Girl.”
I frowned. “I am a farm girl. I live on a farm. You now live on a farm.”
“I know, but they think that’s beneath them. I know how Hadley’s crowd thinks, I’ve heard what they say.”
My frown deepened, and when he reached for me, I pulled back. “How you used to think? Does it bother you that I would rather clean this up than make someone else do it?”
Lachlan dropped his hand to put his arm around my shoulders.
I think what bothered me most was they had no idea how much my dad owned. How big his empire was. He hadn’t even told me, not fully, but I wasn’t oblivious. My dad believed in raising an honest, hard-working kid, not wanting me to turn into someone like Hadley. Someone like Chase.
Chase looked wounded by my words. The bell rang, and students shuffled around to get to class.
“Babe, he didn’t mean it like that.”
I stepped out of Lachlan’s hold. “Then, how did he mean it?” I asked, genuinely curious for him to explain it. Lachlan…didn’t like that. It was the distance I put between us, not my words, that had his eyes flashing.
Someone I didn’t even know walked by and chose that moment to moo at me. Lachlan had him pinned to the lockers by his throat faster than I could even react. “It was a joke,” the guy gasped out, clawing at Lachlan’s arm.
“Dude, Lach!” Chase tried to pry his hand away.
“Apologize to her.” Lachlan spoke through clenched teeth.
“I-I-—” The guy tried to speak, but Lachlan squeezed more tightly.
“Not. You.” His eyes were piercing, terrifying, as they turned to Chase.
Chase took a step back and nodded. “You’re right. Bailey, I am sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want them looking down their noses at you. I see you more than that, and I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“It’s fine.”
Lachlan turned on the guy. “Fuck off,” he said as he let go of him. The guy gasped for air, falling to the ground before scrambling to his feet and running down the now-empty hall. “Shit.” Lachlan reached up, grabbing fistfuls of hair and yanking at the light blond strands. I just stared at him for a moment, not sure what to do, what to say.
Chase stepped in. “Take a deep breath,” he whispered. “Count to ten.”
“I need to smoke.”
“You can’t. We have testing soon. If we win this weekend, we’ll be in the playoffs. If you test positive, we will all be screwed. Every game we won will be considered a loss.” Chase coached him as if he were talking him down off a ledge.
Lachlan growled and leaned forward, placing his forehead on the locker. The second bell rang—Chase and I were officially late—but that didn’t concern me right now.
I pushed aside my worry and ducked down under Lachlan, so I was now looking up at him. His eyes flashed open, his pupils pinpoint as he looked down at me. “You were mad at Chase because of what he said?”
“No.” His voice was hushed, but slowly, the tightness around his face eased. “Because he upset you.”
I smiled. “You can’t get mad every time Chase makes me mad. You’ll always be losing it.”
Chase chuckled. “Thanks.”
I shrugged. “It’s how we communicate. Don’t take it out on bystanders, either.”
“Bails, could you…get off your knees? The way you’re standing with Lachy boy over you like that, it doesn’t look good.”
I stood up, but I didn’t move to the side. Lachlan was forced to straighten, his body nearly pressed against mine. “I want you to hug me,” I told him.
There. His pupils relaxed, dilating slowly. With a smirk, Lachlan reached out and wrapped his arms around me. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply. “I didn’t mean to lose it,” he mumbled into my neck. “I’m better when I’m high.”
It was then that I realized Lachlan was battling demons far darker than I had known. No one was safe…except our family. He never went after Chase or me. I looked in the direction of where that guy had run off to, the hallways now empty. Anyone attacking us better watch out—I probably should be disturbed by that. Maybe something inside of me was twisted as well, because wrapped up in Lachlan’s arms, all I felt was cherished.