5. Tyler
FIVE
TYLER
The last practice before the first game of the season is a big one. The guys come out of the locker room, buzzing with energy. They’re excited, as they should be. The coaches are excited, too. This is what we’ve been training for all summer. We want our boys to show the world what we know they can do.
I’m the first one on the field and watch as each player makes their way toward me. When the last of my guys walk out, McKenzie is behind him. She’s got her camera up to her face, snapping pictures. She looks down at the screen and smiles to herself before she jogs to the sidelines.
Her long hair is curled today and she’s in a La Vista University T-shirt that fits her like a glove. The closer she gets, the bigger her smile grows. And that’s when I realize I’m staring and quickly look away because what the fuck?
“Coach,” she greets me. “The energy today is off the charts.”
“Yeah. Yep. Big day.” Why do I suddenly sound like a blubbering idiot?
I may be trying to be overly nice to Mckenzie since Kylie practically begged me to. There was even a note on the fridge this morning reminding me to be nice, which makes me wonder if McKenzie mentioned that I wasn’t nice.
“Did you get those grass stains out?” I ask. That’s nice, right?
She smiles again, so I must be doing alright. “I did, thanks. The vinegar really did the trick.”
“Good. Good.”
Hayes realizes who I’m talking to and runs over to us. “My future wife. You here to watch the magic happen?”
“I might be here to watch the magic happen, but definitely not as your future wife.”
“You’ll come around.”
I shake my head. I knew he wasn’t going to give up that easily. Thankfully, McKenzie seems more amused than irritated. “Get to the team, Hayes. Leave the poor girl alone.”
“If she marries me, she’ll never be poor.”
McKenzie bursts out laughing.
“Jesus Christ, Hayes.” I push his shoulder to force him toward the rest of the group.
As I walk onto the field, my assistant coaches and the players all crowd around so they can hear.
“Alright, boys. This is it. Last practice before the first game on Saturday. You’ve all worked hard for this. I want you to get out there this weekend and show everyone that the La Vista Bobcats are a force to be reckoned with!”
They all shout in agreement and do their chant, the same one that’s been done season after season at La Vista. It hypes them up and gets them ready to go.
We run some of our newer plays, and I watch every little move, listening to my assistant coaches calling out changes. Even with a few noticeable tweaks, we’re as ready as we can be.
Something makes me glance over my shoulder, and I see McKenzie moving up and down the sidelines, taking pictures of the guys. She crouches down to get a shot, and my eyes follow her long legs as she stands back up.
She doesn’t notice me watching, which is good because that would be fucking embarrassing. But whenever she sits down in the grass to take notes, I start wondering if she’s writing anything about me. I quickly turn my attention back to practice.
It’s none of my business what she’s writing about. She’s a student. Working on her schoolwork.
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t expecting much from McKenzie. It was wrong of me to assume that she wanted to work with the football team to get close to my players because she’s made it very clear she’s not interested in dating any of them. And she actually seems to know and understand football.
That catch she made the other day? It was amazing. Even if she ended up tripping and falling. She followed the ball as it flew through the air and easily caught it. Better than some of the players I’ve worked with on past teams, actually. I was impressed.
Everyone was.
The guys work hard for the next few hours, doing more drills and running plays. They’re ready for this game. Hayes is on fire this season, but so is everyone else. We’ve got a solid team, and I’m pumped for this first game.
We all file back to the sidelines, where McKenzie has put her phone down and looks like she’s waiting to talk to someone. I walk straight to my playbooks and start gathering up my stuff.
“Coach, do you have time to answer a few questions?” I hear her ask.
Hayes walks up to her and asks, “You sure you don’t want to ask me anything?”
“Very sure. I’d like to talk to Coach Danvers.”
“He’s too old for you,” Hayes calls with a laugh as he walks with his teammates to the locker room.
My shoulders stiffen. I know he didn’t mean anything by it and that it was only a joke. But for some unknown reason, the comment makes me nervous.
I try my best to play it off. “He’s an idiot.”
“Yeah, I’ve gathered that.”
She unlocks her phone and holds it up. “Mind if I record this?”
Yes, I do mind. I hate doing interviews. I feel like I always say the same damn thing over and over again. But I look into her waiting eyes and realize I can’t say no, so I nod my consent.
“How are you feeling about the upcoming game against Iowa?” she asks once she’s pressed the record button.
“We’re ready. These boys have been working hard and working together as a team really well. I think this is going to be a good season.”
“Do you think your defense is stronger this year? That seemed to be where the team struggled last year.”
“Our defensive coordinator has been working one-on-one with each of our starting defense players, so they’ve definitely gotten stronger this season. And we have a few new freshmen this year who really round out the defense.”
“Is there anything you’re worried about?”
“Not particularly. We’ve been focusing hard on fundamentals and syncing up as a team. But we’ve got some strong players this year, and I really think we have what it takes to make it back to the National Championship and win.” McKenzie smiles and presses the button to end the recording.
“See? That wasn’t so bad,” she says.
“I never thought it would be.”
She chuckles. “Coach, I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this before, but you don’t hide your emotions well. Especially when it’s something you’re not happy with. As soon as I asked for the interview, you looked like you’d rather go clean toilets than answer my questions.”
“Maybe I have a thing about cleaning toilets,” I say with a shrug. Am I making jokes with my daughter’s friend now? Who am I?
“Ha. Yeah, I’m sure that’s your thing.”
“Sorry, I’m just not big on interviews,” I admit. I love being a coach. It’s been so rewarding and has kept me from spiraling after I had to retire from the NFL. But there are certain things I’ll never get used to. Interviews being one of them.
“All good,” she says and then grabs her things from a nearby bench.
We start our walk back to the field house.
“Will you be at the game on Saturday?” I ask. That seems appropriate to ask.
“Yep. I just got my press badge to get me on the field. I’ll be on the sidelines, but I’ll stay out of your hair. The only thing I’ll need is a super quick interview at the end of the game before you head to the press conference.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks again for letting me do this. I was super worried when Professor Moore told me there might be some pushback with the football team. But I’ve always wanted to be a sports journalist and specialize in football, so I was willing to do just about anything to get assigned to the team.”
Pushback . That’s a polite way of saying I’m an asshole, and the students don’t want to work with me. It’s valid, but since McKenzie has my daughter in her corner this year, my hands are pretty much tied. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. “Why football?”
“I have a lot of brothers, so I grew up watching football. I loved watching them play and watching games on TV with them and my dad.”
“How many brothers do you have?” I ask. She mentioned them before, but I didn’t think to ask about them. I wasn’t sure I cared to know. But her face lights up when she starts to talk about them, so I’m instantly glad I ask.
“Four. I’m the only girl. Can you believe those odds?” She laughs.
“That’s a lot of testosterone.”
“Tell me about it. But I miss the hell out of all of them. We’re kinda scattered now and don’t get to see each other as much as we used to.”
I can relate to that. My entire family is back in Georgia. Kylie being here is the first time anyone has even bothered to come to Nebraska to visit. I miss my parents like crazy, but with my schedule, it’s nearly impossible to get down there to see them as often as I’d like.
“I feel like I should apologize for our first meeting. I didn’t mean to come off as an asshole. I’m focused on my team, and it seems like the school keeps sending other things outside of coaching my way. It has nothing to do with you, and I’m here if you need anything.”
She looks up at me, surprise in her eyes. “No need to apologize, Coach. You’re passionate about what you do. I can appreciate that.”
Passionate is one way of saying it. Most women tend to say obsessed when they realize I’ll never choose them over my team. It’s just the way it is, and I can’t see myself ever changing.
Speaking of that, the most important person in my life probably wishes I was a little less passionate about what I do. I hate that I leave her alone so much, but I feel like I don’t have a choice.
“How’s Kylie doing? Does she seem ok here?” I ask McKenzie before we reach the field house.
She thinks about my question for a moment before answering, “Yeah, I think she’s doing ok. I obviously didn’t know her before school started, but she seems happy. She’s always smiling and has a really positive attitude. I don’t think you need to be too worried about her.”
My shoulders relax a little hearing her words. I love Kylie so much and want what’s best for her. But if what’s best isn’t living here with me, I’m strong enough to take it.
“Good. Good.”
She nods and gives me a small wave before she takes off to the parking lot. “See ya, Coach.”
I head back to my office. I leave my laptop here because I know I’m only going home to eat, shower, and sleep in that order before I’m back here again tomorrow morning. There won’t be any time to do admin work anyway.
Kylie texted me earlier, letting me know that she made tacos for dinner. I hate that I couldn’t eat dinner with her, but I promised her things would be better once the season was over. She seems to understand that.
I’m hoping her friendship with McKenzie will help her build some ties to the area and maybe, just maybe, when she graduates, she might want to stay here with me.
Or, at the very least, understand why I’m here and what I’m doing. And that I’ve never been the bad guy her mother likes to make me out to be.