Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
~HENDRIX~
Jase fires another ball at me and I block it.
“Good, nice save!” he calls to me from the top of the eighteen. “Ready for another one?”
I give him a thumbs up and stand on my toes, waiting for him to strike.
He fires.
I hit the turf and grab the ball that he sent low and hard towards the net. My outstretched hands grab it and pull it to my chest. I hop up on my feet and lightly kick the ball in Jase’s direction. Back on my toes, I go ready and waiting for the next ball to strike.
We keep this up until Coach Watts blows the whistle and calls for a water break.
I head over to the goal post where I keep my water bottle and start chugging it. It’s so hot out here today.
“Why does he like these mid-day practices so much? I wish we would do this in the morning or early evening. I feel like I’m sweating to death,” I say, picking up my towel and wiping off my face.
Jase chuckles. “It’s not that bad out here. It’s September, remember?”
He says it like that means that it should be pleasantly breezy and all this humidity should be gone. If I were back home in Pennsylvania, that just might be the case. However, not here.
I shake my head. “Doesn’t appear to matter in Tampa.”
Jase nods. “Have you heard from August since Ash punched him?”
“I’m surprised it took you so long to ask me that question,” I say, smiling at my goalie coach.
“I figured I’d let you settle into practice a bit. Get some of your aggression out. You seemed a little keyed up when you got here,” he replies.
I nod. “I suppose I was.”
“Well, are you going to answer my question?”
“And if I don’t?” I ask him.
“Then you can run sprints,” he says, grinning at me.
“You wouldn’t make me do that just because I won’t discuss pieces of my personal life with you.” I stare at him, trying to figure out if he’s really going to make me run if I don’t share.
“No, I wouldn’t. But I just want to make sure you are doing okay. It’s coming up on playoffs; I want to make sure that you are focused and ready. Not distracted by all this nonsense with Ash and August.”
I nod. “I’m focused and ready, don’t worry.”
“That’s good,” he replies and looks over where the rest of the team is still enjoying their water break.
This is one of the things I enjoy about being the keeper. The field players have their practice, and I get some one-on-one time training with Jase. The back-up keepers are working with Coach Andie currently; usually they join us but not tonight. Then it hits me.
“Is that why Miranda and Kate are working out with Coach Andie right now? You wanted to talk to me about what happened last night?” I ask him, leaning up against the goal post for support.
He sighs heavily. “Yeah, I wanted to make sure that you were doing alright. I could see the concern and fear written all over your face right now. You were really pissed that Ash punched him last night. I got here early to see if August was in—he wasn’t—so I couldn’t talk to him.
But don’t worry, I plan on having that discussion.
I want to make sure that he knows that it was all Ash, and you shouldn’t be punished for it. ”
I hold my hand up and shake my head. “August isn’t going to punish me for it.”
“How do you know that?” Jase takes a few steps towards me and his voice drops to a whisper, as if he’s ensuring that no one can hear. “What’s going on Hendrix? What don’t I know?”
He, like Mac, has always been too perceptive for his own good.
“There’s a lot you don’t know, actually,” I admit. “Like how I used to date August when we were in college, that he abandoned me when his father came to collect him.”
He interrupts me before I tick off any more reasons. “I know all of that already. What aren’t you telling me? Has something happened between the two of you?”
“Why would you ask that question?” I swallow audibly, wondering if we’ve been obvious lately and I just hadn’t realized it.
“Oh, because of the way you’re worried eyes just darting around. The way you swallowed just then. That tells me that I’m on to something,” he says, smirking at me.
“You might be,” I say, shrugging.
“Are you going to keep being vague? Or are you just not in the mood to share?”
I stare at him for a moment, trying to think of how much I should actually tell him.
And what he might think of me when he finds out.
Because I do a damn good job of making it look like I hate the man.
Thinking back on all the times that Jase has been there when I fired a nasty comment in August’s direction.
Or how I have adamantly stated how much I despise August Cromwell.
Lately, I just despise it when his hands are not on me.
I had forgotten just how good he was at fucking me or coercing an orgasm out of me.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Hendrix. I just want to help if I can.” His voice is soft and sincere.
Jase has been a great coach but also a great friend to me. He listens to me when I complain about a bad game or gripe about how all my friends have mastered the art of pairing off.
I sigh. “I appreciate that. Just, no judgment, okay?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest.
He holds his hands up, as if he’s surrendering. “Absolutely, no judgment from me. You were a great friend to me when things were happening with Cassie; there was no judgment there even when I got her fired,” he reminds me.
“I know, I know.”
“Oh, come on, Hendrix, what are you so worried about? What, are you two sleeping together or something?” He chuckles as he says it.
I grin and shake my head. “Well, you hit the nail on the proverbial head.” I watch him and wait for his reaction.
“Wait, you seriously are!!” Jase’s voice is so loud that I look over at the team to see if anyone is watching us. It looks like a head or two turn in our direction.
“Please say it louder, I don’t think that everyone heard you over there,” I say, shaking my head. “Damn, we don’t want everyone to know.”
“Oh, so you two are a we?” he asks.
I shake my head. “August and I are not we. I was referring to our conversation. I don’t want the whole team finding out.”
“Sorry.” He moves a step closer so that he’s standing right in front of me. “Care to share what is going on?”
I nod. “We’ve hooked up twice,” I admit.
“I thought you hated him.”
“Turns out there are some things about him that I don’t actually hate,” I confess, shrugging.
“Are you just lonely or is this something? Because I gotta tell you, Hendrix, for as much of a front as August likes to put on, he’s not going to take kindly to you using him like this.
” Jase immediately sees my eyes widen at his statement.
“I just mean that he must have some lingering feelings for you or something, because of the way he lets you bag on him. He never even flinches, even when you are being so unprofessional with him. He lets it all go. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that he does this because it’s you and that no one else would get away with this shit. ”
I look away from him, considering his words. “Even though he takes random women home from the bar right in front of me?”
“Even though he does that,” Jase says matter-of-factly.
“What makes you say that?”
“Because we never see these woman again and neither does he. And because it’s not really done in front of you.
He never brings them to the table; he just sort of disappears.
” He runs a hand through his hair, watching me carefully before saying, “I’ve seen the way he watches you.
There’s a bit of pining happening there. ”
“Pining? You think he pines for me?” I ask him, stifling a laugh.
“I do. I think he does. August loved you, Hendrix. I think you were the girl he couldn’t get over,” he says with a shrug.
“What, did he tell you that or something?” My voice raises in shock, my hand flies to my mouth in surprise. Looking around I hope no one else heard me.
“No, but when we went to him about Cassie being removed the team, he didn’t even flinch when you asked him to let her back on,” Jase reminds me.
“It was a business decision,” I insist.
“Maybe,” Jase says with a shrug, “but I think that he did it for you.” We both look in the direction of the team. “Watts isn’t going to let this break go on much longer. Care to share any more or have I learned enough?”
I sigh. “I have no idea what is happening. He seeks me out and I give into him. But you can’t tell anyone. No one on the team knows.” I think for a moment and then add, “I’m sure that Dex knows. But aside from that I haven’t shared this with anyone.”
Jase nods. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. One more favor to ask, though.”
“What’s that?” he asks.
“This topic isn’t fair game between you and me, okay? And please don’t bring it up in front of everyone. This isn’t bar conversation,” I plead with him.
“Of course. I get it. But promise me something.”
“Sure.”
“If you need to talk or if you feel like you get in over your head, talk to me,” he says, placing a gentle hand on my arm.
“I will. Thanks.”
“Of course, what are coaches for?” he says with a smile.
I laugh. “I don’t think this.”
“Hendrix! Come on, time to run!” Coach Watts calls from the team benches.
“Of course it is,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Ha, consider it your penance for sleeping with August,” Jase jokes.
“That’s not fair and you know that,” I say, shooting him a warning glance.
“You’re right, it’s not. Sorry,” Jase says with a shrug. “Now go run your laps so we can all get out of here.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” I say, mock saluting him before hauling ass over to the team so we can begin running our ladders.
Hitting the line marks and running back to the end line, over and over until we reach the end of the field.
It is an exhausting exercise that I normally loathe, but not today, I am happy to have an outlet for the weight of all my secrets, which are not buried as deeply as I thought they were.