Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
~HENDRIX~
“And you wanted to make sure that your little girlfriend, Hendrix, that goalkeeper that you can’t seem to keep your hands off of, was content in knowing that you were not leaving her. Isn’t that right, August?” Maxwell Cromwell bellows.
And the whole practice field hears it.
I swear that man just lives to make my life messy and complicated.
All eyes on the field snap over in my direction. I want to crawl into a hole and die right now. We literally just talked about everyone finding out. Now that they have, I’m not sure I’m okay with it.
I look for Mac and Cassie’s eyes on the field and see that they are carefully making their way over to me.
“Alright, alright, let’s get this practice back on track. We need to do some running now. Let’s get some laps in and clear our heads,” Coach Watts says, clapping his hands, attempting to get the focus of this practice back. “We’re going to run a property,” he announces and everyone groans.
This means that we have to run around the perimeter of the Blaze property, which includes the practice field area and around the outside of the stadium.
It sucks and sometimes in favor of goalie training, I do not have to run like this.
However, with the look on Coach Watts’ face, I can tell that it’s not happening, and I will be running with the rest of the team.
I pause for a moment and hope that he calls me to side, not to talk about this but to ask that Jase take me for some goalie training.
“Hendrix, you are running too,” he confirms, watching me carefully.
“Yes, sir,” I reply, getting in line with the rest of the team.
“It’s going to be okay, Hen,” Mac says, appearing on my right.
“We’ve got you. Nothing is going to happen to you,” Cassie says from the other side.
“Watts looks so pissed,” I say to both of them.
Dana turns around from her spot in front of me. “Maybe that’s because it’s only one season in, and you and your little group of friends has turned the whole Blaze organization into your own personal dating app.”
I openly gawk at her. I mean, she’s not wrong. But I don’t know how to respond to it. So, I just keep looking forward.
“Mind your business, Dana,” Mac says in my defense.
“Don’t,” I warn her.
“I’m not letting them tear you down like this,” Mac says in response.
Watts blows the whistle, thankfully, and we all take off running.
I thought this would be better, all of us running out there, not all stuck in close quarters.
But I hear the girls whispering as they run past me.
I’m slower than most of the team so there is no way I can keep up with Mac and Cassie.
They have run ahead. I make my way off to the side so that I’m not in the middle of the pack.
“Did you know about this?” I hear Watts say to Jase as I run past them.
Shit, I’m sorry, Jase, I think as I go by.
I panic as I run along, looking over my shoulder and seeing the patio where the press conference was held has been cleared. I wonder if they are in the conference room talking. More importantly, I wonder if it worked.
I hope for August’s and Drew’s sakes that is it has.
I just never expected that it would lead to Maxwell outing us in such a public forum.
I wonder if any members of the press were there and did they hear him?
And would they write articles about it? Of course they would, how could they not?
It’s too juicy of a story to keep under their lids.
The run takes me about as long as it usually does. I don’t finish last; the other goalies are behind me. I can’t hear what they are saying because they are talking so low, but I would bet I’m the topic of conversation.
“Alright, team,” Coach Watt says, clapping his hands as he welcomes us all back from our run.
“We start playoffs next week and I need to make sure that everyone is focused. So, this new piece of information that we have learned about your teammate is not open for discussion. I don’t want to hear the gossiping about it. We need to remain focused.”
He stares at everyone, waiting for someone to challenge him. Thankfully, no one does.
“Okay, that’s it for practice right now. Mac, call it out. After that ending, Hendrix, I would like to see you for a moment,” he says, staring me down.
I move into the huddle and shout Blaze on three with my teammates and then quickly make my way over to Coach Watts. I notice that Coach Andie is standing with Jase.
“How long has this relationship been going on?” Watts asks me.
I sigh and tell him everything. Since there is no point in hiding it, I let him know all about college and how things ended there. How I hated him and treated him in ways that should have gotten me fired and then talked to him about how things started here.
“Maxwell Cromwell hates me, Coach. He doesn’t think that I’m good enough for his son.
I think that’s why he outed us like that.
I think he was hoping that because he can’t control August, that he’s decided to burn my life to the ground.
Make you force my hand to get rid of our relationship because we’re not bowing down to him.
” I say the words in a hurry. “I realize that this might sound crazy, but I can promise you that is what I think is happening right now. I’m sorry, coaches, I know that I disappointed you.
I get that. But please understand that I’m in no way benefiting from this relationship.
If anything, it’s making things in my life harder for me. ”
I sigh and wait for them to say something, anything. I look over at Jase and see the pity in his eyes. But I did this to myself.
“Okay,” Coach Watts says.
I stare at him for moment and keep blinking. “Okay? What do you mean, okay?”
“I simply mean okay. I have to go up into the building and talk to Maxwell and August, if Maxwell is still there, and find out what is going on. I hope that this does not do anything to harm the team’s focus heading into the playoffs.
Your record on that pitch speaks for itself, Hendrix.
No one is saying that he gives you special treatment.
Well, no one on this coaching staff. I just think the girls are going to make this one harder on you than you think,” he shrugs.
“I get that you were with him before and this is like a second chance for you. I don’t want to take it away. ”
I nod and wait to see if I’m dismissed.
“See you later, Hendrix,” Coach Andie says, giving me the answer that I had been looking for.
I walk away to grab the keeper bag from the bench and head for the locker room. The only thing that I want is my keys and wallet. After I have that, I’m leaving. No shower in that locker room. I’ll be waiting until I reach home for that.
“Hendrix,” I hear Mac call after me.
“I’m good. I’ll see you all later.” I say, rushing out of the locker room.
The stares from my teammates are too much for me to take.
I can’t be in there right now. I wonder how long it is going to take.
I know that this has happened to Cassie and Mac before and I always hated that they had to go through it.
I just never thought I would be on the same side as they once were.
When I finally reach my apartment, I run up the stairs and fling open the apartment door. Thankfully, Ash is sitting on the couch, watching TV. He looks up at me, grinning, like he’s happy to see me. But that smile quickly fades.
“Hendrix, what is going on? What happened?” he asks me, rising from the couch and coming to me.
“The whole team knows that I’m seeing August. It was announced today by Maxwell Cromwell after August did his little press conference thing,” I blurt it all out in rush.
“I can’t believe this happened. Everyone was staring at me.
You should have seen the looks on their faces, Ash. It was awful. Absolutely awful.”
I finally let the tears well up in my eyes and blink them down my cheeks. “I can’t believe that this is happening,” I say.
Ash pulls me into his arms and holds me, letting me cry on his shoulder. Just like I’ve done so many times before, when I was little or when I first got dumped by August.
“Does that mean that the Blaze is going to make you give up August?” he asks me, as he rubs his hand up and down my back.
“I don’t think so. I don’t know. Coach Watts just said that he’ll have to talk to the Cromwells and we’ll see what happens,” I squeak out through my tears.
I can feel him nod against me. “I thought that maybe they would say that you can’t be with him.”
“You would like that, wouldn’t you?” I sniffle.
“No,” he pulls back so that he can look me in the eyes.
“I don’t like coming home and finding your clothes and his spread all over the living room.
However, I don’t want to see you unhappy, Hendrix.
And if he makes you happy, then so be it.
I just don’t want to see something bad happen to you with the Blaze because of this man.
He’s not worth that much. You are finally living your dream.
Let’s not do something to irrational that makes you have to give that up. That’s all I’m saying.”
I nod. “I get that.” I wipe my eyes with the backs of my hands.
“But they didn’t make Jase and Cassie stop seeing each other.
Nor did they do that to Mac and Danny. Or Amelia and Dex.
” I list off all of my friends and shake my head.
“He can’t impact my playing time. I mean, sure, he’s the owner, but at the same time, it’s Coach Watts’ call.
He was the one who was promised that this was his team and that nothing would change that.
I believe that August won’t go back on that.
Plus, Watts did say before I left that I have proven myself,” I say, shrugging.
“So…” The words die on my tongue because I have no idea where I was going with that ‘so.’
“Your talent definitely does speak for itself,” he says, smiling at me.
“I’m sorry that this happened to you today.
What I can tell you is that it was inevitable.
The team was going to find out, and they were going to react.
But it’s up to you on how you handle this.
You can choose to let it define you, or you can prove yourself on that pitch game after game.
And even in practices. Because you are worth your weight in gold out there.
Show them that, and they’ll have no other choice but to shut the fuck up and stop running their mouths. I guarantee it.”
I grin at him. “I needed that bit of big brother advice. Thank you for that.” I hug him and he gives me a quick squeeze back. “I get it that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I just hope that I can survive it.”
“You will,” he promises me. “You absolutely will. And I will be here every step of the way.”
“You will?” I ask him, confused. “Are you, like, never planning on going back to Philadelphia?”
He sighs and watches me for a beat. “Well, I was thinking it might be nice to be here with you for a bit.” He shrugs and asks, “What do you think? Would you like some more time with your big brother?”
I grin at him. “Yeah, I would like some more time with you. That would be awesome. Don’t you need to work, though?”
He shakes his head, laughing. “No, remember I’m good for the time being.
I realize that you may not want me to be here with you in your team housing for all that time.
I’m not sure what the rules are for how long you can have guests, but I can find somewhere else to live if that helps you.
I wouldn’t want the team to be asking you too many questions or thinking that this is a part of your special treatment.
Plus, if I ever want to have company over, then it might be weird. ”
“Oh, and who is this someone that you might want to have over?” I ask him, excited at the possibility of keeping my big brother around for longer.
“Well, no one really yet. But who knows.”
I giggle and lean in to hug him. “Yeah, who knows.”