10 - Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Ethan hesitated for a moment, but then he gave me a smile and took a seat. I took an anxious breath. It was clear that he was upset by the outcome of the game, and I didn’t really know what to do to help with his mood. I had no idea what would trigger him at that stage.
“Can I ask you something personal?” Ethan asked, breaking the awkward silence. I nodded. “Why does Malik call you Pretzel?”
I laughed. That was an inside secret very few knew about. “It’s because I used to be a gymnast when I was younger. So he thinks that I should be able to fold myself like a pretzel.”
He gave me an incredulous look. “You did gymnastics? Like professionally, or was it just a hobby?”
“It started off as a hobby, but over my last few years in the sport I did end up in the national team. So I guess you could say I was doing it professionally.”
Ethan seemed impressed, and if I hadn’t known any better, I could’ve sworn that he was picturing me in a bunch of compromising positions.
“Were you successful?” he eventually asked. “I mean, don’t take that the wrong way. I’m just trying to understand.”
“Yes, I was,” I admitted. “But I didn’t start off that way. In the beginning, I was terrible. It took years of practice and eventually I took two silver medals at the nationals.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. So why are you not doing it now? I’m sure you could’ve done that and cheerleading.”
“I guess I kinda outgrew it. During my last couple of years in high school, I lost touch with the love I once had for it. I decided to join the cheer team and enjoyed it. So the gymnastics just disappeared into the background.”
Ethan leaned back and closed his eyes. His hand fell to the side, and it rested against my leg. Tiny tingles moved from his fingers and into my skin, setting my body alight. The sensation was so strong that I lost my trail of thought completely.
“So what do you call Malik then? Since you guys are so close.”
“His nickname is Tiny because, you know… he’s huge,” I said, earning a chuckle. “He isn’t the only one with a nickname.”
“Yeah, I noticed that you called me Decoy. What’s up with that?”
“Have you seen what you look like on the field? You’re like the resident crash test dummy. And when you aren’t being slammed into the ground, you’re the one everyone is trying to get to.”
He laughed out loud and I couldn’t stop myself from giggling.
I hoped to get that kind of reaction but I wasn’t sure if the truth about the nickname would go down all too well.
Instead of freaking out, Ethan moved his finger over my thigh.
A wave of heat washed over me, and I bit down on my lip to stop myself from reacting.
“How do you feel about the game?” I asked, trying to avoid what he was doing.
“It was absolutely terrible,” he said, finally facing me. “It wasn’t as embarrassing as the last one, but it was really close.”
“Maybe my granola bars aren’t as lucky as I hoped,” I joked, but he didn’t laugh.
He pinned me with his heated gaze. “It has nothing to do with the granola bars. It’s this team. The coach. Our inability to get the simplest of things right.”
I was stunned into silence. Ethan had never had a serious discussion with me before. And then all of a sudden it was like he was wearing his disappointment on his sleeve. I didn’t know how to react or what to expect next.
“Did you know that Harris isn’t a real football coach?
” he continued. “He’s a basketball coach.
And that would’ve been okay if he was actually interested in learning the sport, but he doesn’t seem to care.
He just keeps coming up with these insane game plays that never work out because they have nothing to do with football. ”
“Wow,” was all I could get out.
“I know, right? And to make matters worse his ideas keep costing us points. We could’ve done so much better today if we had just stuck to the game we started with. It’s plain old original football strategies that got us those points. And it’s his insane ideas that ended up costing us the win.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit harsh on him?” I asked as I slipped my hand into his. “Like, don’t get me wrong. I’m not supporting his decisions, but you guys have been getting better so he must at least be trying.”
Suddenly the bus screeched, and we were thrown forward.
Before my body could slam into the seat in front of me, Ethan shot out his hand.
He pressed his palm into my chest and pushed back with all his might, keeping me in place while his shoulder slammed into the metal frame.
What he didn’t realize was that his hand landed on my breast. Not that I was complaining or anything. I was grateful for the save.
“It’s not just him, though,” Ethan continued as he pulled his hand away.
“It’s the whole damn team. We aren’t a team.
At this stage, we’re just a bunch of confused guys who are trying to figure out what our coach wants.
And we’re trying to do it all on our own.
Did you see the other teams? They move like a unit.
They operate like a well-oiled engine. Each part has its jobs but none of them can achieve anything on their own.
We aren’t like that. We’re more like this, but dazed and confused. ”
Ethan let out a breath that he seemed to have been holding in for ages.
And I could tell that there was a lot about this team that had been bugging him.
This went deeper than just a lost game. The foundations were wobbly, and it bothered him.
The game wasn’t a team failure for him. It was personal.
He was carrying the weight of all they were on his shoulders.
“Just look at us,” he said, squeezing my hand.
“We’re riding a bus that should’ve been cremated twenty years ago.
Our sports field doesn’t even belong to our sport.
We don’t even have proper uniforms. This is just what we pulled together from our old gear.
We’re the laughingstock of the state, if not the entire country. ”
I ran my hand up and down his thigh, hoping to offer him some comfort. It was only when he looked at it that I realized I was doing so much more than just that. He didn’t say anything, so I just kept going with the hope that he wouldn’t spend too much time looking into it.
“Why did you come here?” I asked, hoping he’d lead me in the right direction.
“I was asked to transfer to help start the team. It seemed like a good deal at the time because I didn’t know I’d end up in this situation. Did you know that most of these guys have no idea what they’re doing? They’re good at following orders, but without a good lead they’re worthless.”
“Doesn’t it make sense that you were brought in to be that lead? You come with a strong history. They needed you because someone has to pull these guys together and the coach isn’t up to the task. So why don’t you step into that role and give them what they need?”
“Because I shouldn’t have to. My job is to play and score points.
It’s Harris’s job to come up with the game plans and to develop strategies.
It’s his responsibility to get us a bus and uniforms. We shouldn’t have to demean ourselves by washing cars because he can’t convince the department heads to give us what we need. ”
He was right. He was just a player, not the solution to all their problems but the team wouldn’t be able to get anywhere if they didn’t have his knowledge and support.
He needed to pull some of his own weight.
To guide the coach in the right direction and to bring the guys together.
They wouldn’t get anywhere if he kept excluding himself from the actual team.
“I came here hoping I’d finally have a chance to be seen so I could make my family proud.” He looked down and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Do you know how unlikely it is to be scouted from the bleachers overlooking Havenport’s soccer slash lacrosse field?”
I was pretty sure he was joking, but he was very pessimistic, and I wasn’t going to let him drag me into the vicious cycle he had gotten himself caught up in. I had been patient and I had been kind but perhaps that wasn’t what he needed. Maybe he needed someone to call him out.
“I think you should swallow your pride and man up a bit more,” I said, hoping he wouldn’t take it the wrong way.
“No team starts off with a winning dynamic and no team starts off perfectly. It takes time and effort. You need to understand that and be patient. Otherwise you might as well still be sitting on a bench in Stamford. It’s not like you’ll get scouted there either. ”
His face twitched, and I instantly knew that I had gone too far. I pushed buttons that should’ve stayed untouched. And with the mood he was already in, I could only imagine that I had set myself up for a world of trouble.
“That came out wrong,” I whispered, turning to face him.
“I just mean that you shouldn’t give up on this team too quickly because it might end up being the best thing that ever happened to you.
Who knows, you might actually lead them to winning the championship but you'll only find out if you stick it out and help them grow.”
He turned as well. “Why are you always fighting for this team? You were the reason we had the car wash, and I know you are there in other things you do behind the scenes to help us succeed and become closer. Like I’m still sure you were behind the pool night but nobody will admit to it.”
“Yeah, I actually had nothing to do with that, by the way. We just happened to be at the same place at the same time. And I don’t do anything behind the scenes. Malik asked for help and I tried my best to provide it.”
He gave me a look that said he didn’t believe a word I said but I didn’t care.
I knew the truth, and it wasn’t going to change just because he wanted it to.
If he wanted to keep believing I was some football mastermind, then that was what he had to do.
Maybe it helped him sleep better at night.
Maybe it gave him someone to blame. Whatever the reason, it was his to live with.
“If you say so,” he said skeptically. “You didn’t answer the question. Why are you doing all these things for the team? It’s not like the cheer squad will dismantle if we fail. So what do you get out of it?”
“I’m sorry to burst your ego bubble, but I’m not getting anything out of it.
I just believe that the Highlanders have what it takes to make a name for themselves.
You guys just need to find it but that’s never going to happen if you let your failures drag you down.
If an opponent pushes you down, get back up and make them regret even having the thought.
That’s how you become a team. That’s how you win. ”
Ethan let out a strangled laugh. “I can’t believe I actually thought I could talk to you. You’re just like everyone else.”
I stared at him. I was too shocked by his reaction to respond. All I had been trying to do this entire time was help but instead of seeing it for what it was, he lost it. He stood up and started gathering his things.
“That’s a nice fantasy you have in your mind.
And it’s easy to believe something like that when all you have to do is dance on the sideline.
But it’s not as simple when you’re on that field trying to save your team from even more embarrassment.
When you’re in that position, you might look at things differently. ”
With that, he walked away and left me to ponder my words. My gaze followed him, and I saw him taking a seat by himself at the back of the bus. It broke my heart that he reacted that way but I felt like it was the right thing to do because he seemed to be in denial.
I just hoped it wouldn’t put us back to square one or worse.