Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
There’s a different energy than usual buzzing around the locker room; a mix of excitement and anticipation.
Not only are we getting a new Athletic Trainer, but we’re getting a new analyst. I think we’re all anxious to meet them, but we’re wary because we don’t want anyone to come in, and start stepping on our toes thinking they know better than us.
Will this mystery Athletic Trainer try to boss us around, or will they blend in seamlessly with no issues? The last person kept to the shadows and let Doc take the lead. I think he had some type of family emergency that made him quit, which isn’t ideal for the team, but life happens.
Doc’s been vague about this person, despite our probing questions. We don’t know their name, gender, age, or their background. Not that their gender matters to me, but if some hot woman shows up here, some of my teammates will have a tough time keeping things professional.
Not me, though.
It doesn’t matter to me who the new AT is, as long as they’re good at their job. I’m sure Doc wouldn’t hire someone with no experience in this field. He wants what’s best for the team, so whoever he’s hired must be the best of the best.
Coach James gives us a fifteen minute warning before we need to be in the conference room to meet the new staff and to go over stats with the new analyst. It would have been beneficial to have an analyst long before the first game, but I’m not the one cutting paychecks, so my opinion doesn’t matter.
My job is to play the game and prove I belong on this team.
As we start to file out of the locker room, my best friend and occasional roommate, Kendall, falls into step next to me. “Dude, did you see the smokeshow at the front desk?”
“Um…do you mean Melanie?” I remember seeing her when I came in, but no one else. Sure, she’s pretty, but she’s a bit old for me. It wouldn’t surprise me if Kendall was into her, though.
“No, not Melanie. Although…” he pumps his eyebrows suggestively and I roll my eyes.
“I’m kidding. She’s hot, but you know I prefer my women to be within five years of my age.
Plus, I know better than to fuck with the staff.
Been there, done that, never again. No, I’m talking about the curvy blonde who was talking to Melanie.
The way her pants hugged her ass?” He bites his fist and groans.
Kendall Fowler is a self-labelled playboy and he lives up to the label. Sure, I’ve had my fair share of hook-ups in the past, but it’s nothing compared to him. He never sleeps with the same girl twice, and he kicks them out almost immediately after they’re finished.
We’ve been friends for almost eight years, and he’s never been in a serious relationship. I know why I haven’t had a serious girlfriend since my freshman year, but he won’t tell me his reason.
“Aren’t you satisfied after last night? Weren’t you and—what was her name, Lizzie?—at it for like an hour?”
“You act like an hour is a long time,” he scoffs. “No wonder you haven’t gotten laid in months. Besides, you know me. I’m always up for another round. Especially when the lady looks like she’s made to be fucked—hard.”
“You’re incorrigible. Do you even remember her name?” He shakes his head without an ounce of remorse. “Typical. To answer your question, no. I didn’t see her. Do you think she’s one of the new staff members?”
“God, I hope not. That would be such a cockblock. Come on, let’s go see if she’s still there.”
“What would be a cockblock?” Silas—AKA Webby—asks as he falls into step next to us.
Begrudgingly, I follow Kendall’s lead, turning in the opposite direction of the conference room and toward the front doors.
I’ll admit, I’m curious about this woman.
Melanie is the head of Human Resources, so the likelihood of this person being a new employee is high, which means she’s probably our new AT or analyst.
“If the hot blonde I saw was staff,” Kendall says, answering Webby’s question.
“Can you keep it in your pants for five seconds? Jeez. It’s bad enough you hit on Cap’s wife. You can’t hit on our coworkers too,” Webby groans.
Kendall shows no hint of shame or regret over the jab. “We don’t know if she works here, so let me have my fantasies while I can.”
We round the corner and Kendall stops in his tracks, nudging my shoulder. “That’s her,” he whispers, nodding to the blonde wearing what’s clearly a royal blue Knights polo. She’s talking to Melanie, nodding animatedly to whatever she’s saying.
There’s something familiar about her long, light golden hair and the slope of her nose. A fuzzy memory buzzes around the back of my mind, but it won’t focus long enough for me to put the pieces together, and create a clear picture.
“Let’s go introduce ourselves. Maybe we can be of assistance to her,” Kendall suggests, striding toward her with the confidence of a lion, unaware of the fact I’m still racking my brain, trying to figure out how I know her.
Did we go to college together? Did I hook up with her at some point and forget her name? Sure, it’s been a few months, but I can’t imagine I’d forget someone so—
Oh, shit.
As soon as she turns in our direction and I see her face-on, the fuzzy memory becomes crystal clear, and recognition hits me like a freight train.
Memories of the girl who showed up when my brother, Davis, was fourteen, flash in my mind.
They were inseparable for the four years they dated.
She was at our house all the time, trying to escape the pressure and chaos of her own.
Family vacations, holidays, my sister’s recitals, and my rugby games, she was there as part of our family.
Though she should have felt more like a sister to me, my feelings for her were never quite familial. I never let them show because she was taken, and I knew I never had a chance. I had a crush on her the entire time she dated my brother.
She was the only one who believed I could make rugby a career, and encouraged me to take it seriously. I remember seeking out her smile in the stands when I’d play, and how difficult it was when she wasn’t there anymore.
The summer after they graduated high school, Davis proposed. She said yes, and we were all thrilled to have her officially join the Gentry family. Davis got into Johns Hopkins’ pre med program, and she was going to do online classes until she could get into an Athletic Training program close by.
Most people would discourage two freshly graduated eighteen year olds from getting married, but if anyone would have made it, it would have been her and Davis.
But she got accepted into her dream program with a great scholarship at a university in Utah, close to some of her extended family.
I remember crashing into her on the porch the last time I saw her, and being worried sick at the tears in her eyes.
I knew from the box in her hands what she was going to do, and it stung that she didn’t say goodbye to me.
I get why now, but at the time, it was devastating.
It was a difficult transition for my whole family not having her bright light there all the time.
Davis moved out and didn’t visit often, and I started my junior year of high school being bombarded with discussion of my future career plans, instead of having her there to encourage me to follow my dreams.
I channeled all the emotions I had into becoming the best inside center I could be, and it earned me a scholarship and a spot on the Pennsylvania State rugby team.
The memories only last a few seconds, but I stop in my tracks when I’m about a foot away from her and blurt out, “Sutton Brady?”
Her hazel eyes widen as recognition hits her, then the biggest smile spreads across her face. “Ezra Gentry?”
Before I can register what I’m doing, I have my arms wrapped around her. My nose gets buried in her high ponytail, and the scent of mangoes and something minty invades my nostrils. After a brief hesitation, her arms wrap around me, and she gives me a gentle squeeze.
A throat clears next to us, and I come to my senses, letting her go, and stepping back awkwardly. Sutton looks just as surprised as I do.
“Sorry about that,” I murmur, feeling my face heat.
“No, it’s okay! Just took me by surprise.” She lets out a disbelieving laugh as she shakes her head. “Ezra. Oh my god! I had no idea you were on the team. Congratulations! I knew you could do it.”
Warmth spreads through my chest hearing Sutton’s genuine pride, and it makes me want to hug her all over again.
It’s a stark contrast to the disappointed undertones I get from my parents.
Davis and Kylie try to be supportive, but they’re both in their own worlds.
Davis doesn’t understand why I don’t want a more stable career, and why I wouldn’t want to go into something less volatile that would make more money.
He doesn’t get my reasons, but I wish he wouldn’t be so condescending about it sometimes.
I wish my parents could just be happy for me. I wish they’d come to my games and be proud of how far I’ve come, instead of being disappointed I’m not like my siblings.
“Thank you. It’s definitely been a journey. Maybe…maybe we can get dinner or something and catch up sometime? I’d love to hear about your life over the past ten years.”
“I’d really like that. Let me check my schedule and get back to you.”
Kendall and Webby’s gazes bounce between us with confused expressions.
My best friend’s eyebrows are almost up to his hairline. “I take it you two know each other?”
“Yeah,” I clear my throat and try again, less squeaky this time. “She dated my brother back in high school.”
“Yep,” Sutton confirms, still looking at me. “Ezra was like the little brother I never had.”
Ouch…
“Right… Huh, small world,” Kendall muses, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. “Well, I’m Kendall Fowler, AKA Ken Doll due to my perfect features and dazzling smile.” He holds his hand out and Sutton shakes it firmly, all business.
“Nice to meet you. What position do you play?”