Chapter 44
KAI
That fucking prick.
I swear to god if Alfie the Prick Preston ruins my chances at getting drafted, I am going to lose my shit. My jaw clenched so hard it ached, and I kicked at a stray water bottle on the floor of the changing room just to get the frustration out of my body.
Of course, he went and ran his mouth the first chance he got.
Of course, he did.
Why did I expect anything less from that prick?
I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing a tight line between the benches.
And I bet he’s over at Westley acting the victim, nursing his bruises like a fucking bitch whilst I’m over here getting bollocked for it.
It’s alright for him. He would never get drafted, not in a hundred years, not with that pathetic excuse for a right foot.
But now my chances might be at risk. My stomach turned at the thought, a cold weight settling in my chest.
My mind kept wandering to Alex. He looked so sad at training. Like - sadder than usual. Shoulders hunched, head down. He barely looked at me.
And I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to so badly. My fingers twitched at my sides, like they were ready to reach out. But I didn’t really feel like being pushed away again, not with the prick on my mind. So I clenched my fists and forced myself to think of literally anything else.
Anyone else.
Before I did something stupid.
When Coach said that he expected me of all people to have some self-control, I felt that.
It hit right in the chest. Because normally I could.
Normally, I could keep a level head. I was the one who didn’t rise to the bait, who didn’t get dragged into stupid fights, who kept the team steady when everyone else lost it.
That was part of the reason I made captain in the first place.
But I didn’t know how to be that person. Not when it involved Alex.
My jaw tightened as I shoved my boots into my bag, the zip catching on the fabric because my hands wouldn’t stay still. I tried to breathe, tried to shake it off, but the anger and the worry and whatever the hell else was tangled up inside me just kept circling.
I wasn’t supposed to react like that.
I wasn’t supposed to care like that.
Did I wish I hadn’t done it? Yes.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
The way he grabbed a hold of Alex. The way he was speaking to him. My blood boiled just thinking about it. The kids lucky I didn’t put him six feet under.
I sat down heavily on the bench, elbows on my knees, trying to breathe through the anger. But it stayed there, simmering under my skin, mixing with something else I didn’t want to name.
Something that had everything to do with Alex Taylor.
I slung my bag on my back and walked to Coach’s office, giving it two knocks before waltzing in, my heart still thudding from my thoughts.
“Ah, Kai, take a seat,” he gestured to the chair at his desk.
I dropped into it, leaning forward slightly.
“Good play out there,” he said, pointing at me.
“And those goals yesterday!” He gave me a thumbs-up, grinning.
“You play like that when the scouts are here, and you have nothing to worry about.”
“You think?” I said with a smile, trying not to look as relieved as I felt.
“Oh, yeah, they’d be silly not to.” He waved a hand like it was obvious and then went back to typing something into his computer.
“What about the thing with Alfie?” I asked, my smile fading as I rubbed my palms on my thighs.
“Don’t worry about that. I know what happened; Alex spoke to me.” He said, looking up from his computer, taking his reading glasses off.
“He did?” I said, eyebrows raised before I could stop myself, my chest tightening in a way I didn’t want to think about.
“Yeah, he did.” Coach nodded, leaning back in his chair. “He’s a good kid.”
And I felt myself smile - small, involuntary, impossible to hide. “Yeah, he is,” I said, my voice softer than I meant it to be.
“So, about the scouts,” Coach continued, pulling a sheet of paper from a folder. “Obviously, I don’t know which games they are coming to, but I have sent over our game timetable to four interested schools.”
“Four,” I said, eyes widening as I sat up straighter.
“Yep,” he popped the ‘p’. “A lot of schools want to see you play. And I know there will be more by the end of the season.” He said it with a certainty that made my heart leap and stomach drop at once.
My breath caught for a second. Four schools. Four chances. I felt the weight of it settle in my chest - heavy, hopeful, terrifying.
“Look a little more excited,” Coach said with a grin, leaning back in his chair like he already knew the future. “You’re right where you need to be. This time next year, you could be finishing your studies at an Academy.”
He smiled broadly, the kind of smile that made it sound easy. I forced myself to smile back. There was no hiding that the whole idea was everything I’d wanted for years - but it was also really fucking daunting, the kind of dream that felt too big to hold.
“Thanks, Coach,” I said, getting up and slinging my bag back onto my shoulder, the strap thumping against my side.
“Just keep your head down,” he stated, pointing at me like it was a warning and a plea at the same time. “For the life of me, try not to punch anyone else.” He breathed.
I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’ll try.”
Then I pushed open the door and stepped out into the corridor. The air hit me cooler than I expected, but one thought hit me even harder…
Alex.
Alex spoke to him.
Alex had spoken to him for me.
I don’t know why that came as such a shock to me. Maybe because he’d acted like he literally wanted nothing to do with me all day. Barely looked at me. Barely spoke. Like he was trying to pretend I wasn’t even there.
But now I knew. He did care. No matter how much he acted like he didn’t, or how hard he tried to push me away. Some tiny part of him cared about me .
And it didn’t matter that it was small… only that it was there.