But I respect him. He wants to win, and he’ll do whatever has to be done.
I can feel the light now, though. I can feel it streaming in and washing over me. I walk down the hall, feeling hopeful for the first time since all this started.
My heart’s beating so fast, it’s in my throat.
I can’t wait to see Leah. I can’t wait to tell her what Atlas said.
I can’t wait to kiss her again.
I just hope she’ll let me.19LeahFelix flexes his leg and cocks his head at me. “How’s it looking?”
“Not bad,” I say, pushing back against him. “Pain?”
“None,” he says, frowning.
“Liar. How bad?”
“Maybe a two. Barely anything.”
“So, a five. Got it.”
He sighs. “Come on, girl. I can’t miss any more practice, let alone a game.”
“I know, that’s why you’re seeing me.”
He grumbles. “You’re the enemy, you know that, right?”
“Only to stubborn injured players that think they can keep going when they’re hurt.” I smile sweetly and wink at him.
“Damn, you’re evil, you know that?”
I let him go and stand up, brushing my hands together. “Honestly, I think you’re probably fine. You definitely need rest and ice, so let’s keep you limited today, okay?”
“Will do.” He hops off the bench and we walk over to the big freezer together.
I pull open the door and grab him a pack. “Any other injuries you know about that the guys aren’t reporting?”
He laughs. “I ain’t no snitch.”
“I know, but come on. It’s for their own good.”
“No way, Leah. Now I know you really are evil.”
I grin at him. “Only as evil as you idiot players make me.”
“All right, all right.” He hops up on a table. “I hear you been dealing with some shit lately, huh?”
I wince a little. “Atlas?”
“Sure, that’s the word. You dumped his ass.”
“Not really.”
“Dumped him real bad. I’m surprised you’re still working here.”
I smile a little bit as I start to tape the ice pack against his bruised leg. “He’s a good guy, actually.”
“He seems weird, but I don’t give a shit. He could drown puppies for all I care, so long as the checks keep coming.”
“That’s a pretty dark outlook.”
“I got, what, seven years left in me?”
“Less, if you don’t let this heal up.” I give him a look.
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I got limited time to make this money in this game, right? After this, who knows what’ll happen to me. I gotta look out for myself.”
“I can understand that.”
“I worked damn hard to get here. Damn hard. Got out of that shit neighborhood. Now I’m here, I’m getting my money.”
I finish taping him up. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. What happened between me and Atlas won’t affect your paycheck.”
“Damn right,” he says, nodding. “You’re one badass evil girl, you know that?”
I sigh. “Thanks, I guess. And just to be clear, I didn’t dump him.”
“Whatever.”
“I told him I’m not into him. We were never dating.”
“Right. Cool.” He hops off the bench. “I totally believe you.”
“Seriously. What are the guys saying about it?”
“Just that you’re a heartbreaker.”
“Assholes,” I grumble, leaning against the table. “You know, for a bunch of big, strong dudes, you all talk like a bunch of schoolgirls.”
He grins. “What else is there to do?”
“I don’t know, play football?”
“Nah, we do that enough.”
“You just talk shit about the training staff?”
“Basically. We talk about your love life and how that girl Tessa’s got a nice, big ass.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Okay, yeah, that one’s true. She really does have a huge butt.”
“Right? I want a piece of that ass but she’s been playing coy.” He looks across the crowded training room. “Yo, Tessa! When you gonna give it up?”
She looks up from where she’s taping a lineman’s ankle. “Never, asshole.”
The whole room laughs and Felix just grins. He’s a nice guy, underneath all that bravado and bullshit.
The training room is packed right now. It always is this early in the morning. Right before practice, the players come limping in with their minor, nagging injuries and their complaints. We spend the morning taping, talking, and stretching the best we can until we send them out onto the field.
Some guys, we hold back. We do have some leeway when it comes to holding them back for medical reasons. But mostly, if they’re healthy and not in too much pain, they’re out on that field.
“I’m not sure that’s gonna work,” I say to him.
“It’ll work, sooner or later. She won’t be able to resist. I’ll get that booty.”
“Good luck, I guess.” I grin at Tessa and she just shakes her head. I’m betting she’s heard all this before.
As Felix starts to head off, the door opens up. Everyone looks over as Cole steps into the room.
The chatter doesn’t stop, but it dies down. He looks around at everyone slowly, not saying a word, a frown on his face.