Breaking His Rules

🏈21🏈

Aaron's POV:

I drag myself to the locker room after our loss against the Eagles the next day, wondering why I don't feel the same emotion as the rest of my teammates. Jason tosses his helmet hard against a locker and the other players look just about the same as him. The Eagles were supposed to be an easy team to beat, but somehow, they managed to slip past us and give us a sound beating.

Everyone is angry, totally pissed off.

But I just feel numb.

Coach Hernandez walks into the locker room looking grim and disappointed. As the team captain, I am supposed to say a few words to motivate the team, but Coach takes one look at me and decides to do it himself.

Good thing too. I have no words to say.

When Alicia and I broke up, I thought I had experienced the worst pain ever. I couldn't eat properly, and I slept fitfully. Yet after just one day of being away from Kayla, I feel worse than I ever have before.

And it showed on the field. I know it did, though no one would say that to my face. But I could feel the scorching glares of my teammates as we trudged off the field, our school staring at us in shock while the Eagles celebrated.

But that wasn't what tore me apart. Throughout the match, I scanned the crowd looking for a glimmer of her long dark hair, waiting for those green eyes to find mine. I was distracted, searching the bleachers for her. And when I wasn't, I was thinking of her, only her.

When she stormed off yesterday, all I wanted to do was follow, but I couldn't obviously. I told her that it would be bast if we parted ways, and I intend to keep to that, no matter how devastated it makes me. Because it is what is best for both of us. She obviously does not feel the same way about me that I feel about her and it hurts so much.

If I hadn't allowed Alicia to kiss me, would things have been different?

When I told my parents that Alicia and I were back together, they were over the moon. They took us out for dinner and Caleb, who was back from college for a visit joined us. However, I felt his eyes on me throughout the meal, and I couldn't even take a bite. My parents were so estatic that they even agreed to allow me to continue playing football till I graduated.

So now my parents are happy, and Alicia is happy.

But I'm miserable.

"... you all could have done better out there", Coack Hernandez's voice rings and I realize that I was so lost in thought that I missed most of his speech. I force myself to pay attention. "However, are focus needs to be on our next game. This was a...", his voice chokes a bit, "... a painful loss. But it is important to check through our gameplay, find out what you all can do to improve. And if you know someone who needs assistance, do the needful and assist. Remember, we win as a team, and we lose as a team. Most importantly, we fight as a team."

I look around at my teammates nodding, their resolve visibly hardening on their faces as they gather around where Coach has stretched out his hand, extending theirs over his.

Coach's eyes meet mine, a signal to give a chant. However, I don't have it in me, and I allow my eyes to shift from his and my eyes fall to the ground.

"Fight on three", he says with a sigh. "One, two, three"

"Fight"

The roar of the team envelopes me for a moment before it is replaced by the rush of wind as people start to pack up, trooping out the door.

I lean down to untie my cleats when I feel a shadow over me. I look up.

"Let's take a walk", Coach Hernandez says.