His Number One : The Sequel to Chemistry

Chapter 25

Coach Eaton was standing at the front of the boy's locker room going through the plays one last time when Tyler finally decided to take Jacob's advice. He stared down at one of the longest texts he's ever sent, and waited eagerly for Kaylin to respond to it. It was so long that it'd take a whole nother novel to include it in its entirety. He had sent it seven minutes ago, but she never responded. She hadn't even read it yet. Maybe she was busy? That was Tyler's first assumption. But that didn't stop him from looking down at his phone every three seconds in hopes that he was wrong.

They had to be out on the court in three minutes. And Tyler was so focused on making things right with Kaylin, that he completely missed the entire team huddle. He sat at the very back of the locker room staring at his phone as the rest of the team exited the locker room, chanting and full of energy.

They were only a couple of feet away from the locker room when Kendrick realized there was a player from the team missing. He jogged back to the locker room and peeped around the corner of it. "Tyler, let's go," he called from the doorway. He noticed one of his legs shaking impatiently and the wearisome look on his face and couldn't stop himself from asking, "What are you doing?"

"Trying to fix something," he answered without looking up from his phone. He ran his hand over his head from the top of his head to the back of his neck before saying, "Give me a second."

"We have to be on the court in one minute," Kendrick notified, hoping he'd get the severity of the situation and get off the bench. But Tyler sat there. Kendrick sighed and walked into the locker room. "What is it?" he asked. He took a seat beside Tyler.   

"It's just," he started. "It's Kaylin."

Kendrick instinctively sucked his teeth at the mentioning of Kaylin's name, and mumbled under his breath, "That b*tch."

For the first since he's entered the room, Tyler hopped off the bench and towered over his captain aggressively, which was never a good idea. "What the f*ck did you just say?"

"Tyler, chill," Kendrick replied as he slowly stood up from the bench, his hands up in defense. He was afraid that Tyler was actually going to hit him. The boy's face had turned blood red and his fists were tightly closed at his sides. Kendrick had never been afraid of Tyler, but it was as if he had become this fiery demon in a matter of two seconds. "I-I was kidding."

"What's going on in here?" Coach Smalls' angered voice echoed near the doorway of the locker room. Kendrick relaxed once he looked over and saw that small, muscular body of Coach Smalls walk through the doorway. He was safe now.

Tyler exhaled heavily as he took a step away from Kendrick, and Kendrick tried to hide the relief that flourished his entire body. 

"What did I tell you two on the very first day of try outs?!" Coach fumed as he made his way towards the boys. "This type of behavior will NOT be tolerated on any team of mine!" This statement made Tyler want to say, 'It's not your team. It's Eaton's team. You're just the assistant coach,' but he wasn't trying to get into any more trouble than he was already in. "Tonight we have one the most important games of the entire season. This silliness will not be tolerated! Irrizarry, go run and catch up with the rest of the team." Without hesitation, Kendrick was out the door and on the court. Coach Smalls and Tyler were the only two left in the locker room and the tension was higher than ever. 

"So you're just gonna let him go scot-free?!" Tyler exclaimed.

"When I walked you in, you were the aggressor. We have one of the most important games to play in less than ten seconds. I don't have time to play detective. This isn't the first time you've started an altercation, Lehman. You're on the bench tonight."