Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“What?” Meester squawked before someone hushed him.
Rain’s eyes found mine and stayed.
There. She was back in her body. I could see her again.
“I would like to remain working with the Grays, but you all need to know about one more thing. Tyler and I are in a relationship.”
My mouth fell open.
She—wow, yeah. She just laid it out there.
A buzz swirled among the guys, but I didn’t dare look at them. If one of them looked at her wrong, said one wrong word about her, I would lose my shit.
Coach Hines straightened abruptly and took a step in my direction.
But Rain wasn’t fucking done. “Now that you know that, I realize there might be an irreparable rift between me and you. I feel it’s only right to ask whether you guys want to continue working with me. The organization should convene and let me know if I should stay or take my leave.” Her eyes flashed with apology, and I felt that all the way through my soul. She was saying goodbye in more than one capacity.
Damn it.
She knew what she was doing.
She was burning all the bridges. Every single one of them.
I was going to lose her.
She was leaving. I could see it in her eyes, in the way she stood. She was saying goodbye to me without the actual words.
But I couldn’t lose her.
I would not lose her.
She looked to Coach Hines. “I’ll do whatever you decide is best.”
His eyebrows pulled together, but he didn’t respond. I screamed silently at him to reassure her, to tell her that of course she needed to stay, but he didn’t. They’d have a meeting no matter what, weigh the pros and cons of working with her. But she was one of us. Didn’t they see that?
Dammit. Damn them all.
She was one of us.
She was a part of me.
She was mine.
They couldn’t let her go.
And yet, as she walked out of the locker room, everyone was quiet.
The door closed behind her, and I snapped. “Are you fucking kidding?” I snarled.
And the world went black for me.
Crash!
Thud.
Blood.
My voice felt hoarse from yelling.
I was still the one yelling.
Something broke, and I was the only one yelling.
After a moment, I came back to myself.
God.
The locker room benches were upended, paper strewn everywhere. A mirror tilted off the wall. There was glass on the floor. All over.
What had I done?
Then I felt another surge. “Rain…”
I inhaled, and the world slipped away once more.
When I came back the next time, Bruge and Brick held me against the wall
I couldn’t get enough air, though my chest was heaving.
There was blood.
Where was Rain?
I searched for her, ignoring the team who stared at me in stunned silence.
Had she come back? Was she in the room? She wasn’t. I couldn’t find her anywhere.
“You need to get a hold of yourself, man.” Bruge shoved me.
The guys stood in a semicircle, staring at me in shock.
I held up my hands, and blood streamed down my arms. I should’ve felt pain, but I felt nothing.
Except loss.
I needed to get to Rain.
I struggled against Bruge and Brick. “Let me go.”
“No, man. You went complete psycho just now,” Bruge said. “You gotta chill, and you need to let a trainer look at your hands.”
I growled.
Brick barked over his shoulder. “Get Hunter in here now to look at his hands.”
After a moment, the trainer rushed in, carrying his medical kit. He seemed winded, running over to us. “I’m here. Okay. Let me see.”
Bruge and Brick didn’t move.
Brick asked, “You going to go psycho again?”
“Rain.” I hung my head.
Bruge leaned closer. “We’re not letting her go, so calm the fuck down. Maybe trust us to have your backs, hmm? Now, are you going to be all calm-like and let Hunter patch you up?”
I held his gaze. He seemed to be telling the truth. I nodded, and both relaxed at the same time, taking a step back. Hunter cringed when he got a look at my hands. He touched one, turning it over, and used an alcohol swab to begin cleaning the blood.
Both Bruge and Brick hissed, but I wasn’t feeling a goddamn thing.
Hunter turned toward Coach Hines. “Our X-ray machine is down for repairs. The guy is scheduled to come later today, but Griffin will need X-rays. I don’t think we should wait. I should take him to the hospital.”
Coach Hines glared at me. “Do whatever you need to.”
Sunny stepped to the center of the room, his chest lifting. But Bruge spoke first. “One of us should go with him. I’ll go.”
Sunny’s chest deflated. He shot Bruge a confused look, but he didn’t say anything else.
Coach Hines nodded. “Go. Hunter, keep us updated.”
“I will, Coach.” He and Bruge made sure to walk beside me, a hand out if I needed them.
I didn’t need any of them.
The only person I needed, I had let walk out of this room by herself.