Scoring Wilder

  "So, what happened with Josh? That was super awkward," Emily asked, trying to broach the subject lightly. There wasn’t time to fill Becca and Emily in about what had transpired with Josh, so I’m sure they weren’t prepared for the scene back at the party. Emily probably wasn’t sure how heartbroken I felt about the whole situation.

  "I walked in on him cheating on me a few weeks ago.” I paused as Becca and Emily gasped Jerry Springer style. “We’d been friends for a long time, but only dated for a few months. He sucks major cojones, and we aren't getting back together. He still probably has that Bimbo on retainer."

  "But he's really cute," Becca cut in.

  "He's hot, but there's hotter..."

  "Liam," Becca and Emily both inserted, and we started laughing all over again.

  "You should date Liam to get back at Josh. Could you even imagine?" Becca started rambling. "If there is anyone on the team who even has a chance at dating him, it's definitely you.”

  “Oh please,” I said, rolling my eyes at the idea.

  “No, I mean it! Who gets offered sponsorships from Adidas when they're in high school? Beautiful people like you." She fake rolled her eyes and then I grabbed a pillow and bonked it on her head.

  "Hey! What the—"

  "I'm not dating Liam to get back at Josh," I laughed, hitting her again.

  “So date him to not get back at Josh,” she suggested.

  I bonked her on the head again.

  "So help me, you're about to start something you don't want to finish," Becca laughed, grabbing a pillow of her own.

  Poor Emily was right in the crossfire.

  "Emily, here take my pillow." I paused, eyeing Becca with a small wink. Her smile told me she understood my wicked plan.

  "Oh thanks, I thought you guys—"

  She didn't get to finish her sentence before Becca and I, how should I say, brought the pillow pain train into the station.

  "What the fuck, guys!" Emily screamed and laughed, trying to break free. She eventually did and ended up almost knocking me out with a perfectly timed pillow punch.

  "Mercy! Jeez Emily, you're quiet and cute, but then you almost break my neck with a pillow. I am now officially scared of you," I joked as Emily and Becca sat on top of me so that I couldn't move. "But in all seriousness, my birthday would have sucked without you two. I'm really glad you'll both be on the soccer team with me."

  Becca answered my sweet declaration by smothering me under my goose down comforter. Girls are vicious.

  After they eventually wandered back to their own rooms, I laid awake contemplating what tomorrow would have in store. I knew it was going to be a rude awakening for all of us rookies. We were the top athletes in high school, but starting tomorrow we’d be small fish in a big pond. The workouts would be harder, the practices would be longer, and the coaches would apparently be much, much hotter.

  I checked my phone for last minute birthday messages. Every hour on the hour, my mom had sent me a text. Her last one had come at eleven.

  Mom: Kinsley Grace, I'm so proud of all that you've accomplished. I really wish we could have flown in to be with you for the day, but I knew you'd want to spend the day with your new friends. I mailed you a care package, and if you didn't receive it today, it'll definitely be there tomorrow. Hope you love it. You're a rock star. Good luck tomorrow. XO

  Josh: Kinsley, please text me back. I'm so sorry and I know you need time to process everything, but I made a mistake and I want you back. Please consider it. Love u.

  I groaned and dropped my phone back on the nightstand. Did he love me? Could he truly love me? If he loved me so much, couldn’t he have spelled out the word you? I prayed for his sake, and mine, that he didn't.

  The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. There were no excuses. He wasn't drunk or under the influence; his cheating was premeditated and I'd bet my life that it wasn't the first time. The thought of getting revenge by sleeping with Liam sounded good for about thirty seconds, and then I thought about the fact that I didn't really care about Josh enough to go through all of that to spite him. Now if there was some other reason to sleep with Liam Wilder...

  …

  "Hey, wake up or you won't have time to eat before practice. Oh, and you have a giant package downstairs." Becca's voice pulled me out of deep sleep and I groaned loudly. Hangover, meet brain. Brain, meet hangover.

  "God, this sucks." I groaned again and shoved myself out of bed. I didn't have time to be hung-over. I had to eat breakfast and get hydrated for practice. I followed Becca downstairs where my tired teammates were sitting around in their pajamas eating breakfast and looking like really in-shape zombies. Scary.

  The clock on top of the stove read 5:30 A.M. Jeez, this would be a long summer. Practices started at 6:00 A.M. Monday through Friday for the foreseeable future.

  "There she is!" Emily called as I wiped the sleep out of my eyes. "Open your package!"

  "Is there a stripper in the box?" I asked as I walked toward the kitchen table.

  As I bent over the package, Becca caught my eye and mouthed, "It's Liam". I stuck my tongue out at her and started ripping the tape off.

  My mom is extravagant and since she can afford it, she usually gives gifts that are way too over the top. That day was no exception. Inside of the box there was enough soccer gear to clothe the entire team. She'd sent me new sports bras, running shorts, leggings, dri-FIT shirts that would fit me like a glove, and some new HYPERVENOM cleats that weren't supposed to be released for another month. Oh, and they were bright pink. My mom knew me well.

  "Are those what I think they are?" Becca asked, eyeing the cleats with envy.

  "I have no clue how she got these, but somehow I'm not surprised."

  Like they would for most girls, getting new shoes and clothes momentarily trumped my hangover. I ran up to my room and put on a new matching set of workout gear before I grabbed my phone to text my mom.

  Kinsley: THANK YOU for the birthday gifts. It's too much, but I'll give my teammates some of the gear, too. I'll call you after practice. XX

  By the time I finished getting ready, I had to grab a granola bar to eat on the road.

  "Here, I bet you didn't remember these," Emily said, handing me two Advil.

  "Yes! Thank you, thank you." The excitement of my new workout gear was starting to pale in comparison to my serious hangover. The granola bar and bumpy car ride hadn't settled my stomach, and by the time we made it to the practice field, I felt like I was going to throw up everywhere.

  The seniors met us at the doors to the soccer field house with wicked smiles.

  "Looking a little worse for wear there, Rookies," Tara laughed, her eyes pinned straight on me. "How you feeling, Bryant?" Her question seemed sweet, but her tone implied that it wasn't meant to be.

  "Peachy." I smiled and reached down to grab my water out of my bag.

  "Let's go. Coach wants to meet us in the conference room." Tara turned and opened the door so we could file in behind her. But just before she stepped inside, I heard the same sexy voice that I’d heard the previous night— the voice that said, I'm sexy and I know it.

  "Morning ladies."

  Every single girl froze and we turned in unison. Liam Wilder was standing a few feet away wearing workout gear and a friendly smile. Of course his friendly smile could easily be misconstrued for a take-your-panties-off smile, so it's a wonder we all managed to mutter shocked hellos. I guess he'd pulled up in the parking lot a few minutes after we did. I peered behind him and saw a black Mercedes SUV parked in the spot closest to the field house. A photographer was snapping pictures on the other side of the fence. Jeez, they wake up this early to get pictures of him?

  "Oh, hi Liam." Tara smiled wide.

  I shot Becca a gag-me face.

  "You guys should probably call me Coach Wilder while we're at practice," he admonished. I had to fight to keep from cracking up. The shocked look on Tara's face was absolutely priceless, but it still wasn't enough to make me
forget the awkwardness of the situation.

  I couldn't look up at him. The last time we'd spoken, I'd literally asked him to show me his tattoos, which we both knew really meant I wanted him to show me his soccer balls. Hah. I'd have to tell Becca that one later. I tugged her and Emily forward without acknowledging Liam and headed for the conference room. Thankfully, Coach Davis was there already and Liam didn't follow us in.

  "Take a seat, girls," Coach Davis instructed with a small smile. The best way to describe our coach would be as… a grandmotherly drill sergeant. On the outside, she had greying hair and kind blue eyes, but when you least expected, she'd make you drop and do fifty pushups. She was one of the main reasons I'd picked ULA. She was the top women's soccer coach in the nation and I wanted her to teach me how to improve my game.

  "Morning, Coach." I smiled and took a seat near the front of the small room with Becca and Emily.

  After the rest of the team filed in, Coach Davis began to fill us in about practices and what she expected of us throughout the season.

  "As you probably noticed, we have a new coach this morning," she began, and I could practically feel everyone's ears perk up to attention.

  Coach Davis scanned around the room with a stern expression. "Coach Wilder will be with us for a few months. However, he'll only be with us during the morning drills because he has his own team's practices in the afternoon."

  "Why's he here?" one of the junior girls asked.

  "Every LA Stars player volunteers. Liam has helped our program in the past, and I didn’t hesitate to have him back again this year. Any other questions?"

  "Why isn't he coaching the boy's team?" Sofie asked from the back row where the seniors had quarantined themselves.

  "One of our assistant coaches is on maternity leave, so when the LA Stars contacted me, I thought it was a perfect time to bring him on. He's a top soccer player and he’ll be a source of knowledge for all of you. However, I still feel the need to clarify that he is not here for your personal entertainment. Please use your judgment when it comes to any fraternization away from practice... I have no problem kicking you off this team faster than you can count that man's tattoos."

  His tattoos. The same tattoos that I’d asked to see the night before. Okay, the universe was taunting me.

  "So I shouldn't tackle him on the soccer field?" Becca whispered behind me, and I almost laughed in the middle of Coach Davis' speech.

  "Um, Coach," Tara raised her hand in the air so that she'd be seen from the back, "some of us know Liam outside of practice. We're friends with the LA Stars' players, so we'll see him at parties."

  Coach Davis nodded but kept her cool facade. "You’ll refer to him as Coach Wilder while we’re here,” she clarified with a hard tone. “I understand that a few of you run in the same circle as Coach Wilder and avoiding him completely would be impossible. However, I’d like you to distance yourself from him in social settings until he is no longer a coach here."

  A knock sounded at the door and a second later Liam stepped in quietly. "Are you ready for me?"

  Yes. Yes. Yes. We are all ready for you.

  "Good timing, Coach Wilder. Please come in and introduce yourself. I'm going to go set up drills out on the field. You can meet me out there with the girls in about ten minutes.” She headed for the door, but my eyes were trained on the space she’d last occupied. “Oh, and girls, be sure to leave Saturday morning open. We have a team bonding activity. We'll meet here at 7:00 A.M. sharp."

  I didn't even register her team bonding comment. I was more concerned about what she'd said before that.

  "Drills?" I whispered to Becca. I'd worn my workout clothes, but it was only because that's what I wore on most days anyway. I thought today was just a learning day.

  "Do you still feel sick?" she asked with a wary gaze.

  "Like a small toddler is smashing a toy truck onto my head," I answered as Liam took his position at the front of the room.

  "Hi everyone. I'm not sure how much Coach Davis has told you, but I'll be with the team for the next couple of months. I'll help you guys with morning drills, and since I've played as a midfielder and striker for most of my career, those are the positions I'll be working with the most."

  Oh goodie. He'd be helping me perfect my skills as a midfielder. Unfortunately, about ten other girls also fit that bill, including Tara and Sofie. Becca and Emily were both defenders, so I wouldn't even have them to joke around with.

  "Does anyone have any questions for me?"

  "Do you have a girlfriend?" Becca whispered beside me, and I kicked her under the table.

  Liam must have noticed her whisper because he glanced over toward us. His grey eyes met mine and I almost choked on my own tongue. It was the first time we'd made eye contact since he arrived that morning and I should have given myself more of a pep talk. He's a normal person. Don't let him take over your brain. It was no use. He wore his black t-shirt in a way that made me lose focus on everything beyond his reach. His tattoos were just barely visible. His hair was mussed on top like he'd run his fingers through it when he’d rolled out of bed.

  And I was expected to concentrate when he was around?

  Chapter Four

  "Let's get started." Coach Davis clapped her hands after we'd all lined up in small groups. We were starting the day off with sprints. I predicted I would throw up mid-way through my first one. But who knows, maybe I wouldn't even make it there.

  "How are you feeling, Birthday Girl?" Liam asked as I stretched out my calves and hamstrings. I was the last one to go in my group, so no one else could hear us.

  "This is going to be pitiful. I didn't think we were going to have actual practice today." I shook my head and stared straight ahead, trying to take deep breaths to calm my stomach.

  "Why would you think that?" he asked with a small smile.

  "I realize it seems dumb, but the vets said that usually we just talk and stuff on the first day. Hence, why I went crazy for my birthday."

  "That's unfortunate," he nodded just as Coach Davis blew her whistle for the last group to line up.

  Good news, I didn't actually throw up until the fourth sprint, and to Liam's credit, he only grinned after covering his mouth with his hand.

  If he wasn’t my coach I would have flipped him off.

  On the plus side, at least I knew the answer to the did-he-think-I-was-sexy-or-not question. That would be a hard no.

  I was midway down the field when he had to leave early for his LA Stars practice. He waved to Coach Davis and spun around to jog toward his car. I didn’t realize how much I’d enjoyed having him there until he was gone. Even if he was finding quite a lot of amusement in my agony, hearing his words of encouragement had helped somewhat.

  After he left, we kept conditioning until my legs were falling off and my stomach was completely empty of all the cake and shots I'd consumed the day before. Still, as I was walking off the field, I contemplated how sad I felt about not getting the chance to talk to him before he left. Even a simple “bye” would have felt good.

  What the hell kind of spell did he put me under last night? Snap. Out. Of. It.

  "Rough first day, Bryant?" Coach Davis asked as I made my way out of the locker room.

  "I swear I'm in good shape. It was my birthday last night and I wasn't expecting to go this hard on the first day."

  Coach Davis nodded and clapped me on the back. "Make sure you’re more prepared for tomorrow.”

  "I will, Coach."

  Becca and Emily followed me into the ice baths and we relaxed in our sports bras and shorts until I felt completely numb.

  "This feels painfully awesome," Becca noted, "but that practice was much more intense than I was expecting."

  "I know!" I complained.

  "Do you think the vets might have been lying about practice?" Emily mentioned in a hushed tone, as if she was scared they'd overhear us. Most everyone had already gone home or had found another ice bath in the building to heal their aching mus
cles.

  "That would be so bitchy. I think I threw up like three times," Becca groaned.

  My stomach rolled in response to her admission. "No more vomit talk. Sheesh... Becca, where are you from?" I asked.

  "Dallas, Texas. Born and raised, y'all," she said with an over-the-top wink, and all of a sudden I could totally see the Texan in her.

  "Oh my god, did you compete in pageants? You have the pageant thing going for you with the freckles and blonde hair."

  "Hell no! You've known me for like forty-eight hours and you think I would compete in pageants?"

  I recalled the drunken dancing and the inappropriate jokes. "Ah, yeah. I take that back. You'd probably be more likely to sabotage a pageant than compete in one."

  She laughed and propped her arms back on the edge of the tub. We could only stay in for a few more minutes before the effects of the ice started to be counterproductive.

  "Were you prom queen at your school?" Becca asked me. I snorted.

  "I didn't go to prom."

  Her and Emily both gasped as if I’d just told them that I was actually a man.

  "Oh, jeez. Don't go there. My mom was just as devastated as you're both pretending to be."

  "But, didn't someone ask you?"

  I thought back to how Josh and I had skipped out on prom to watch a recorded European football match with a group of friends instead. I didn’t even know who’d ended up winning prom queen.

  "Josh and I were dating and we both wanted to skip the whole charade.”

  "Everyone went to prom at my school. I was prom queen," Emily smiled, and her eyes glazed over as if recalling a sweet memory.

  "You lost your virginity that night, didn't you?" I smiled.

  When Emily started blushing, Becca and I both cracked up.

  "There's nothing to be embarrassed about! It's just so sweet," I assured her.

  Emily glanced down at the surface of the ice. "It was with my long-term boyfriend and we're still together... when did you lose your virginity, Ms. Los Angeles?"