Defending Hayden: A Second Chances Novel by L.P. Dover

Author:L.P. Dover [Dover, L.P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2016-06-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Derek

Every morning before practice, I’d seen Hayden leaving the café, her face a stony mask, without the usual smile or the spring in her step. I’d fucked up, and she was paying the price. Spending the whole week without her had been agony. I’d thought I could get over her, but the more time I spent away, the more I wanted to go to her.

“Heads up, D!” someone shouted. I couldn’t tell who it was, because my head wasn’t in the game. However, the warning was too late. The searing pain of the football slamming into my back brought me out of my inner turmoil, and all I saw was red.

Growling, I picked up the ball and jerked around, ready to kill. “Who threw the fucking ball?”

A couple of the guys backed away, lifting their hands in the air. But then I found the culprit, with his arms crossed over his chest: Blaine McCarthy. “I did,” he snapped.

I charged toward him and threw the ball right at his head. Unfortunately, I missed. “You got a problem, dickface?” McCarthy was a prick who thought he was better than everyone else. I’d been itching to get a piece of him ever since I joined the team. Some would say Jax was worse, but I had to disagree. I tolerated him because he was part of the team, but I was in no fucking mood to deal with him today.

Nose to nose, I faced off with him. He was ready for a fight and so was I. He tried to push me off and I reacted the only way I knew how: I punched him square in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, but then he recovered and started to lunge.

Evan jumped in between us while Cooper held McCarthy back. “Dammit, D, calm the fuck down,” Evan growled, holding me back. Breathing hard, I glared at McCarthy as he pushed Cooper away.

McCarthy pointed at me, his face full of fury. “You’ve been playing like shit all week. Either you’re here or you’re not. If you can’t get your head in the game, you need to get the fuck off the field.”

“McCarthy, that’s enough!” Evan shouted. My anger slowly dissipated as McCarthy’s words sank in; he had a point. With my head not in the game, the team would be affected.

Coach Joel caught up to us, his calm gaze moving between us. Hitting McCarthy had been a mistake, but it’d felt good to do it. Now I had to face the consequences.

“What’s going on, boys?” Joel asked.

Sighing, I closed my eyes for a second and then faced him, but it was McCarthy who answered. “It was just a misunderstanding, Coach. Everything’s fine now.”

Joel snorted. “Your face doesn’t look fine.” Then he looked at me. “Looks like you need to cool off. Go to the locker room, now.”

“Yes, Coach.”

Once inside, I sat in front of my locker, holding my head in my hands. What the fuck was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I get it together?

“Derek?” Kate’s voice echoed from the doorway.

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