Ch. 4

Rowan

If taunting had a human form, it would be Matteo. He stood at the side of the basketball court with his hands behind his back, waiting. I wondered why he had suddenly asked one of the players to call me over.

“Coach,” I greeted as I stopped in front of him.

If Matteo was going to act like a saint, then I was going to act like we had never known each other.

“Captain.” His expression remained unreadable. “A friendly match has been scheduled with the Riverside Falcons.”

I frowned.

“Our team, the Westbridge, will be hosting them this Saturday.”

I already knew whose idea that was. Of course it was going to be the old man.

“Got it,” I replied flatly.

“That’ll be all.”

I nodded and turned away. I knew exactly why my dad had arranged the match. He wanted an excuse to watch me play. To make sure I was actually training instead of slacking off. He had always been like that.

And the worst part of it was I couldn’t even disobey him even if I tried. Now I understood why he had brought Matteo back.

Before…

Matteo was the only coach who could call me out without me arguing. Whenever he said we needed extra training, I followed him without questioning it. But who knew what the training was all about? 

We trained, kissed, hugged and crossed lines we were never supposed to cross. It was a secret I planned to take to my grave because If my father ever found out about us, he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy Matteo’s career.

Maybe that was why he hired him again. Maybe he believed Matteo was still the only person who could keep me in line. Too bad for him… Matteo only made me think about sinning. 

I let out a quiet scoff and shoved both hands into my pockets as I made my way back to the court, where the rest were still practicing… or whatever they wanted to call the child’s play they were doing.

I grabbed my whistle from my pocket and blew it loudly. “Are you guys here to play basketball, or do you think this is some kind of playground?”

The entire court fell silent.

I already knew they were going to hate me for this. But someone had to remind them that not everyone stepped onto this court just to fool around. Thankfully, my dad had made sure I never treated basketball like a joke.

“Get serious, guys!” Matteo’s voice echoed across the court. “Everyone, back into formation!”

The players immediately scrambled back into position. Everyone except Wesley. I knew exactly what he was trying to do. He wanted to test Matteo.

I mean, Matteo looked young for his age, but he was taller, more athletic, and built better than every single one of us on the team.

I walked over to Wesley and leaned close enough for only him to hear. “You’d better get in line if you don’t want your ass handed to you.”

A small smirk appeared on his face before he finally walked back to his position.

Satisfied, I returned to mine, rolling my shoulders as I pretended not to notice Matteo walking past me.

“Captain.” I looked up at Ralph, who gave me a nod.

I returned one before jogging toward the rest of the team.

“We should start by five laps,” I called out, spinning the basketball on my finger. “Since some of you clearly forgot why you’re here.”

A chorus of groans filled the court. “No complaints. Move.”

One by one, they started running. Matteo stood by the sideline with his arms crossed, saying nothing. The laps didn’t last long before we moved into passing drills.

“Faster!” I shouted. “You’re passing like you’re afraid of the damn ball.”

The pace picked up again. The ball flew across the court every now and then. Sweat soaked through everyone’s jerseys, but I didn’t let up.

Saturday wasn’t far away, and Riverside wasn’t the kind of team we could afford to underestimate. I caught another sloppy pass and threw it right back.

“Wesley.”

He looked at me.

“If you’re going to daydream, do it after practice.”

A few snickers broke out. He rolled his eyes and caught the next pass without saying a word. On a normal day, he would find a way to make sure he wasn’t playing. At least he was finally cooperating.. today.

Practice moved into scrimmage. I clicked my tongue. “Talk to each other!” I barked. “Do I have to play all five positions myself?”

For the next few minutes, they actually started playing like a team. It wasn’t as perfect but it was better than before. I stayed on everyone’s backs, calling out screens, directing passes, correcting positions before Matteo even had the chance to.

It was exhausting. Sometimes I wondered if I was the captain or the babysitter. 

The ball bounced straight out of bounds and I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. “Wesley.”

“What?” he shot back.

“What was that supposed to be?”

“It slipped.”

“No.” I bounced the ball back to him. “You just weren’t paying attention.”

His jaw tightened. “Maybe if you stopped barking at the rest of us like we are your kids. We’ll play better!”

“What do you mean?” I called out as I walked toward him.

Wesley let out a dry laugh. “You think you’re some god-given captain or something?”

I stopped right in front of him. “What?”

“You heard me.” His voice rose loud enough for everyone to hear. “You keep acting like you’re better than the rest of us. Every damn mistake we make, you’ve got something to say.”

“Because someone has to.”

“Oh, please.” He scoffed. “Without basketball, you’re nothing.”

I laughed. “Finished?”

He stepped closer. “You don’t own this team, Rowan.”

“No.” I nodded. “But at least I know how to play for it.”

His face darkened. “Asshole.”

“The asshole who’s carrying your useless ass every practice.” The words had barely left my mouth before my fist landed across his jaw.

The force sent him stumbling back a step. For a second, the entire court froze. Then Wesley charged at me. His punch connected with my cheek, snapping my head to the side.

“Rowan!”

Voices erupted around us. Before I could swing again, two of my teammates grabbed my arms from behind.

“Let me go!”

Wesley struggled against the others holding him back. “I’m going to kill him!”

“You wish!” I shouted, trying to shove the guys restraining me off.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” Matteo’s voice cut through the shouting.

Everyone went silent.

He walked between us, his eyes moving from Wesley to me before settling on the hands gripping my arms. “Let him go.”

The guys hesitated before slowly releasing me.

I rolled my shoulders and glared at Wesley.

Matteo looked between the both of us. “You two are suspended from practice until I figure out exactly what happened.”

Nobody said a word. I already knew where this was heading. If the old man found out I got into a fight and was suspended from practice, I was never going to hear the end of it.

“Coach?” I snapped. “Are you serious?”

Matteo didn’t answer. He simply turned and walked toward his office.

I let out an annoyed scoff before following after him. The moment I stepped inside, I pushed the door shut behind me. “Matteo.”

“Don’t call me that.” His voice was cold. “We aren’t close.”