Page 96 of Gabriel
“You can’t retaliate,” Julio says with a grimace. “We’ve gone over this before. He’s provoking you for a reason. At his core, Austin is a bully. But he doesn’t put himself in the line of fire. He starts shit and lets his lackeys finish it. There’s a reason he was goading you today.”
“I know that,” I snap. I’ve been trying for weeks now to find a way to get Holt kicked off the team and I’ve come up withnothing, but his stunt in the halls today reminded me of Coach’s number one rule. No fighting off the field.
Best case scenario—if it’s a minor infraction, a small tussle or some shoving—you’re suspended from that week’s game.
But players have gotten into more serious fights before and it’s not uncommon in those situations for it to result in a player losing their spot on the team. Repeat offenders have even been expelled.
With my luck, my fate would be the latter.
Holt’s rich-ass parents would storm the pitch and demand I be removed. With how much money they throw at the University, Coach would have no choice but to do what they wanted, and it’d be my future up in smoke. Not Holt’s.
“I can’t stand by and do nothing, either, J.” From the moment Cecilia and I got together I’ve been trying to work out a solution, but short of her coming forward again and demanding some sort of justice—which there’s no way in hell of her doing—there isn’t anything we’ve been able to come up with.
Pursing his lips, he nods. “I know.”
Felix shifts closer, his eyes straying to Deacon’s who’s casually leaning against our lockers, pretending not to hear our conversation. “Are we pulling him in?”
The man in question quirks a brow but remains silent, waiting for our decision. I like that about him.
Silent communication passes between Julio, Felix, and I. We’ve shielded Atticus from most of this. He’s a freshman and his position on the field is goalie, so there’s not a lot of opportunity for anyone on the team to target him. Thus far, Austin and his cronies have left him alone.
I’d like to keep it that way.
Deacon won’t be so lucky, though. There’s no way to hide the fact he lives with us, and to be honest, it’s too much trouble to try. Holt, along with everyone else on the team, is going to getan introduction today. And it’s not like we’ve been hiding him on campus. He’s been kicking it with Felix all day. Austin will automatically mark him as an enemy the moment he lays his eyes on him. And with him open on the field …shit.
“It’s not something you should need to worry about,” I tell him, feeling like an absolute dick for dragging him into this. “But we have problems with a few guys on the team. It doesn’t mean you need to be involved in our problems, though.” Living with our crew doesn’t mean he has to take sides. He can try and stay out of it if he wants to. Keyword being try. “You’re new here. There’s no reason to rock the boat early on. But you should have a heads up because there’s a chance you’ll be targeted for living in the house. For being associated with us, whether you want to be involved or not.” I tilt my chin toward Julio and Felix beside me. “Holt and his friends may not give you a choice.”
Deacon’s expression darkens. “Petty bullshit problems or real shit?” he asks, taking me a little by surprise.
“Real shit,” Julio answers for me.
Deacon nods. “Alright. I’m taking sides. Pull me in.”
I snort. “You can’t make that decision without knowing what you’re getting yourself into. And I can’t give you all the details. Some shit isn’t mine to share.” Like what happened to Cecilia.
He shrugs. “Kasey and Dom vouched for you guys. That’s enough for me. I don’t need to play nice with anyone else. I’m here to play soccer. If people want to fuck with that, I know where my loyalty lies.”
I level him with a considering gaze. “Just like that?”
He nods, hazel eyes determined. “Just like that.”
Voices echo through the locker room as the door opens. We were the first ones here since most of us take morning classes, but it looks like the rest of our team has finally arrived.
“We’ll fill you in and figure things out after practice.” Julio says, shutting his locker and turning to me. “For now, focus. Wedon’t need any distractions with Holt on the field, and we have a game coming up against the Crown Point University Hawks. They’ve had a killer season so far. We all need to have our heads on straight the moment we walk onto that field. Understood?”
We all mutter our agreements.
“Good. Now get dressed and get your asses on the pitch.”
With that, Julio heads out, probably to go talk to Jameia—our assistant coach—and see what the plan is for today.
“You good?” Felix asks as soon as Julio is out of earshot.
“I will be,” I tell him.
The corners of his mouth lift. “How are we playing today’s practice?” he asks with a glint in his eyes.
I swear, the guy lives for this shit, so it’s no surprise that his grin widens when I tell him, “Savage, my man. We wait for Holt to strike first,” and he will. “And then we play fucking Savage.”
