Scoring The Coach ✔️

chapter seven

"I know the feeling," he replied. "I shot my back out in a wreck, remember? This whole season, I'm sitting out and coaching a high school team because I couldn't do anything else with my life."

He finished whatever he was writing much more aggressively, his pen angrily dragging across the page. I felt bad complaining about my injury now, knowing that his was a lot worse. At least I'd be able to play in a few weeks.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you," I apologized.

"Yeah. Me too," he murmured. "It's just Alison that's got me in a bad mood. Not you."

I folded my hands in my lap. "Want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "Not here. And not with you, Laura. I don't... it's really hard for me to stay away from you and do right by you if I get too close. I have to keep the lines drawn."

"You're right," I said. "You're absolutely right. I get it."

He looked at me, eyes softening. "You deserve the world and I can't give you that right now."

"I know." I looked down at my shoes, wishing more than anything I could be out on the field at that moment.

He got up a few moments later, blowing the whistle to rally our team on the sidelines. In a few minutes, everyone was taking their positions on the field, and Risa gave me a hug before sprinting off to join them. Unlike the underclassmen on the bench, I didn't want to spend the game watching and pouting, so I struggled to get to my feet and stood behind Jared.

He could see me stumbling, getting a bit closer. "Are you good?"

"Yeah," I lied, trying to get my balance with the crutches. When I lost it and started falling over, he caught me around the waist, his hand sliding under the hem of my jersey and gliding against my back. I froze, letting him help me back upright.

For a moment, he held on too long. My eyes met his, and my breath caught in my throat.

He held onto me as the whistle blew, and I could tell both of us were praying no one saw him touching me and got the wrong idea. My palms went slick against my crutches as I wished for my heart to slow down.

The game went on as expected. We played well and came out with a close tie. Risa was on fire tonight, having scored several goals and being overall amazing like always. At the end of it, I was proud of my team, but I definitely missed soccer. This past season had reignited my love for the sport, which was honestly one of the best things to ever happen to me.

I'd be lying if I said it had nothing to do with Jared.

Since it was a Friday night, Risa offered to have me sleep over at her place and even mentioned my crush on Leonardo Dicaprio as an incentive to come. I knew Jared overheard, which was slightly embarrassing. I kicked her when we were out of view.

"You like him," she sing-songed as we got into her car. "That's why you're all blushy. Admit it."

"Shut up," I hissed.

My phone buzzed in my pocket when I was climbing in. I didn't check it until I was sitting down, thinking it was just my mom telling me she would pick me up from Risa's tomorrow morning. But, surprisingly, it was Jared.

Jared: you can do better than Leo.

Me: who's better than Leo? can't think of anyone.

Jared: you're so difficult sometimes

Me: it's why you like me.

Jared: I like you, but I wouldn't say that's why.

I took several seconds, at a loss for a good reply. After typing and deleting a few times, I settled on a simple message.

Me: have a good night, Jared :)

Jared: you too :)

As promised, Risa and I did have a Dicaprio movie marathon, and it was just as lovely as always. In the back of mind, there was always Jared. I had so many things on my mind, so many questions, and it was driving me crazy.

As if reading my mind, Risa spoke through her tears at the end of Titanic. "You're not crying. You always cry when Jack dies. Is something on your mind?"

When I didn't answer, she sighed. "It'll be okay. He's just a boy at the end of the day."

Somehow, she was right and wrong at the same time.

***

Risa was probably the furthest thing from a morning person when it came to the weekends. She was still passed out when I left, so I crept carefully down the stairs, waved goodbye to her dads in the kitchen, and got into my mom's car.

I leaned over the center console and gave her a hug, grateful to see her. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, sweetie," she said. "How was the game yesterday?"

"It was great, but it ended with a tie," I said, holding onto my crutches. I kept them between my knees as we drove. Silence hung in the air for a few minutes, but it was comfortable.

Mom gave me a sideways glance and said, "So I didn't tell you sooner, but I started going back to school."

I couldn't mask my surprise. "Really? For what?"

"Nursing," she answered. "Your father and I were talking, and I'm sure you've figured out how tight finances are. We wanted to think of ways we could help pay for college and make things better for us as a family. I found a program that works for me and includes expedited training so I'll be employed in a year or so instead of later on."

For as long as I could remember, my parents had been working minimum wage jobs. Up until my dad got laid off, we'd been doing okay. Mom seemed happy with her job at the diner, and I always thought that once I got a good job, money would never be an issue.

"Don't overthink this, Laura," she said. "I can see the wheels in your head turning. This doesn't mean you can't try for that scholarship. Nothing is going to change right away. I'm just saying that you don't have to worry about your father and me. I've always wanted to be a nurse. It's about time I pursue that dream."

I was always going to worry about my parents, but that's just part of being in a family. You worry about one another because you care. That's how it works.

"This is great, Mom." I squeezed her hand. "I'm proud of you."

"Not as proud as I am of you," she said right back. "Now, let's try not to get too sappy. You know I'll cry if we do."

She, like me, already had tears welling in her eyes. Both of us ended up laughing it off, and she turned up the radio so we could sing along on the way home. 

***

sinceeee it's corona time, you guys are probably gonna see a lot more of me here in this little corner of the internet. i hope y'all are doing alright and you're living your best life while everyone is working to get this under control!

i'll be honest, it's been rough, but i know that we have a lil wattpad family so don't hesitate to reach out if you have anything you wanna say!

signing off,

mads