Looking to Score(21)
My phone rang, and I quickly answered it, forgetting to check the caller ID. “Amanda Matthews,” Coach Howard’s booming voice said. Why was he calling me so late at night?
I pulled the phone away from my ear with a wince. “Hey, Coach. How are you?”
“Not so good, actually,” he grumbled. Shit. Did Brooke release the article already? Was it bad? I was mentally doing damage control when he continued. “I need you to come with us to Oklahoma, Miss Matthews.”
Oklahoma? All I knew about Oklahoma was that it was where that crazy Tiger King dude lived. I watched that show and made a decision to never go there. “Why?”
“We play Oklahoma University this upcoming weekend. Last time we went on a trip, Oakley slept with the head cheerleader from the opposing team and caused quite a social media stink.”
“Why? It’s not the first time he’s slept with someone from the opposing school.”
“No. But it’s the first time that the head cheerleader was engaged to the quarterback, and photos of them...doing things...were leaked.” I let out a sigh but welcomed the reminder that Oakley wasn’t a good guy. It was easy to forget when he looked like a fucking Greek god. “If we could avoid any scandals, I think it’ll boost ticket sales for our first home game.”
I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath of air. I didn’t want to go to fucking Oklahoma. And I definitely didn’t want to spend my weekend watching Oakley chase pussy. “I don’t know—”
“Dr. Haynes reached out to me this morning,” Coach Howard interrupted me. I knew with complete certainty that this was the beginning of a threat. My grade was still very much in his hands, and if I didn’t go, I just knew the report would be bad.
“Send me the information, and I’ll be there,” I replied.
I was sitting at a table at the Jason’s Deli at George Bush International during my hour layover. I opted to pay the one hundred and fifty-six dollars to fly to Oklahoma City instead of taking the bus full of loud, rambunctious football players. Having a little distance from Oakley also gave me the chance to plan for how I was going to keep him out of trouble.
I have never been to an away game. Actually, I had never even been to a home game either, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I was hoping that this was going to be one of those situations where what I was imagining was way worse than reality. That the guys were going to be so tired from traveling, practicing, and playing that they would all just go straight to the hotel and go to sleep like giant, super muscular angels.
Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? Oakley was no angel, and after hearing the coach talk, I was starting to realize that this weekend might be my biggest challenge so far. I sighed and pulled out my phone to look up the itinerary for the weekend. Today was dedicated mostly to travel and getting settled into the hotel. Later tonight, there was a dinner planned for the team that I wondered if I could get out of since I knew Coach Howard would be there. Friday was a team breakfast, workout, practice, team lunch, a small block of free time, and then the game was that night. Saturday consisted of breakfast, and then the team would leave by bus, and I would head to the airport a little before noon.
I punched everything into my shared calendar with Oakley and finished up my fruit and yogurt parfait just as they started to call my flight. I was looking forward to the last little bit of time to myself, as I wasn’t planning on leaving Oakley’s ass alone for a single second. If the coach wasn’t going to be there, I was. I even managed to get the hotel to give me the room right across from Oakley’s.
As I waited for them to call my boarding group, my phone started ringing. I checked the caller ID and smiled while answering. “Mom,” I greeted. “Any bodies to bury this weekend?”
“Where are you flying to?” she asked. “I saw a charge on your credit card.” Her voice was a bit shaky and nervous. I couldn’t blame her. We hadn’t really had that much of a chance to talk over the last two weeks, and spontaneous activities were what landed me in Texas in the first place.
“I’m going to an away game in Oklahoma,” I explained, my nose involuntarily wrinkling at the statement. I was certain that there was nothing wrong with the small state just north of Texas. I just honestly had zero desire to go there.
“A game? As in sinfully tight football pants, rah-rah, go team?” I laughed at her description.
“As in, I’m going to be making sure my new client doesn’t fuck anyone important or get drunk and end up in a bar brawl.”
“I’ve seen photos of your client, Amanda, maybe you should keep him entertained in your room. They didn’t make ’em like that when I was your age.” She giggled nervously, and I tried not to imagine my mother lusting over Oakley’s Instagram feed.
The airport called another group, and I grabbed the handle of my carry-on, then headed toward the gate. “Just be careful, okay? I’m so proud of you for taking what you were given and working with it. I just don’t want you to backslide…”
I scrubbed my free hand down my face. “I haven’t touched alcohol since that night, Mom.”
She sighed, like that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “I just wish you weren’t all or nothing. You never could have just one drink. Just one scoop of ice cream. Just one boyfriend…” I cringed. “And now you’re in the nothing cycle. No fun. No freedom. No food…”