Playing the Game (Providence University #6) - Ali Parker Page 0,4

through, but there came a time when I could see the light at the end of my tunnel, a way out away from the drama, and Layla kept letting her family pull her back in.

It wasn’t a reason to cheat, no, but after you spend so much time with someone so similar to yourself, you got bored.

Honestly, my cheating had nothing to do with Layla and more to do with me acting out. If I could drown myself in sex, maybe I wouldn’t have to face the other problems that I was getting away from.

“Mills!” yelled Coach Carr. He waved me over, and I hurried as not to upset him more. He could be a tyrant when he was in a bad mood, but then again, some people might say the same thing about me.

“Yes, sir?” I glanced at the fence as Avery passed by. God, her ass is perfect.

Coach cleared his throat. “If you’d give me your undivided attention, I have a little bit of advice for you to take.”

“What’s that, sir?” I thought he was about to run a play by me or give me a pointer.

Instead, he pointed across the field where Avery ran, her ponytail bouncing along with her sweet tits. So hot.

“You need to get that one off of your mind. You’re the team captain, and with playoffs coming up, you don’t have time for girl drama. You’ve been paying more attention to her than you have me today.”

“Sorry, sir.” I didn’t bother telling him that Avery had given me the cold shoulder for the past two weeks or that she had barely texted. Instead, I made a promise to him and myself. “I’ll do better, sir.”

“Good. Now don’t get me wrong, son. She’s a fine young lady, and I get that, but you’ll have time for girls when the season is over. And I need you focused.”

“Yes, sir!” I looked over his shoulder where Avery was in the distance now, and I tried not to let my eyes follow her.

“Dammit, Seth! Get your head in the game! You have to be more mature because the younger players look up to you. And don’t even give me that innocent look,” he added as I tried to do just that. “If you don’t straighten up and pull your weight, I’m going to have to replace you. I remember that lovesick shit you pulled on me when things went south with Layla Roberts. You were useless to me for weeks, and I still gave you another shot and made you captain this season. So I don’t know what is going on with you and Avery Russell, but you need to get over it and quickly. Put it on the backburner and let it simmer. You’ll be happy you did.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I mean it. I’ll kick your lovesick ass to the curb. Do you hear me?” It was hard not to with him screaming in my face.

“Yes, sir!” I couldn’t say it enough and knew it was all he wanted to hear anyway. I glanced over to see a couple of my teammates glaring at me as if I had let them down. The truth was, I had slipped the last game, but that was only because I had a tough time balancing everything on my plate.

I sighed, knowing I was only lying to myself. My problems started when Avery backed off, and as much as I wanted her back, maybe the cold shoulder she was giving me was more than a hint. Maybe staying away was the right thing to do.

“I mean it, son. If you can’t hold to the position of being captain, I’ll find one of those young men who can. You have to be on your game. Now get back to it!”

As he dismissed me, I ground my teeth, and when I got back in line with the others to finish our plays, I felt as if all eyes were on me. That only made my temper flare even more.

“Come on,” I yelled. “Let’s work this play!”

I got into position, and the others did the same, and we ran the play just like the coach had wanted us to. By the time he was done with us, he had a smug smile on his face, and I had one on mine as well.

Despite the scolding, which was earned, Coach Carr had been really tough on me lately, and I wondered how he even knew about Avery and me to begin with. It seemed as if