The Toughest Play

22. Rogan

CHAPTER 22

ROGAN

I show up at the stadium and head to Coach Chubb’s office like Coach Parker instructed in his text this morning. There’s a mini cyclone of nervous energy whirling around inside my stomach. This meeting could mean everything I’ve been working for is about to come to fruition or that he’s still angry about the scuffle between Brett and me. I can’t imagine what else it could be about because I’ve been working hard and playing well.

Coach Parker is there to meet me when I get off the elevator. “Hey, Rogan. How’s your morning been?”

“Hey, Coach. It’s been okay. Why? Is it about to get a lot worse?” I ask, hoping he’ll give me a clue as to why I’m here.

He laughs. “Come on. Coach is waiting.”

Shit. He didn’t answer me. Now I’m even more worried.

The walk down the hallway seems endless and too quick at the same time. Part of me wants to put this off forever, and the other is eager to get it over with.

When we reach Coach Chubb’s office, Coach Parker stretches an arm out, gesturing for me to enter.

“Thank you.” I step inside. “Hi, Coach.” I raise my hand in an awkward wave while Coach Parker closes the door behind me.

“Have a seat, O’Rourke.” Coach Chubb leans back in his chair, his shirt stretched taut across his rounded stomach. “I suppose you’re wondering why I called you in here this morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Your work ethic has been strong since we signed you, and your level of play has really ratcheted up since last season. It’s obvious you put a lot of time and effort into working on your footwork during the offseason. That being said, we’re moving you into the starting quarterback slot starting today.”

I’m so overwhelmed, I struggle to form a reply. I draw in a calming breath. “Thank you, sir.”

“This is the chance of a lifetime,” he says.

“I know that, sir. I won’t take it for granted or let you down.”

“I know you won’t. Are you ready to step up and take the lead?”

I nod emphatically. “Absolutely.”

“I realize this might cause some more tension between you and Barlow, but I expect you to handle it professionally. As I’m sure you know, the team always comes first.”

“Yes, sir, I do. I won’t let him bait me again.”

“I’ve already spoken to Barlow but the rest of the team doesn’t know yet. We’ll be making an official announcement tomorrow. Until then, keep this to yourself.”

“I will, sir.”

He rises to his feet and I do the same. He reaches across the desk, shaking my hand. “Congratulations, O’Rourke.”

Beaming, I exuberantly pump his hand. “Thank you, Coach. I won’t let you down.”

“You better not. The team’s counting on you.”

As soon as I leave his office I text Autumn.

Me: Hey, can you meet me out by your car? I need to talk to you.

She immediately replies.

Autumn: Sure. I’ll be right there.

I tuck my phone in the pocket of my shorts and take the elevator down to the first floor. A goofy smile is pasted to my lips as I walk across the lobby, and it might remain there for the entire football season.

I step outside into the bright sunshine that seems to mirror my mood. When I reach Autumn’s car, she’s already there, leaning back against the driver’s side door. As soon as she notices me, she straightens up and starts toward me, meeting me halfway.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“You’re looking at the starting quarterback for the Virginia Silverbacks.”

“Oh my God!” she squeals, throwing her arms around me. Lifting her from her feet, I spin her around and around until we’re both dizzy.

She presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Congratulations, Rogan.”

“Thank you. I can’t believe this is really happening. I’ve thought about it for so long, it feels like a dream.”

“It’s real, and I’m so happy for you. You deserve every bit of this success, and I know you’re going to crush it as the quarterback.”

“I appreciate your confidence in me.”

“Always. I’ve seen how much heart and soul you play with. I just know this is going to be fantastic in so many ways. I don’t know if you’re ready for the kind of game and recognition you’re about to be hit with.”

“As long as you’re by my side to help me, that’s all I need.”

“This might mean upping your social media presence.”

“I can do that, but I’m never giving up my memes. They make the world a better place.”

She laughs. “You can have your memes but branch out a little with your posting. I’ll help you make some reels.”

I press a kiss to her forehead. “You’re so sweet.” Her eyebrows shoot skyward. “What?”

“I don’t think anyone has ever described me as sweet before.”

“Maybe you were just waiting for the right person—me—to bring that side out of you.”

“Maybe.”

“I’ve got to get down to the weight room for a session. I’ll see your gorgeous self later,” I say, tapping the end of her nose with my finger.

“I’m proud of you,” she says, smiling. Her praise hits me with the force of a linebacker. I have to battle with the strong emotion it stirs up, or I’ll cry in Autumn’s arms like a baby.

“Thank you,” I husk. “Knowing that means the world to me. I hate that I need to get going but I’ll be late if I don’t. Oh, and don’t share the news with anyone yet. They’re going to announce it tomorrow.”

“No problem. I wouldn’t do that anyway.”

I jog back toward the stadium and head inside to the weight room. Cooper, Griffin, and Thor are already running on the treadmills.

“Hey, guys.” I jump on an empty one next to Cooper and start with a slow jog to warm up.

Griffin nods at me. “Sup?”

“Anyone else starving besides me?” Thor asks.

“Yeah, I could go for a buffalo chicken wrap like we had the other day,” Cooper says.

“I’m craving steak tips and mashed potatoes.” I groan at the thought. I can practically taste it. Maybe a celebratory meal is in order?

“I want a rack of ribs, coleslaw, and potato salad,” Griffin says.

“What about you, Thor?” I ask.

“That’s a tough question. I really like to eat.” Staring out the large window, he keeps running. “I’ll say my mom’s beef stew and dumplings. I can eat that for days without getting sick of it.”

I raise the speed of my treadmill so I’m running at a solid pace, and keep my breathing even.

“Fuck. We have to get through this next hour before we can eat,” Cooper whines.

“Think of it as the same as a game when you’re dragging, just depleted of energy. What are you going to do if that happens?” Thor asks.

“Suck it up and make shit happen,” Cooper answers.

“Fuck yeah,” I say, thinking about how I have extra incentive to kill this workout. I wish I could tell these guys about my news, but I told Coach Chubb I wouldn’t. As it is, I probably wasn’t supposed to tell Autumn either, but there was no chance I wasn’t sharing the great news with her.

After we finish our running we move on to plyometric exercises. We rotate through stations of squat jumps, tuck jumps, med ball slams, box jumps, lunge jumps, ladder work, and strides/sprints. By the end of four sets of twelve rep rounds, my quads are on fire.

Griffin reaches out, squeezing my shoulder. “Looking strong, man.”

“Thanks. My legs are on fucking fire.”

“Mine too,” Cooper chimes in.

“Not mine. You guys must be weak,” Thor says, smiling.

“Let’s finish strong. We’re almost done,” Griffin says to fire us up.

We move on to our weight training stations, starting with barbell back squats, which I have a love/hate relationship with. They build vertical pushing strength in the quads while also working the glutes and hamstrings. But they make my already burning quads scream. Gritting my teeth, I fight my way through the eight reps and do my best to ignore the pain.

“Motherfucker.” Griffin grits the word out in the middle of his set.

“You got this,” I encourage. He finishes his set, and I bump his fist. Somehow, the four of us make it through the rest of the workout.

“I’ve never been so happy at the thought of eating lunch,” Cooper says as we all down bottles of water.

“Yeah, now we just have to find the strength to walk to the dining area,” I say.

“The sooner we get there, the sooner we eat,” Thor points out.

Cooper heads toward the door. “Let’s go.” We start after him, following him out into the long hallway. I forget about the pain in my legs as thoughts of me being announced as the starting quarterback fill my mind. I can’t fucking wait to tell my family. They’re going to be so excited for me.

“O’Rourke!” Coach Chubb barks my name as we walk by his office.

“Shit,” I mutter, stopping in place. “I’ll see you guys in a few,” I say as they keep going. Turning, I move to the doorway and peer in.

“Close the door and have a seat.” He seems angry, and I don’t know why he would be. I pull the door closed behind me and quickly drop into a chair. “What did I tell you about sharing the news of you being the starter?”

“You told me not to.”

“You’re right, I goddamn did. So do you want to explain how it is that this happened?” He spins his computer screen around, and I see the post on one of the Silverbacks social media pages announcing me as the starter.

Mouth gaping, my gaze zig zags between what I’m looking at on the screen and him. “I don’t understand how that happened,” I say.

“Did you tell anyone?”

“Only my girlfriend. But I specifically told her not to share the news.”

She wouldn’t share the news. I know she wouldn’t do that to me.

“Is it true that she manages the social media for the team?”

“Yes.”

“Is it possible she wanted to be the first to break the story?”

“No. No way. She’s not like that.”

“We’re going to have to figure out how the fuck this happened. In the meantime, go eat something. I’m going to make the announcement to the rest of the team after lunch.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, rising. “I’m sorry about this, Coach. I don’t know how this happened, but I’m going to see if Autumn knows anything that could help.” I walk toward the doorway.

“O’Rourke,” he calls, and I turn around. “I want you to realize there’s a chance she made the post. When you’re a professional football player, not everyone around you is always there for the right reasons.”

“I understand that, but in this case, I’d be willing to bet my starter status that my girl has nothing to do with this.”

“For your sake, I hope you’re right.”

I nod. “Me too.” Once I’m in the hallway, I lean my back against the wall and text Autumn.

Me: Hey. Do you have any idea how a post about me getting the starting position ended up on the Silverbacks’ social media page?

Autumn: No! What the fuck? I’ve been sitting here going through my email and messenger since we spoke.

Well, someone posted. Could they have done it while we were talking? Or would they have to log in?

I leave my laptop logged in so I don’t have to keep signing in. My office was open, so it’s possible someone came in here. But who?

I can think of someone who would want to hurt both of us.

Brett. I wouldn’t put it past that fucker.

Yes! I passed him on my way back into the building. That fucker.

Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of this.

Don’t do anything stupid. He’s not worth it.

I won’t.

I head back to Coach Chubb’s office. “Coach, do you have a minute?” He nods, and I close the door. I don’t bother taking a seat. “I think I might know who posted the announcement.”

“Who?”

“Brett.”

“What makes you think it was him?”

“He has a motive. In his eyes, I took his girl and his job.”

“Do you have anything more concrete than a hunch?”

“Autumn left her office to meet me outside so I could tell her the news. She left her office door open, and not only was her laptop on but she was logged in to the Silverbacks’ page. He would’ve had the opportunity and the time.”

“That’s not enough to prove anything.”

“Autumn said he passed her in the building when she was on her way back in.”

“So he was in the vicinity for sure,” he says, but his expression gives nothing away.

“There are video cameras all over this place. Can’t you check to see if it was him?”

“Yeah, I suppose I could. Let me see what I can find out.”

“Thank you, Coach.” I step back into the hallway and text Autumn once more.

I spoke to Coach and he’s going to have someone check the video feeds.

I hope they can prove that fucker did this. I don’t want to lose my job.

You won’t. It has to be him, and they’re going to see him on the footage.

I hope so. Thank you for having my back and not doubting me.

I didn’t doubt you for a single second. I knew you wouldn’t do that.

That kind of makes me love you.

I smile as I read her text.

Kind of?

Yep, kind of. That’s all you get for now.

I kind of love you back.