Dustin (Shifter Football League Book 3)

by Becca Fanning

  “Don’t talk to me,” Hayden snapped.

  “Whoa, what’d I do?”

  “I’m sure somehow you have something to do with this.”

  “With what?”

  “Holly broke up with me today. She mentioned the contest and wasn’t too happy about it.”

  “That sucks,” Dustin said. “But I don’t see how you can blame me. You and Alex were part of the contest, too. Brooklyn overheard all of us talking about it, remember?”

  Hayden slammed his locker shut. “Maybe that Brooklyn chick is a little too full of herself. She thinks she can go around telling all her ladies what to do and who to date.”

  “Exactly. She’s the one who started making a big deal out of all this. If she would have just let things go, there would be no problem.”

  Hayden shook his head. “I can’t believe she got Holly to break up with me over it.”

  “She’s pure evil.”

  “I’m starting to think you’re right.”

  “About what?” Alex said, coming into the row.

  “Brooklyn convinced Holly to break up with Hayden,” Dustin said.

  “That’s messed up,” Alex said. “What’s with that girl?”

  “She needs to be taught when to keep her mouth shut,” Hayden said. “This is taking it too far. Holly and I were happy. I wasn’t doing the contest anymore, and there was no reason for her to get upset. But Brooklyn had to go and stir things up.” He punched his open palm. “I don’t appreciate her getting in the way of my love life.”

  “She’s gone way too far,” Dustin said. “First, she drugs me and puts up posters all over the place, now this.”

  Alex shook his head. “What are we going to do about her?”

  “I don’t know, but we need to pay her back somehow,” Dustin said.

  “Agreed,” Hayden said through clenched teeth.

  Chapter 23

  The next day before practice, Kenny grabbed Dustin’s jersey and pulled him back from running out to the field.

  “Can I talk to you a second?” he asked.

  “Do I have a choice?” Dustin said.

  “Just give me a minute, okay. This is important.”

  Dustin crossed his arms and stepped off to the side so no one would overhear whatever scolding he was about to get.

  “I saw the posters,” Kenny said. “That really sucks.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sure you’re upset and rightly so. I hope you’re not planning on getting some sort of revenge on her.”

  Dustin lifted a shoulder and looked away.

  “Here’s the thing,” Kenny said. “It’s never going to make it better. Getting revenge on her won’t take away the pain of what happened. And it certainly won’t get you back in good graces with Coach. In fact, doing something to her might end your career for good. Is that what you want?”

  Dustin glared, but said nothing.

  “I didn’t think so,” Kenny continued. “I’ve been in a messed up place before, and it seems like you’re there. You’re in that place where you’ll do anything, no matter how crazy it seems, just because you feel entitled or like you need to make someone pay. But let me tell you, it’s not worth it. I’m not in the pros today because of some of the mistakes I made. Luckily now, I have a good woman to keep me straight. But I was in bad shape for a long time. I’d hate to see you go down that same path.”

  “Thanks.”

  “For me, the big change happened when I started to see women as people. They’re not just some prize to win or a piece of ass to get. They’re people with deep feelings, just like us. And we have a habit of hurting them badly. That woman Brooklyn has done some messed up things, but I’m sure it’s only because she’s been so hurt that she felt like she had no other way to be heard. Kind of like how you want to get revenge so you can save face for what she did. She’s the same as you. You just have to see it. You wouldn’t want them to have some contest for how many of us they can screw over, would you?”

  Dustin stared across the locker room, trying to make excuses in his mind for everything Kenny said.

  “No, you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t want them to use you for money, just like they don’t want to be used for sex. It’s more emotional for them than it is for us guys, and I think we don’t get it. When I found Audrey, I treated her bad, too. But when I really listened to all she’d been through, and when I realized she was just as messed up as I was in some ways, it made me see her differently. Then I started trusting her and opening up to her, and that’s when everything changed between us. Now I’ve got this beautiful family and a woman who loves me like crazy. I can’t believe I almost missed out on it all just because I wanted to get laid so bad. Think about it. And think about your career.”

  Kenny patted him on the shoulder and walked away. A minute later, Dustin joined the team on the field. Kenny’s words ran through his mind, but he tried to push them away. He wasn’t like Kenny.

  The practice started out okay. Dustin got lucky and made a good catch during the first scrimmage, but his luck ran out fast. He caught sight of Audrey and their baby in the stands, cheering Kenny on. A sudden pang of jealousy went through his chest, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off them. Maybe Kenny was right about one thing. Maybe Dustin did need a good woman behind him to keep him on track. At least he wouldn’t have to bother with these contests and trying to prove himself if he could just say he was taken. Being single all the time kept leaving him in a position to have to prove his worth to the guys. If he couldn’t keep one woman, it better be because he was out sleeping with a ton of them.

  He missed one pass, then another. By the third, the coach blew the whistle and motioned him over.

  “Take the bench, Perry. You can come back when your attitude about life has improved.”

  Dustin went to sit on the bench, tugging his helmet off as he sat. He dropped it on the ground beside him and put his head in his hands for a long while.

  Maybe it was time to start reconsidering things. Kenny was also right about his career. He was messing up all the time. He’d end up off the team with nothing else in life to do. If football was where he wanted to make his mark, he had to get his act together. And if part of that was getting over these cheerleaders, maybe he did need to see them differently.

  He stared at Audrey for a while. She cuddled the baby, she cheered on Kenny, and she blew him kisses. Every so often, Kenny would make his way over to her and give her and the baby a quick kiss. Must be nice to have that—to feel love and be loved. To always have someone on your side. The cheerleaders cheered for them, but only because they had to, not because they wanted the team to do well on a personal level.

  He looked over at the cheerleaders. He got nasty looks from Claire and Annabelle that made his heart lurch. They were nothing like the looks Audrey gave Kenny. She clearly loved him. What must that feel like? Dustin never thought love held much value, but it had to be better than being hated like this. Every time he looked over at the cheerleaders, he got a dirty look from one of them. They must all hate him. He spotted Holly and wondered if she’d ever take Hayden back. She didn’t seem to be looking over at the team at all, and she definitely wasn’t looking at Hayden.

  Maybe Dustin had played some part in that breakup. If he hadn’t started this contest in the first place, maybe Holly and Hayden would have gotten together and there would have been no interference. Maybe they’d still be together. And maybe if he hadn’t been in such a rush to beat the other guys, he would have taken his time with Claire and Annabelle. Kenny might be right. They might have stories worth listening to. Maybe they’d been hurt in their pasts, too. Maybe they were just as messed up as he was.

  And who knew what was up with Brooklyn? Something must’ve happened to her to make her like that. What could have gone on in her life to make her so distrustful of men and so angry toward them? Maybe someone had assaulted her in some way. Or she had a drunk father or stepfather? That sort of thing happened all the time.

>   He looked over at Brooklyn and pictured that, pictured a large man hitting her across the face, making her fall down and bleed. It upset him. And then he thought, if someone had done that to him, he’d be pretty mad, too. He’d want to take it out on anyone who seemed to be mistreating those around him. As he kept thinking and watching her, his heart started to soften. She’d done a really messed up thing to him, but he’d done messed up things, too. He’d hurt her and the squad, and whatever had happened to her in the past had given her even more cause to hate him. No wonder she thought he should be dead. She probably saw every evil man in him and wanted them all dead.

  Sitting on the bench had given him a long time to think. By the time he got home, he was sure of what he would do. He took down some notes so he wouldn’t forget anything he wanted to say. Then, he took a long breath and called Brooklyn. As he expected, she didn’t answer. He didn’t want her to. He’d never be able to do this if she had. When her voicemail came on, he left a long message.

  “Hey, it’s Dustin. I know I’m the last person you want to hear from, but there are some things I need to say. First, I don’t know why you felt like doing what you did to me, but I forgive you. I get that I hurt you and this was your way to pay me back and be heard. I get it. Really. I’m not mad about it, even if it did get me on probation with the team. I shouldn’t have done what I did to Claire and Annabelle or any of you. I shouldn’t have started this contest, or even looked at any of you as just things to conquer. I see now that I was wrong, and I’m sorry for it. I don’t expect you to call me back or anything or even forgive me for what I did, but I still needed to say it. I know you have feelings, too, and you’ve been hurt, and I guess we’re all just messed up people trying to live life. I went about things wrong, and I’m sorry.”

  He hung up, then called Claire and Annabelle to leave similar messages, apologizing specifically for leading them on and sleeping with them too soon. When he went to bed that night, he had a clear conscience for maybe the first time ever, and he slept well.

  Chapter 24

  Brooklyn looked over at the football players’ practice and saw Dustin sitting on the bench. She was ecstatic. What she’d done must’ve worked. He was in trouble, and finally, he was going to pay for what he’d done. She only wished her ladies were happier about it.

  Claire and Annabelle hadn’t been in the best condition since the whole thing happened, and now that the truth was out there, Holly had broken up with Hayden, so she was upset, too. Lucy had had a date with Alex that she cancelled, and she seemed just a little snippy about it. Brooklyn hadn’t asked Holly or Lucy to do what they did, but it seemed like they were taking it out on her. When she showed the squad the poster she’d made and hung all over the training facility, some of her ladies were horrified.

  “How could you do that?” Annabelle asked.

  Well, she’d expected that from Annabelle, but even Rachel had said, “Brook, this isn’t right.” And Eve had joined in with, “Let’s take them down before anyone else can see.”

  Brooklyn’s blood had boiled at this. “He’s done awful things, and people need to know. He’s been getting away with this stuff for years because no one made him accountable. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt like Claire and Annabelle were.”

  She’d given a good speech, but she hadn’t convinced them all. Practice had been tense after that. Being in the locker room had been tenser. It would all blow over, she was sure, and for now, she would enjoy the little things—like seeing Dustin sitting on the bench for the whole practice.

  And when she’d gotten his voicemail? She rolled her eyes and chuckled as she deleted it. Right. Like anything had changed. As if someone like him was even capable of recognizing that change needed to happen, let alone actually doing it. This was just one more of his ploys to win her over so she would fall for whatever trap he was setting now.

  When she got to practice the next day, she checked in with Claire and Annabelle. “Either of you get a message from Dustin last night?” she asked.

  “I did,” Claire said.

  “Me too,” Annabelle said.

  “I thought it was pretty nice of him,” Claire said.

  “I would just be careful.” Brooklyn looked them both in the eye. “I doubt he’s sincere. Guys like him don’t change.”

  “And neither do women like you,” Annabelle mumbled.

  Brooklyn narrowed her eyes but chose to let it go.

  “It made me feel better,” Claire said. “Even if he didn’t really mean it as much as I want him to, at least he said it.”

  “Exactly,” Annabelle said. “He didn’t have to do that. It was over. Maybe you’re finally getting through to him.”

  Brooklyn forced a smile, but she heard the sarcasm in Annabelle’s voice. “I’m glad you’re feeling better about the whole thing. I’d just be careful.”

  Dustin was again on the bench, she was glad to see, and by the end of the day, she was feeling good overall, like she’d actually made a difference in the world. That was until she left the training facility for the day.

  She walked out to her car and heard footsteps behind her. At first, she put on her scowl, sure it was Dustin, back to try to apologize again or continue to convince her how he’d changed or some other line of crap. She turned and saw Alex. Her face softened as he smiled.

  “Heya,” he said.

  “Hey.” She was on guard, and she remembered him being part of the contest. What was he up to now?

  “Nice job on Dustin.” He chuckled.

  She wasn’t sure if he was being honest or sarcastic. “I wish it hadn’t come to that, but you can only warn someone so many times before you have to do something.”

  He nodded. “And what was this warning?”

  “To stop being a jerk, basically. Stop mistreating women and seeing us as objects to be won.”

  “Ahh, the contest.”

  “You were a part of that, weren’t you?” she asked.

  He lifted a shoulder. “I guess. I didn’t really try, though. I asked Lucy out, but she ended up cancelling. That was about as far as I got, and I wasn’t in it for the same reasons.”

  Brooklyn reached her car and stopped. “What were your reasons?”

  “I was just being part of something with the guys. Bonding, I guess. I’m over the whole sleeping around thing. It was fun in high school and college, but there comes a time when you have to grow up and move on.”

  “And you’ve grown up, have you?”

  He pulled his mouth into a half smile. “Still working on it.”

  “Good luck with that.” She unlocked her car door and turned from him, signaling that she was done talking.

  “Hey, I just wanted to say, I think you’re brave for what you did.”

  She turned back and raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”

  “You took a stand, and you refused to let someone walk all over you. It’s admirable.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I always thought that there was nothing more beautiful than a strong woman who can stand on her own.”

  She took in a breath and folded her arms. This was starting to sound like a pick up. “Why is that?”

  “My mom was that way. Single mom who didn’t take any crap from anyone. I guess I always wanted to find someone like her.”

  “I hope you do.” She turned back to her car.

  “Wait a second.” He stepped closer to her and waited for her to turn her head back. “I think I did.”

  “You didn’t. And I don’t date football players.”

  “Really? You wouldn’t even want to give me a chance? Let me prove that football players can be gentlemen, too?”

  “I really can’t.” She got into her car and closed the door. She gave him a little smile and waved as she drove off.

  Maybe he really was a nice guy and everything he said was true, but she couldn’t take any chances. If she was going to get into a relationship, or even date someone, it needed to be someone outside of this l
ife who really understood her, not some jock trying to prove something. Maybe there was a guy out there for her. Maybe not. She wasn’t much concerned with finding him if he was out there.

  Chapter 25

  Brooklyn didn’t think too much about her conversation with Alex until the next day. Right in the middle of practice, one of the players came trotting over to where the ladies were. He ran to pick up a ball, but there was no way it came over to their part of the field by accident. It had to be some sort of trick.

  This time, Hayden came over. At first, she thought he was coming to talk to Holly. When she looked over at Holly, she was watching his approach and straightened up, but then he ran right by her. Holly’s face fell into a scowl and she looked away. Hayden stopped right in front of Brooklyn.

  “Hey, there,” he said. “Sorry to intrude. The ball got away from me.”

  “Sure it did,” she said.

  “Hey now, there’s no reason to be like that.”

  He did have a charming smile, she’d give him that. And Holly always made it sound like he was the nicest guy on earth.

  “Holly’s over there.” Brooklyn nodded in her direction. “But we’re in the middle of practice.”

  “Unfortunately, Holly and I are over. She broke up with me. I came over to talk to you.”

  “Oh, so, the ball didn’t just get away from you?”

  “No, it did. But I thought it was a good excuse to come ask you something.”

  “I am not going out with you.”

  He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Umm, no.” He gave a chuckle. “That’s not what I was going to ask.”

  Her cheeks grew hot, but she glared at him and pretended he was lying. “Then what?”

  “I have an event to go to. It’s the women’s rally dinner next weekend. I was going to take Holly, but then, like I said, she broke up with me. I’m supposed to be handing out an award, and I thought it would be nice to bring a lady who represented what the rally was all about. I wanted to ask you if you knew of anyone on your squad that might be interested in going with me. Not a date. Nothing romantic about it. I’m still not over Holly, to be honest, and I’m not ready to date again.”