Team Hate

by Hart, Rebel

  John jumped up from the bench. “Jane!”

  The team started to cheer immediately. John climbed up on the bench and jumped over a row of players, landing right in front of me. I reached out and wrapped my arms around his neck and he coiled his around my waist.

  “I’m so sorry I doubted you.”

  “You had every right to. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

  Jack clapped his hands like an idiot. “Kiss her now!”

  The team started cheering, and even though the ‘end of a teen romance movie’ scene was a bit embarrassing, I really wanted to kiss John. I pulled my head back just enough to get at his lips, and he did the rest of the work, taking me into a warm kiss.

  “Give her tongue!” Benton had his hands cupped on either side of his mouth.

  “No! Don’t give her tongue!” I pulled away from John and looked over at Jim. “Tongue later. Not tongue now.”

  I looked back at John. “We’ll argue about this later?”

  John chuckled. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Good, then move.”

  John held up his hands and backed away, and I laced my way through the team until I was at the center. “Hey, guys.” Everyone started cheering. “Crazy stuff on the news.” Jim wrapped his arm around me and just held me close to him. “Alright, I’ve got a plan, but we don’t have much time and you guys are playing like plucked chickens with a tennis ball, so listen up.”

  Isaac scrunched up his face. “I don’t know why it feels worse, that we’re plucked chickens but it does.”

  I pointed at him. “Shut up.” He did a fake zipper across his lips. “Robin, where’s Robin?” Robin weakly raised his hand. “You are playing like my little brother.”

  Jim furrowed his brow. “We don’t have a little brother.”

  “Exactly.” I pointed at Robin. “What’s the problem?”

  “I don’t know, I’m trying, but I’m no Dax.”

  “You want to be like a rapist?”

  John raised his hand. “Dead rapist?”

  “Thank you, sweetie. You want to be like a dead rapist?!”

  Robin looked as if I had just asked him to solve world hunger. “Um, no?”

  “That’s what I thought. Take the ankle weights off, get off the snap quicker, and get over to John so he can get you the goddamn ball!”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Shawn, Cinder.”

  Cinder smacked Shawn’s arm. “I told you we were gonna get yelled at.”

  “Have you two forgotten that you’re guards?”

  “No,” they chorused in unison.

  “Well then fucking act like it. The offense is obviously trying to take an outside approach to get to John, and he’s not just our quarterback, but I also like his face, so if you let him get sacked one more goddamn time, I’m going to handcuff you to one another until you learn how to collapse.”

  John started laughing, but then I turned my gaze to him. “Sweetheart?”

  John looked up at me sweetly, like a cartoon cat hanging onto my every word. “Yes?”

  “Remember when we worked on picking up the pace after the snap and getting the ball out of your hand in less than six seconds?”

  John nodded. “Vividly. That’s the day I decided I wanted to ask you out.”

  “Aw.” I tilted my head. “If it was such an important day, can you tell me why you’re out there dragging your ass like you’ve got a diaper full of shit?”

  The team started laughing and hooting at John. “Um. I’m sorry?”

  “You’re gonna be, because I don’t sleep with snails who don’t know how to get their balls out of their hands.”

  John’s eyes widened. “Consider me warned.” I looked at John and he looked back at me. I winked at him and to my shock, a little bit of color found his cheeks.

  Jim groaned. “I want to be uncomfortable, but I think sex is the greatest motivator, so I’m just going to put it out of my mind.” He shook his head to put it out of his mind. “Guys, do what you gotta do. Stretch, drink; we’re back on the field in twenty minutes.”

  Jim tapped me on my back and then walked around me and left me standing there by myself. The other members of the team walked off to their own business, apart from John, who stayed sitting where he was on the bench. I looked over at him and he stared at me with a look like he was too nervous to say anything. I walked over to where he was sitting and sat down on the bench next to him.

  “Hi.”

  He didn’t look over at me. “Hey.”

  “John.” He still didn’t look at me. “John.” I grabbed his chin and turned him to face me. I pecked him on the lips. “I’m sorry.”

  His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. “Why are you apologizing to me?”

  “Are you kidding? After everything you’ve done for me, I was just willing to hop on board with what Sebastian convinced me of. Even though I know he’s a snake and you’ve never had anything but my best interests in mind… Well, recently anyway.” I winked at him and he giggled. “I should have known he was up to something.”

  “I should have just told you. I still don’t think I’m out of this place where I feel like I want to do everything myself. I keep trying to protect you and I need to just realize that you are perfectly capable of protecting yourself.” He glanced over either shoulder. “You did kill a guy.”

  “That’s not what I heard.” I kissed him again. “From now on, rock, paper, scissors is for big arguments too. If for no other reason than to make sure the other one is thinking logically.”

  John nodded. “I can get behind that.”

  Jim blew his whistle and clapped his hands loudly. “Gather round boys,” he looked at me, “and queen of our lives.” “You heard what the coach had to say. Nothing left to it, but to do it! Let’s get out there and make up for this halftime slump!”

  I started jumping up and down, hooting and hollering in the Knights’ call. All the rest of the guys jumped in towards me and began jumping up and down with me. The energy prickled around us in a bubble that started small and got larger and more electrified. The walls themselves tried to cave in and join our club. Nothing could stop us now.

  “Let’s do this!” I yelled. “Who are we?”

  “We’re the Knights!”

  28

  Jane

  Bright lights flashed against me as I stood in the wings waiting for my cue. The audience members had spied John and I standing off to the side and were whispering excitedly among one another.

  “We’re live again in 60!”

  People were scuttling all around the stage, putting things in their proper place, positioning themselves behind a variety of cameras, and rustling papers.

  “Quiet on the set. 30 seconds!”

  A woman in a white blouse and black pants rushed up to us. “You guys are on as soon as we come back. You ready?”

  I couldn’t bring myself to answer. My stomach was twisted up in knots and my head was dizzy. John grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’re ready.” I smiled at him, grateful for his being there to help me through all this stuff, which was completely new to me.

  “And ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three…” the final two numbers of the producer’s countdown were silent and then he pointed a finger at Laura Green, the ESPN talk show host we were there to be interviewed by.

  Laura looked at the camera, her red, wavy hair glistening in the stage lights. “Welcome back, everyone! It’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for. You survived the commercials, you endured me trying and failing to play football myself, let’s meet the people of the hour. He’s your Super Bowl MVP and she’s the coach he credits with his victory, John Sceptre and Jane Panesse!”

  Laura stood up and the audience started to applaud. I couldn’t make my feet move at first, but fortunately, John pulled me by the hand and dragged me out onto the stage. He led me in front of the chair closest to Laura and kissed my cheek, earning himself a harmony of coos from the au
dience, and then he sat down in the further chair as I settled into mine.

  “Well, hello you two,” Laura started. “Thanks for joining us today.”

  I set my hand on the arm of the chair and John put his hand on top of mine. I was relieved he was taking the lead. “Good to see you again, Laura, and thanks for having us.”

  “Of course, and I think you’ve already answered my first question. We all saw that sweet kiss, and that you two are holding hands. I take it the rumors are true?”

  I looked at John and he nodded at me. I looked back at Laura. “Yeah. We’ve been together for about four months. He was hard-headed at first.” I bobbled my head. “He’s still hard-headed, but I like it now. Sometimes.” The audience laughed.

  Laura grinned. “Well, he’s the lucky one, right? He’s dating the first female assistant coach in the NFL.”

  John held up a finger. “Ah, ah. As of next season, she is the first female head coach in the NFL.” He sat back. “But you’re correct, I am the lucky one.”

  “That’s right!” A bright smile crossed Laura’s face. “After leading the Knights to an impressive and unexpected Super Bowl win, your brother stepped down as the head coach. That took a lot of people by surprise. Can you tell us what led to that decision?”

  I thought of Jim eagerly presenting me with the ring he’d purchased and telling me he was planning on proposing to Andrew. “He decided that after focusing so much on football and coaching, he had some enjoying life to catch up on. He’ll never be far from the locker room I suppose, but I’m very excited to get to take the reins myself.”

  John snickered. “She mostly already had the reins, it’s just official now.”

  “That’s right, so certain thick-headed quarterbacks can’t give me lip now.” I smiled at him and he pecked me on the lips, eliciting another round of ‘aw’s.

  “I think we both know I’m still gonna give you lip.”

  “It was looking pretty dicey for a moment there. That whole story that came out with Dax Cellius, that must have been awful.”

  That question I was ready and confident to answer. Once my NDA with Sebastian was fizzled as a result of his actions, I started speaking out openly about what had happened to me. “There’s this notion in the world that women do and don’t belong in certain places, and one of the places we’re supposed to not belong, is in professional sports.” I motioned to Laura. “You know. You’re one of the most knowledgeable people in the sport and it took you how much longer to get your own show than some of your male counterparts?”

  Laura nodded. “It was an uphill battle, but thanks to women like you, hopefully, our successors won’t have such a hard time. Three high schools in the United States have already announced they’ll be employing female head coaches for their upcoming seasons. You’re changing the landscape already.”

  I gripped John’s hand. “It’s a collective effort. Men have to be willing to stand up for women too, which is why I’m so lucky to have John who never stops fighting for me. Sometimes with me, but mostly for me.”

  “Well, the NFL has certainly proven that they are taking a step in the right direction by firing Sebastian and pressing formal charges on your behalf. Did that come as a surprise to you?”

  John nodded. “Shocked the hell out of me.”

  I took a deep breath remembering the day, shortly after we won the NFC Championship game, when the commissioner of the NFL showed up to the training facility looking for me. I was certain he was going to give me the same run around that Sebastian had, trying to convince me to take money or some cushy position in exchange for my silence, but to my shock, he was absolutely disgusted with Sebastian and his behavior. He told me that the NFL wouldn’t function if it weren’t for his wife who took such good care of him, his Executive Assistant who ‘ran his whole life’ or his board of directors who were half made up of women. He extended a formal apology to me on behalf of the entire National Football League and told me that if I was interested in the position in California, for reasons other than as a hush deal, the job was mine. Jim took the opportunity to announce his resignation and that, if the commissioner allowed it, he would like to turn over the team to me without a formal interview, to which he agreed.

  “That came as a very big surprise, yes. I suppose I had some blame as well. This situation with Dax and Sebastian jaded me. I began to feel like all higher-ups in the NFL had the same agenda, but the commissioner is dedicated to diversifying the field and supporting those who are willing to take the risk to be the change.”

  “That gives us all a little bit of hope, right?” Laura nodded at the audience and then turned her attention to John. “And how do you deal with all of this? Does having such a powerful person on your arm intimidate you at all?”

  “Hell yeah!” John screeched and the audience cheered. “She definitely knows more about football than me, and she’s not afraid to whip my ass into shape when I need it. The only reason I snagged MVP this season is due to advice she gave me and worked with me on for many long, sunrise to sunset days. We’ve been told when we’re out on the field, you’d think we hate each other. We argue like cats and dogs.”

  Laura laughed. “And how do you deal with that? Does it get stressful having those fights out on the field?”

  John shrugged. “Nope. We play rock, paper, scissors.”

  Laura raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry?”

  “Rock, paper, scissors,” I repeated. “When we get into fights, we’re both so difficult and resilient that we’ll just go around and around and around. So when we start to get into a real scrap, we stop and play rock, paper, scissors. Whoever loses the match, loses the argument. No best two out of three crap, one game for all the marbles.”

  “Wow. And you use this technique to solve major relationship issues?”

  John and I replied at the same time. “Yeah.”

  “You heard it here first, folks. Rock, paper, scissors; the answer to all your relationship needs.” Laura laughed. “Do you guys argue a lot off the field?”

  “All the time,” John said nearly before Laura got the entire question out.

  “Doesn’t that put strain on your relationship?”

  I looked at John and we both laughed. I glanced back at Laura. “Um, I actually think it might make it stronger. We’ll get into these blowouts over really silly stuff and then I’ll look at him and he’ll look at me and we’ll just start laughing. I think how argumentative we are might be one of our favorite things about one another.”

  “It helps that she looks unbelievably cute when she’s angry.” John squeezed my hand and I squeezed his back until he pulled it away. “Ow!”

  “Okay,” Laura said with a laugh. “Maybe I should end it before we see one of those blowouts live and in color.” She looked at the camera. “If you want to keep up with what these two titans of the pigskin are doing in the off-season, be sure to check out all of their social media. I got to sit down and get to know these two a bit better over aged wine and a fireplace, so don’t forget to check out Fieldside Chat on my website for even more Jane and John goodness. That does it for us here in The Endzone, we’ll see you touchdown. Bye.”

  John and I waved at the camera and then a few seconds later, the stage lights went off.

  “Cut! That’s a wrap. Great job, everyone.”

  Laura shook our hands and thanked us for coming before disappearing into her dressing room.

  John hugged me around my waist. “Well, how was your first television appearance?”

  “Nerve wracking. Thank you for being here with me.”

  He kissed me on the cheek. “Always.” He cupped a hand on the side of his mouth. “Alright, everyone! Clear a path, my girlfriend Coach Panesse coming through.”

  I smiled as John called it out. ‘Girlfriend’ sounded pretty damn good, but ‘Coach’ was even better.

  * * *

  Thanks for reading TEAM HATE. My next book is coming! Be sure to join my SMS/EMAIL lists below to don’t miss it.
If you loved Jane & John, you might love Rae & Clinton as well. Binge read their story in the Diamond In The Rough series or check out my website for a full list of my books.

  Get an SMS alert when Rebel releases a new book (US only): Text REBEL to 77948

  Get an EMAIL alert when Rebel releases a new book (all countries). Subscribe at: www.RebelHart.net

  If you want to support me, consider leaving a review on Amazon. I’d love it!

  About the Author

  Rebel Hart is an author of Dark Romance novels. Check out all the books in her #1 bestselling series Diamond In The Rough.

  NEVER MISS A NEW RELEASE:

  Follow Rebel on Amazon

  Follow Rebel on Bookbub

  Text REBEL to 77948 to don't miss any of her books (US only) or sign up at www.RebelHart.net to get an email alert when her next book is out.

  authorrebelhart@gmail.com

  CONNECT WITH REBEL HART:

  Also by Rebel Hart

  For a full list of my books go to:

  www.RebelHart.net