Chapter 10: Views (Bryce’s POV)
1103 Words
Damn, she’s sexy.
Watching Kalia put Rick in his place was way more attractive than it should’ve been. The confidence. The way she commanded the room without ever raising her voice. Most people demanded respect. Kalia didn’t have to. She walked into a room and owned the damn thing.
With her résumé and that no-nonsense attitude, we might actually win another championship. Last season, we barely survived by the skin of our teeth.
During practice, Justin stuck around with me, watching my decision-making and helping the receivers. He pointed out little things they could improve—cleaner routes, quicker cuts, getting to the ball faster.
The guy knew his s**t.
After practice, Justin pulled me aside.
“Bro, can I trust you?”
I looked at him.
“With what?”
“To treat Kalia right. To give her everything she deserves.”
That caught me off guard.
“I can try.”
Justin let out a slow breath.
“Look, she’s my world. I love her more than anyone else does. Unfortunately, that’s not how our cards were dealt.”
His eyes dropped to the ground.
“I can’t be around her twenty-four seven. I just want to know she’s safe.”
I nodded.
“I care about her, Justin. I’m gonna do everything I can to make her feel safe.”
I hesitated before asking the question that had been eating at me all day.
“I’m trying to become the kind of man she deserves. But be real with me… if she chooses me, are you gonna try to tear us apart?”
Justin stared at me for a few seconds.
“No.”
Then a smirk spread across his face.
“But until she chooses somebody? Hell yeah, I’m competing.”
I laughed.
“Fair enough.”
We wrapped up practice, and Justin caught me before he headed out.
“Bryce, take my number. You’re cool as hell. Let me know if you ever need anything, alright?”
He handed me his phone.
“Appreciate you, man. Safe travels.”
We exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes before I headed toward the locker room.
Kalia must’ve left with Justin.
The second I walked inside, I heard Rick’s voice.
“I can’t believe we got a b***h for an assistant coach.”
Of f*****g course.
Before I could say anything, Damon spoke up.
“Didn’t you learn your lesson earlier? Fall in line.”
The locker room went silent.
“Your dumb ass needs to learn when to shut the f**k up. She has the experience and accolades to back up everything she’s saying. Justin Carter was just here because of her.”
That’s why I f**k with Damon.
The man always keeps it real.
Rick scoffed.
“She probably lied. Probably f****d Justin to get that story.”
Before I could even get out of my seat, Coach’s voice thundered through the room.
“EXCUSE YOU?”
Rick damn near jumped out of his skin.
“Coach, I’m sorry—”
Coach closed the distance between them so fast the entire room froze.
“Stevens. You are benched for the first five games.”
Rick’s face went ghost white.
“Coach—”
“I’m not done.”
Coach pointed a finger directly at his chest.
“I’m not kicking you off this team… yet. So choose your next words very carefully.”
“But Coach—”
“COACH NOTHING!”
The walls practically shook.
“You think this is a game. You think I can’t make sound decisions for this program. I don’t want to hear another damn word out of you, Stevens. Deal with it or get off my f*****g team.”
Coach stormed out before Rick could respond.
The locker room sat in stunned silence.
Then Rick turned toward me.
“Bryce, you gotta do something, bro.”
I laughed.
“What the hell do you want me to do? You just disrespected my g—”
I caught myself.
“…I mean, the daughter of the man who owns the Minnesota Storm.”
Good save.
Rick’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head.
“No f*****g way.”
“Oh yeah.”
“f**k. Fuck.” He grabbed his hair. “Bryce, I can’t sit, bro. I got too much riding on my football career.”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know, man. Kalia’s nice. I mean… Coach is nice.”
A few guys laughed.
“Just talk to her.”
I patted him on the shoulder and headed for the showers.
Back at my dorm, my thoughts drifted right back to Kalia.
How can someone be so damn perfect?
Beautiful. Smart. Confident. Driven.
Every time I learned something new about her, she somehow became even more attractive.
My phone buzzed, pulling me from my thoughts.
Kristy: It’s been a minute, Bryce. Don’t you miss these?
Kristy: *sends nude pics*
I stared at my screen for half a second before blocking her.
Not worth texting back.
Fuck, all I can think about is Kalia.
I tossed my phone on my bed.
Five minutes later, I picked it back up.
Maybe social media would distract me.
Big f*****g mistake.
The first thing I saw made my stomach drop.
TeaRoom:
JUSTIN CARTER LOCKING LIPS WITH MYSTERY GIRL BEFORE BOARDING JET BACK TO MINNESOTA #JETS2JET
My heart damn near stopped.
What the f**k?
I knew he said he was gonna compete.
But I didn’t see this s**t coming.
I clicked the article.
Then another headline appeared underneath it.
TeaRoom:
COULD MYSTERY GIRL BE KARAOKE GIRL? #YoExcuseMeMiss #ThisIsMessy #Kalia
Fuck.
My grip tightened around my phone.
No.
No f*****g way.
Justin’s words replayed in my head.
“She’s my world.”
Why the f**k did it bother me this much?
Hell, she isn’t even mine.
But the thought of her kissing him made my chest feel tight.
I pulled out my phone and sent Kalia a text.
Me: Hey beautiful, you back on campus?
Kalia: About to be. What’s up?
Me: Wanna go get ice cream?
Kalia: Can I take a rain check? Today has been a day…
Fuck.
Was she thinking about the kiss?
Kalia: I’m sorry :(
Me: Goodnight, Kalia.
Kalia: Bryce…
I locked my phone before she could say anything else and tossed it onto the bed.
I fired up my game, hoping it would distract me, but it didn’t.
All I could see was Justin and Kalia together.
The way he looked at her.
The way he kissed her.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the image out of my head.
- Writer
