The man in the navy blazer had been watching Javier for three practices, and Leo's stomach was in knots.
He sat in the top row of the bleachers, a notepad on his knee, never looking at his phone. His eyes followed Javier everywhere—serve, pass, hit, block. He didn't clap when Javier scored. He didn't frown when Javier made errors. He just watched.
Leo walked to the end of the bench and tapped Mateo's shoulder. “The guy in the blazer. You know him?”
Mateo looked up. “That's Coach Rickman. From Northern State. He recruited Derek before the injury.”
Leo's blood went cold. Northern State. The school that had pulled Derek's scholarship. The school that had called Derek damaged goods.
“What's he doing here?”
Mateo shook his head. “I don't know. But he's not here for me.”
---
After practi
