The Strings Attached

Chapter 3 - Jace

Jace

Day one of paying off my debt to Coach is in full swing. Luckily for me, I played volleyball in high school recreationally. I was pretty decent at it. So, I'm prepared to fulfill my role as an assistant coach.

But nothing could have prepared me for Coach Carr.

I walk into the gym, bright-eyed and ready to kick start the day. But I stop dead in my tracks when a see a petite blonde woman laying sprawled out across the bleachers, bawling her eyes out.

What the fuck?

I want to run away. The old me would have flown out of here like a bat out of hell. But, I've changed since then. Since my careless mistakes nearly got me and another girl killed. Now, I take accountability for shit, and I don't leave middle-aged women alone and crying on disgusting metal bleachers.

"Coach Carr?" I ask. My voice is hoarse with nerves and I clear my throat.

She sits up, her hand grips her chest. She snorts and wipes her drenched, red face with her free hand. "H-Hello. You must be Jason."

"Jace actually. Jace Maxwell."

"Right. Right." She shakes her head and stands, trying to hide the fact that she was crying and failing miserably. "It's nice to have you on the team." Her eyes well up with tears again as she looks up at me.

I shouldn't pry. But what the fuck else am I supposed to do? This woman is literally about to have a mental breakdown right in front of me.

"Is everything okay?" Yeah, I shouldn't have done that.

A howl, or a shriek, erupts from her throat. My body jerks in literal fear as she nearly collapses in front of me. I reach out and catch her, grabbing her arms.

At this point, I'm just waiting for Coach Harris to pop out from behind the bleachers and tell me I'm being punked. But that isn't the case.

I don't let Coach Carr out of my grip until she's standing steadily on her feet. Hell, I'm such a nice guy I even walk her to the locker room so she can splash some cold water on her face.

Who the hell am I?

Last semester, I would have left her ass alone and crying. But this new me, the better version of myself, can't leave until she's able to form a coherent sentence without gasping for air.

"Oh my gosh," she breathes, flapping her lips, finally getting a hold of herself. She shakes off her wet hands and sits on the metal bench in front of a row of lockers.

I don't sit. Yeah, I am trying to be a nicer guy, but sitting on the bench will make her think I'm vulnerable and able to easily be pulled into her sob story. Though, me standing right in front of the locker room door, ready to make a quick escape, doesn't stop her from spilling all of her dark and dirty secrets to me.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that. Coach Harris did tell me you were coming today. But my boyfriend—" she pauses for a moment but lets out a deep sigh. "Turns out the bastard is married."

"Oh," is all I manage to say.

"I told him it's okay. That I won't tell anyone and we can still see each other."

"Oh," I say again, more intrigue to my voice. Who knew the middle-aged, sweet-looking woman with her pixie-cut blonde hair, seeming so innocent could be so cynical?

"But he said no to me. Meanwhile, I'm sure his wife is pregnant by some other man."

This conversation is spiraling. "I think we should get back out to the gym. Practice is about to start soon," I say, hoping to stop this conversation before things escalate even more.

Coach Carr shakes her head. "I can't go out there. Not like this." She stands and walks over to one of the lockers. Reaching inside she pulls out a small binder. "I need you to take charge of today's practice." She holds the binder out to me.

"By myself?"

She nods. "Coach Harris said you had some experience with this game. Just have the girls run some drills. I'll be back next practice."

Before I can even protest, she shoves the binder into my chest and scurries out of the locker room.

I'll have no problem helping these girls out with their game, but I figured this would be an easy gig. I have so much on my plate already. With being benched for the upcoming season, I need to bust my ass in practice. Prove to Coach Harris that he made a mistake and that the team needs me.

But now it seems like I'll need to actually be invested in this team because from the looks of Coach Carr, I don't think she'll be around much this season.

Before I can think of a convincing argument for Coach Harris to let me off the hook, voices echo around the gym.