First Kisses Are Never Forgotten

Chapter 42

AARON

"Hello, Aaron. I hope this is good, you made it seem so urgent I left my kid's swimming training and came here." Morgan McDermott is a volleyball legend, one of the best opposite hitters in the world for decades.

He coached the U.S team for a couple of years and won 5 championships. He retired for a while but came back taking a position in the FIVB board committee.

Last time I saw him was when I got selected into the team.

He gave me advice for my career like a father and warned me to never call him when he's with his family.

He looks the same, but with more white hair now. His tan skin is worn out now from age, full of wrinkles and age lines, but he still looks very fit for his age.

"It is good. Actually, it's really bad. But that is good." Fuck I'm so nervous.

Yesterday, after our game and took the team to the parking lot and talked to them like Joshua asked me. I kept asking him how this will help me with Dean, he just nodded to them and told me to listen.

I told them about what happened in his office, they called me an idiot for doing that to Addison and not just talking to them.

They were right but I didn't tell them that, I didn't tell them that I was too stupid to not call any of them I was just panicking too much from the thought of Addison getting harmed like that.

They all stared at me for a while as if they were scared to say their next words. They were waiting for someone to start speaking as if that person would take my hit when I exploded.

I saw it on their faces, my team was hiding something from me. Something big and not good at all.

"Just tell me." I grit out impatiently.

"We all have problems with coach Dean, Aaron." Derek speaks while leaning on my car. He's avoiding my eyes as if I'll get angry from whatever this is.

"What do you mean?"

Silence again. I am met with silence and eyes looking everywhere but me. I shoot a heavy look towards Joshua and try to read anything from his face. I came up with nothing too.

"I don't understand. Did he do something like this to any of you guys?" I should've killed him in that office. If he did that to my team, I make him wish I really did kill him.

"N-No...Not exactly." Gavin's quiet and almost sounds uncertain to speak again. Gavin finally lifts his eyes to me. "Look Aaron." He sighs a heavy sigh and looks around the team then back to me.

"It started with mind games, yelling and some mean comments. I- we thought he's just too passionate, too-competitive. We all know he likes money that is not a secret, but he really, really loves it and he'll do anything to get more of it."

Jake takes the conversation from here saying, "But then he'd force an interview we didn't want. He sent us fucking groupies to our homes just for the pictures and called it a joke. He made more gym sessions for me...to the players who didn't perform well enough, you know that. But you don't know how he pushed us there. He...made me do ten-thousand push-ups. I couldn't do it...Aaron." His voice breaks.

"He pushes us. Not just physically but also in our personal life and mentally."

I am shocked to my core. How did I not know all this? My God, I am the worst captain in the world. How did I not notice my team suffering because of this jerk? How did I not notice his abuse?

I thought we were having a great season, in fact, one of our best. But this is actually our worst season actually.

My team, my family is in pain and I didn't notice, I didn't care enough to. I didn't even think about how my team is doing with a new coach, I didn't even ask.