Breaking the Playbook [COMPLETED]

Chapter 29

BROOKS' POV

I watched as Coach walked out of the locker room, his words still ringing in my ears. "Lolo needs you to be smart about this." The way he said it made my stomach twist with guilt. I'd never wanted to put her in this position—to make her choose between her father and me—but that's exactly where we were headed. And the worst part? I wasn't sure how to stop it.

I sat back down on the bench, running a hand through my hair as I tried to piece together what the fuck I was supposed to do. My mind kept replaying the last few weeks—the sneaking around, the constant pressure, and the way Lolo and I had to pretend we weren't anything more than teammates. It was taking its toll on both of us, and it was only getting worse.

The guys were starting to notice too. The camaraderie that used to flow effortlessly had become stilted, like they weren't sure how to approach me anymore. And I didn't blame them. I wasn't the same on the field; my focus was shot, and it showed in every play I fucked up. I hated that I was letting everyone down, but most of all, I hated that I was letting Lolo down.

Fuck. I slammed my fist into the metal locker, the clang echoing through the empty room. I was angry—at myself, at the situation, at the fucking world. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I'd worked my ass off to get here, to be at the top of my game, and now it was all slipping through my fingers because of shit I couldn't control.

The sound of my phone buzzing snapped me out of my thoughts. I pulled it out, half-expecting it to be Lolo again, but instead, it was a text from one of the guys.

"Hey man, heard Coach laid into you. You good?"

I stared at the screen, the concern behind the words making my chest tighten. I wasn't good, not by a long shot, but I couldn't let them see that. I had to keep it together, at least for their sake.

"Yeah, all good. Just some shit I need to sort out," I typed back, my fingers lingering over the send button before I finally pressed it.

I shoved the phone back into my pocket, the weight of everything settling heavily on my shoulders. I couldn't keep going like this. Something had to give, but I wasn't sure what that would be. The thought of losing Lolo—of really losing her—was something I couldn't fucking handle. But keeping this charade going was tearing us apart.

I needed to figure it out fast. Because if I didn't, I was going to lose everything. And that was something I couldn't fucking afford.

COACH'S POV

I walked back to my office, the sound of my footsteps echoing through the empty hallway. My mind was spinning with everything that had just happened, the conversation with Brooks weighing heavily on my mind. I hadn't wanted to be that hard on him, but I couldn't let this slide. Not when it was affecting the team, and not when it was involving my daughter.

I sat down at my desk, rubbing a hand over my face as I tried to think about how we'd gotten here. Brooks was one of the best players I'd ever coached, a natural leader on the field, but lately, he was off his game. And I knew why—Lolo. My daughter had always been headstrong and independent, but this was different. She was getting dragged into something that could hurt her, and I couldn't stand by and let that happen.

I knew she cared about Brooks, probably more than she was willing to admit, but I also knew this relationship was putting them both in a difficult position. The media was relentless, digging into their lives, looking for any scrap of a story they could blow out of proportion. And if they found out about what was really going on between them, well, it wouldn't just be their careers on the line. It would be their lives.