The Assistant Coach (BOOK 1: OMEN KING SERIES)

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Kohl Warren

I heave my heavy duffle bag in the carrier on the side of the bus with the rest of the team, the weight of the upcoming game barely registering to me.

Greeley is a three-hour drive from here, and we're all packed in for the long drive. Leia is here, of course, and then there's her redhead friend.

I can't help but clench my jaw as I think back to last night. I know I shouldn't be mad at her, but fuck it, I am.

All three kisses we've shared were her idea, her initiative. But last night, things got a little out of hand. She was drunk, and if I hadn't kept my self-control, who knows what might have happened. It's frustrating as shit.

"Why the long face?" Owen's voice breaks through my thoughts, his arm slung casually over my shoulder as he yawns.

"I'm just tired," I mutter, shaking off his arm as I watch Tim pestering Ant about some ridiculous plan to get a dog. Like we could even have one in the dorms. And Owen is really the one he should be asking.

My eyelids are heavy, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me. I can't quite recall everything that happened after I blacked out from too much booze last night, but I do know that we stumbled back home in the early hours of the morning.

And now I have a pounding headache, Owen looks irritatingly composed. It's like he's immune to hangovers or something.

"Get a move on, you lazy bunch! We ain't got all day!" Coach Johnson bellows, his shrill whistle piercing through my skull like a knife.

I drag myself onto the bus, scanning the rows of seats already occupied. Miller and Ant are one second away from falling - nope, never mind, they're asleep. Owen and Tim are squeezed into a seat together, Owen looking less than thrilled about their proximity.

Kateb and Matt are up front, laughing and goofing off like a couple of clowns. Mason and Ronald are deep in conversation nearby.

And then there's Leia, curled up against Ari's shoulder, her peaceful expression bothering the fuck out of me. Ari, on the other hand, looks like she's nursing a world-class hangover, holding her head in her hands.

I make a beeline for the back of the bus, shedding my coat and tossing it onto the empty seat next to me.

"She won't have a clue."

"She'll kill you, fucking idiot."

Knowing full well that Leia will absolutely murder them if she ever finds out what they're planning, I mind my business.

I tug my headphones over my ears, drowning out the conversations with my loud playlist blaring in my ears.

The music is cranked up so high that I can barely hear my own thoughts, and that's exactly how I like it.

As the bus lurches forward, I gaze out the window at the passing scenery, trying to ignore the anger constantly building up inside of me. I don't have the energy to deal with her right now, not after the day I've had.

I close my eyes, letting the loud music lull me into a half-conscious state. Thoughts of Leia still linger in the back of my mind, but I push them aside in favor of getting some much-needed rest. I just want to shut out the world for a little while and recharge my batteries.

So that's exactly what I do.

I feel a gentle graze on my arm, and as I slowly open my heavy eyelids, I see my coat draped over me. My blurry vision clears as I turn to look at the empty seat beside me, where Leia is now seated, shooting daggers at the other guys on the bus.