The Assistant Coach (BOOK 1: OMEN KING SERIES)

|𝟺𝟻|

Kohl Warren

It's Halloween, October 31, three days after the jail incident.

Coach Johnson gave us a piece of his mind, but thanks to Ari, we managed to avoid any serious consequences. Leia hadn't once checked up on me though, not that I can blame her.

Tim, with his man bun swaying from side to side, sarcastically remarks, "This is what happens when I'm not around to save the day."

Ant, blowing out smoke from a joint, questions Owen, "Why did you pick a fight with the guards?"

I can't help but wonder if Owen was trying to impress Ari with his tough-guy act. I may not have seen how it all started, but I know Owen was in the thick of it with those security guards.

"I wish I was there," Rocky lies on the ground, feeling the weight of Tim stepping on his back before jumping off, causing Rocky to groan in pain.

I chuckle dryly at the situation. It's all because of that ass

Adam.

He really knows how to push my buttons, especially when it comes to Leia. She hugged him in the cell, and it made me want to punch him even more.

Leia's confession about sleeping with Adam was the final straw. I thought maybe there was a chance she actually liked me, but she was with our rival the whole time.

I let out a sigh, putting on Tim's ridiculously bright purple shirt. It's slightly chilly, but at least it covers my bare chest.

"Shit, what a mess," I mutter to myself, trying to shake off the feeling of betrayal.

There's a loud, obnoxious knock at the door, perfectly timed in a three-knock rhythm that startles all of us. My heart sinks as I realize it can only be one person - Josh, our dorm RA. The guy takes his job way too seriously, and I can already hear him scolding us in my head.

"Quick, toss the joint off the balcony," Owen hisses urgently, as Ant takes his sweet time.

I quickly grab the small box and stuff it into the corner kitchen drawer, hoping Josh doesn't catch wind of our little smoke session. I peel off my shirt and frantically fan away the lingering smoke, trying to make the room look as innocent as possible.

"Rocky, you're up," Owen mutters, nudging Rocky towards the door.

We all scramble to act natural, pretending to be engrossed in a dramatic Spanish telenovela playing on TV. The door creaks open, but none of us bother to look.

We all keep our eyes glued to the TV screen, pretending to be utterly captivated by the drama unfolding before us. As the leading lady gets slapped, we all look interested - or at least, try to appear like we're not guilty of anything.

"It's just Ari, you idiots," Rocky exclaims as he clumsily jumps over the couch, landing right in Ant's lap before being promptly pushed off and tumbling onto the floor.

"Can you knock like a regular person?" Tim grumbles. I can't help but notice the plethora of bright pink papers clutched in her hand.

"She can knock however she wants," Owen interjects. Ari's blush deepens as she averts her gaze, clearly flustered by Owen's shirtless appearance.

"Sorry about that, I guess you guys were having a smoke sesh," Ari says with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her gaze flitting around as if searching for a joint.

"If you're here for Owen, he's already spoken for," Rocky quips, planting a playful kiss on Owen's leg, causing Owen to roll his eyes as Ari chuckles.

"I'm actually here to invite you guys to the party I'm throwing tomorrow for Halloween. Well, technically, it would be after Halloween since today is Halloween," Ari rushes out her words, excitement bubbling over as I turn my head to look at her.

"Leia doesn't seem like the type to be okay with this, especially if it's in her dorm," I remark dryly, plucking a pink piece of paper from Ari's hand and scanning it with a raised eyebrow.

"Nobody said she had to come, and it won't be at our dorms. It'll be at my parents' house since they're out of town," Ari replies, a hint of irritation creeping into her tone at the mention of Leia.

Are they having a fight or something? And I highly doubt Leia won't show up.

If Ari is going to be there, then Leia will definitely make an appearance. And of course, Athena will be there too; she's a total party animal.

"Redhead, you're growing on me," Rocky remarks with a smirk, snatching the paper from my grasp.

I can't help but roll my eyes and smack the back of his head before snatching the paper back.

"Quit mooching off me and grab your own," I retort, pointing to the stack of papers that Ari is holding.

"Are you planning on coming?" Ari asks, her voice soft and inviting.

"Only if there's free booze," Tim chimes in sarcastically as he heads towards the kitchen.

"She's not asking you moron." Ant interjects, shaking his head at Tim's cluelessness.

"Who's she asking then?" Tim asks, still completely unaware of the situation.

"We're all going," Owen says smoothly, shooting a knowing smirk at Ari as she nods enthusiastically.

It's hilarious how Rocky and Tim are completely oblivious to the flirtatious glances Owen and Ari are exchanging.

"I guess I'll see you all there, oh and dress up, it's a costume party after all," she says with a large smile. I watch her leave, and then Owen, always the eager beaver, grabs a shirt and practically sprints out the door after her. Like he's chasing a damn prize.

I swear, if they think they're fooling anyone with their little act, they're seriously delusional. It's painfully obvious that there's something going on between them. The tension in the room whenever they're together is suffocating.

(How do we feel about this chapter?) ->

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