The Story of E & A

12 YITF, Chapter 14: Pre game

** IMPORTANT! This chapter will mention physical abuse! Please read at your own discretion! The end and beginning will be marked with " * " so skip if you feel uncomfortable. There may be more mentions in the future idk yet.**

Chapter song: The King by Conan Gray

Drew POV -

The situation with contacts was handled on our end. We distributed new contracts to all players before letting them play that day. I didn't want to take any risks with my guys out there that night.

The plays were still a mess. An hour before the game we were still revising. The top staff was in the locker room with the team, arguing and Preston the Defensive head coach, was getting in my face.

"You cannot bench my main man!" Preston growled and spat practically flying.

"You cannot make me use that dumbass. He doesn't know his ass from his mouth which makes sense because all they can do is spew shit." I shot back.

"That's my nephew you're talking about!" He screamed and grabbed me hard by the shoulders.

"I didn't say anything that was false. And you should drop your hands before I drop you." My voice was so low that no one but Preston could hear. It was true that his nephew was about as bright as a black crayon. The only reason he's here is that his uncle is the recruits boss.

Before Preston could swing at me Preston's number two Ethan got in the middle and pulled him off me.

Steph tried to get in the middle but Preston swung blindly. All I saw was her head whip around and the blood from her cut mouth. The room had been silent but you could hear a pin drop as Steph touched her face and saw the blood.

After that I remember hitting Oreston hard. I would've kept going but some of the Offensive held me back before something worse could happen. Preston was apologizing to Steph and the players were starting to go at it.

"Everybody stop!" Clint, the Head Coach for the entire team, screamed at the top of his lungs. He had been watching the entire event unfold

"We are supposed to be a team! We are supposed to be a family! Family does not hit each other! We are going out there in less than an hour! Get it the fuck together or I will pull us from the game! You think I can't do that? I don't give a flying fuck about the holders. If I tell them that we are not ready, they can't do jackshit about it and I will tell them we are not ready if you can't keep your hands to your goddamn selves!"

Then his eyes centered on Preston and he strode up to him, not breaking eye contact.

"If you ever put your hands on Stephanie again I will not only let Garcia beat the shit out of you, I will fucking join him. We do not condone violence on that team and that goes for all of us. Ya hear me?"

Preston nodded, shame coloring his face. We dispersed and I went to Steph along with several others.

"I'm fine." She mumbled wiping her eyes. I guided her out of the locker room and into a spare room down the hall.

"Are you actually okay?" I questioned getting a better look at the cut. Her lip was split but not to bad. Nothing that would require stitches, but I was less worried about her physical pain and more for her emotional pain.

** Mentions of abuse **

"Im fine Drew, it just brought back bad memories."

I knew who she was talking about and if I wasn't already pissed that was enough to make my blood boil. Her ex boyfriend Max was not just a shitty person, but also had a drinking and beating his girlfriend's problem.

I had known Steph since I was 23 and she was 24. I had just stopped playing football and had just stopped pushing everyone away when I had met her. She got me into coaching and here we are now. But before all that, she was with Max. They were together for a year before I came into the picture and would be together for another year and a half.

At first Steph hid everything well. I didn't know her very well yet and I had never met Max and had no reason to believe something was going on behind the scenes.

A split lip here. A bruised cheek there.

It wasn't obvious. Not until she showed up at my shitty college apartment looking half dead and bloody a year from when we first met.

That was the first time I saw everything. The bruises, the cuts. The broken bones and the stitches. She had said he didn't mean it.

'He was just angry'.

'I shouldn't have provoked him like that.'

'He loves me. I know he does.'

Nothing I did would get him to leave her. The final straw was when he hit her sister while drunk and angry over something stupid. She says she's better. I believe that its not as bad but not that its gone like she wants me to. Sometimes I forget that he was ever in his life until moments like these happen.

** End of section **

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"No. I want to put that psycho out of my mind and focus on the present. And speaking of present, is your old boyfriend going to be there?"

"Technically, he's my old fiancé." I corrected without thinking.

"What? When did that happen? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you cancel the wedding?" She whisper/shouted.

"Shhh! Keep your voice down! This room is not soundproof and I don't want the entire team knowing my business. It was when we were in high school and barely lasted a few weeks if even that much."

"Where's the ring?"

"Lets focus on the now, shall we?" I distracted leaving the room.

"You won't shake me that easily Garcia. I want to see it."

"What I'm hearing is we're going to the med wing to get some ice and a bandage for that cut."

"Fine but I want to hear all the details later."

"I won't be able to get out of that."

"No, you won't"

I know this is a little shorter than usual but I wanted to give a look into Steph's past. I tried to make it as easy as possible to skip that section but idk this is my first time writing something like that. I will make the next chapter long and start the smut to make up for this week.

Bye! - Naomi