Guy and Reason

Chapter 25 (Guy): A Shock

Copyright © 2025 by GroveltoHEA

"You need to talk to me after training," I muttered to Josh before I walked away from him and the she-devil heading straight for us.

"Guy!" Ingrid called my name chirpily, as if we were old friends and there was no bad blood between us. As if the sight of her didn't start my blood boiling. "Guy, can we talk?"

Without turning to look at her, I called out, loudly enough for anyone nearby to hear, "Stay away from me, you scheming, grasping, fucking bitch. I'd rather my head be used for kicking practice than talk to you."

Some might argue that was undeserved, that I'd been the one stupid enough to fall for her tricks. In many ways, they'd be right, but that didn't stop the burning resentment I felt against her. I wasn't blaming her for my cheating. That always had been and always would be solely on me.

It was her betrayal of me, of our friendship, and the way she'd played me that made me furious. You think people are good, you believe them when they say they're going to look out for you, and then you discover they lied and had an entirely different agenda in mind. Growing up in my hometown, I hadn't experienced someone like Ingrid, someone cold and calculating, cloaked in faux concern and camaraderie. 

My childhood and youth had been idyllic, surrounded by people I loved and who loved me back, who wanted the best for me, the same way I wanted the best for them. Maybe you always despised the first person who showed you the uglier side of life, the betrayal, the one who would forever make you wonder if someone new you were meeting was sincere or wanted something from you. Because of Ingrid, I now was wary of people and their motivations. I greeted everything that came out of the mouths of strangers with skepticism, and I waited for the other shoe to drop, for them to reveal their true selves.

I'd lost everything that mattered because of my naivety, and I was determined never to make that mistake again with anyone. My mood had plummeted, and I walked through the breakfast buffet, filling my plate as I filled my mind with calming thoughts. I sat down with a group of players who become friends over the years we'd been on the team together.

"What the fuck was that?" Jerome, a tight end, asked, eyes wide. They'd never seen me go off on someone before.

I grimaced and tried to explain Ingrid in as few words as possible while still giving them the full picture of what had gone down.

"Rookie doesn't have a clue, does he?" Ham, the backup quarterback, shook his head.

"My guess would be no," I said grimly. "He told me she was great, so I need to talk with him tonight, find out what she's been telling him or promising him, set him straight about her, figure out if he can get someone else to represent him."

Open his fucking eyes about Ingrid. Josh seemed the type to have a girl back home, probably a sweet girl he'd been with through high school and college. No way would I let Ingrid pull her shit with him.

I'd talk to Josh, talk to my coaches to see if anything could be done about revoking her access to the areas she'd requested. Her being anywhere around me was unacceptable, and I hated that I had to tell Reason that Ingrid was back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We all came out of the locker room that night feeling battered and ready for bed, but we had to attend dinners, no excuses. I was coming out of the locker room and Ingrid called to me. I just kept going, looking forward to talking to my coaches about her before breakfast tomorrow.

I felt a hand on my arm as she said my name again, and I yanked it away from her, yelling at her to stop the inappropriate touching and to stay the fuck away from me. The look on her face was well worth calling her out on her shit.