Hidden Truths

Chapter 4: Who Knew Nate Was Such A Beast

Chapter 4: Who Knew Nate Was Such A Beast?

The wind blows through my hair as I pulled my favorite blue hoodie closer to my body. "I didn't know it was gonna be this cold today." A white cloud of smoke escapes my mouth with each word, showing just how cold it is. For some reason the weather these past two days have been abnormally cold. "Why are they even practicing in such cold weather?"

Theo turns his body towards me on the bleachers. "Coach Tyson is ruthless. Last year he made them practice in the middle of a rainstorm while it was freezing. Grayson couldn't feel his legs for a week," He shivers out. "I would know because he made me cater to him that whole week." I laugh at the thought.

"Wow, you actually listened to somebody for once?" I gasp dramatically.

"Yeah, Gray could beat my ass if he wanted to," He answers with a frown on his face. Grayson seems like the only person who can keep Theo in check. That can come in handy.

I look at the field and see Coach Tyson monitoring the practice. He has dark skin and is very muscular. You can see his muscles gripping through his shirt. Jeez, he needs a bigger shirt. He's wearing shorts and you can see his muscular thighs. Why is he wearing shorts when it's freezing outside, I have no idea but I'm definitely not going to be the one to ask him. He starts walking towards the bench's and his calves flex with every step. His voice seems intimidating from what I've heard and I would hate to have it directed at me.

I can hear him yelling at some of the team members "Hawks, stay focused!" He doesn't seem to be messing around. Nate's going to have a hard time. I almost feel bad for them. Both Theo and I almost shiver from intimidation of Coach Tyson.

We're sat on the school bleachers watching Ashton Preps football team practice. Grayson has been driving Nate and I to and from school for about a week now. Everyday I have to sit here and endure this torture because I can't leave school without Grayson, he's my only way home. The field is covered in different banners with the school football team name "Hawks" sprawled across it. I sigh and look up at the sky, the moon is fully out tonight. I check the time on my phone and see that it's 5:48pm. I already finished my homework and now I'm just waiting until we can leave. The only few highlights of my night is seeing Nate. He looks so happy on the field, in his element, with all his teammates. For a second I'm glad I'm stuck here watching him play, but then my eyes switch to Jackson on the field too. The whole team is wearing some form of football gear, but Jackson still somehow draws attention to himself. I don't know what it is, maybe it's his stance, but there's authority in the way he works. Grayson and him radiate authority on the field. I'm broken out of my unconscious staring when I hear Grayson shout.

"Lockwood! Get it together!" Grayson looks at one of the football guys. I scrunch up my face at the mention of the name "Lockwood". I feel like I've heard that before. A memory of the conversation I had with Carmen at the beginning of the week pops into my head and realize I recognize the name Lockwood. Carmen was chatting up the dance team captain Paisley and she had the same last name.

"We have a game with the Cubs coming up and you guys are playing like shit!" Grayson yells and Jackson nods in agreement. Everyone on the football team stays silent, including Nate, as "Lockwood" takes off his helmet. Ginger red hair is the first thing that catches my attention. The sides of his hair are short and fade into a messy quiff on the top of his head. My eyes travel to his face which is set in a scowl.

"I'm one of the best players on this team! Who the hell are you to tell me what to do, when you can't even follow your own rules?" He fumes.

"What are you tryna say?" Grayson now has his helmet off too, he takes a few steps closer to Lockwood. I can see the puffs of smoke coming from his mouth, as he huffs out his response.