Breaking Tradition

Chapter Twenty-Two: Theo

Disclaimer: All characters and settings are purely fictional. If there are any similarities to real people or places, it is merely coincidental. The plot is written by me and not copied from any other writer.

Author's Note: This chapter is pretty short, so I will be dropping another chapter to make up for it. Book Two is completed. I am only editing at this point. Book Three is in the works. I'm on chapter seven! I love writing it! It feels good to finally end Rylee and Theo's story. I hope you will continue to read Breaking Tradition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Punch for Punch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We lost our first game on Friday night. Coach called us in for a Saturday practice as punishment for our silly mistakes. He scolded us for going against his instructions and playing conceitedly. We all stood in silence as Coach ranted. A few times, he took off his cap and pointed at us with it in frustration. By the end of his lecture, the hat was thrown to the ground. He ordered us to run suicides until he calmed down.  

He was entitled to feel the way he did. We lost the game from being unfocused on the field. Everyone wanted to be the star player. We were making decisions that went against the plays Coach Fields instructed. I kept getting blocked every time. Even when I was open, no one was catching the ball. It was a disaster. By the end of the third quarter, tension began to flare between us. The issue with a few breaking the tradition arose again. People started blaming it on us going against the natural order of the ritual instead of the poor yet risky plays we made on the field.  

By the end of the night, Mike, Devan, and the others were locked in full fight mode with Chris, Hayden, and I. It took Devan shoving on Hayden for me to lose my damn mind. In an instant, I pushed up against him, ready to beat the shit out of him. Coach Fields broke the fight up, awarding us with laps for our behavior. Today, the tension was still at an all-time high.  

Despite Coach's attempts to exhaust us to the point of prolonging our issues, it didn't stop the petty actions from Mike and the others. They would shove us intentionally or hit us harder during drills. Hayden was trying so hard not to retaliate, but from his expression, I could tell his restraint was waning. Hayden wasn't one to lose his temper quickly, but they were making it very difficult for him to remain calm. The loss had nothing to do with the tradition. Besides, it wasn't the first time we lost a game.  

Not too long after we were dismissed, Devan, Mike, and two other platers, Sean and Wes, came up to Hayden. I grabbed my towel and made my way over to him. KC and Chris must have noticed it too because they were following me. I watched as Devan gripped Hayden by his shirt, and I sprinted towards them. The wind crashed against me, and the air cut my lungs from the sharp inhale. I felt a hand try to hold me back, but it was too late. Devan's fist connected with Hayden's stomach. Hayden lurched over from the impact. 

"I promised I would beat the shit out of you, Parker," Devan said through a clenched jaw. It was the last words he said before I tackled him to the ground. He looked shocked at first, trying to regain focus on the situation. I growled before I gripped his shirt and punched him. The sound of my fist making contact with his face alerted the others. They tried pulling me off him, but I couldn't break the connection between his face and my fist.

"Stop it, O!" Hayden shouted. He was tugging on my arm, trying to prevent me from killing Devan. His mouth was busted and bloodied. I stopped. KC and Chris pulled me off of him, and I fell on the side, watching as they lift Devan off the ground. He shoved them off when he was standing and stable. He wiped his mouth and looked at me. He frowned before giving a look to Hayden. I jumped up, but Chris blocked me from going at him again. 

"Count your blessing today, Parker. If we lose another game, I'll make sure you get what I promised," he said, spitting out blood. He looks back at me. "Hit me again, Bradshaw, and it'll be the last time you breathe," he threatened. 

"Touch Hayden again, and I promise I won't stop next time," I spat, reaching for him but being pulled back from Chris. Devan smirks before walking away with the others. Once they were out of sight, Chris released me. 

"You ok, Theo?" Chris asked, checking for any injuries. He knew I didn't have any. I was in a fit of rage. Devan couldn't land one punch on me. 

"Yeah. Hayden, you ok?" I looked at him, and he nodded. KC patted him on the back and offered me a reassuring look. 

Hayden smirked before responding, "You need to relieve some tension, bro." He started jerking his hand up and down. KC and Chris laughed hysterically at it. I picked up my towel I dropped earlier and threw it at him. I was just glad he was ok. 

We hung out a bit after, trying to blow off some steam. We ended up by Nattie's eating burgers, laughing, and joking about Coach's antics or some of the other players. Chris was pretty cool. He and KC meshed well with Hayden and me. It felt good to have a few other friends with me. Things were a bit off since Tatum went to college. We texted and video chatted as much as we could, but with the busy schedules we had, it was almost near impossible to call. 

The last time I spoke to him, he was ranting about his girlfriend Khloe. Things weren't looking good for them. She was attending Brighton, and he was at UW. The long-distance wasn't working. She was feeling insecure since he didn't have time to talk to her as much as she liked. He also didn't like the posts she made on social media. There were a lot of images with her with guys Tatum didn't know. Their relationship was in shambles.

It also didn't help that Tatum found a specific UW basketball player to be extremely attractive. He showed him about three photos of the girl during the call, all of which were followed by Tatum's commentary on how sexy she was. As much as I wanted to root for Khloe, from the look in Tatum's eyes, it was a game she wasn't going to win. 

Part of me couldn't help thinking about Rylee and me. If we went to different schools, I would make it work. We would establish a line of communication and work on our insecurities. It would be tough but losing her wasn't an option. She was my end game. She's the girl I plan to marry and spend the rest of my life adoring only her.

My phone beeped to notify me of a text, pulling me out of my thoughts. It was a message from Zaria. I quickly opened the text message.

Just a heads-up. Mom and Dad invited Rylee to dinner this Sunday. 

My heart dropped. Shit.