Page 3 of Provoking the Punter

Even though his stomach churned, and he wanted to puke, he went in because they were waiting for him. If he fucked this up, it would make getting signed next season that much harder. It didn’t matter how good his stats were. No one wanted a troublemaker on the team, and while he’d stayed away from the media, he was sure that’s what they assumed.

The only thing in his favor was that his old coach wouldn’t want word getting out. Although, a tiny part of him wouldn’t mind if it did. At least then everyone would know it had been a personal vendetta.

And if everyone learned he was gay, it was one less thing to worry about.

Yet, at the same time, he dreaded being outed. He would come out when he was good and ready. Most players waited until they retired, but there were a few who had taken that step forward; some were brave enough to do it in college. Others waited until they were established. Trouble was, there were only thirty-two punting places, while every other position had multiples and backups. Teams could be choosy.

There was a small part of him that wished he’d done something different. Tried a different position in college, but it had been expected of him to punt. That was the deal when he’d joined the program to go from playing Aussie rules to American football. He’d trained and became an expert in one thing, got a scholarship to college, and played.

He wasn’t the first Australian to fail at Aussie rules and tread this path. And he wouldn’t be the last. For him, it had been the path away from home.

Away from all the memories.

No matter what happened, he wasn’t going back.

Two women were chatting at the front counter. Both turned to look at him. One smiled as if she knew exactly who he was. That wasn’t a good sign. He enjoyed being the invisible team member.

“Mr. Stevens.” She extended her hand, her nails painted the team gold, and they shook hands. “I’m Caitlin Cole. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She smiled up at him, and for a moment, Garrett felt as if she meant it.

Maybe she did. All he had were a few emails between her and his agent, which Garrett had been included in, where his agent assured her he wasn’t a PR disaster about to happen. The only person who knew the truth was his agent, and that was how he wanted to keep it.

“I’m glad to be here.” And he meant it. Playing out the rest of the season with the Copperheads would’ve been a nightmare.

“I’m sure you are.” For a moment, her smile sharpened.

Fuck, he hoped his agent hadn’t blabbed. He did not want to be answering a hundred and one awkward questions about how he ended up in a motel room with the head coach of the Copperheads, with the coach’s wife screaming at them both. And not in pleasure.

He’d deleted the app. Deleted all of them.

He was never drinking or hooking up again.

“They’re waiting for you upstairs. Come on.” She led the way, and he followed.

He concentrated on where they were going, on the soft noise her ballet flats made as she walked. Up the stairs to the offices and meeting rooms.

One door was open, and that was, of course, the one they walked into.

Caitlin shut the door, leaving him to choose a seat at the meeting room table.

He recognized the Troopers’ head coach, Emilio Oliveira, and the special teams coach, Jaxon Ross. Usually, he saw them from the other side of the field, or watched them on the screen as they gave orders to their players.

Mr. Vasquez, the team owner, was thankfully not present.

Coach Oliveira fingered a printout of the team’s schedule. He didn’t look happy. Garrett suspected that if he was a new quarterback or someone else, Coach might’ve been a bit more excited.

Caitlin joined them at the table.

Garrett waited. He was good at that. Keep your focus. Be ready for the snap. Pin the opposition.

Except they were supposed to be on the same team.

“Welcome to the Troopers. There are only a couple of days until the next game, so spend the rest of the week getting yourself sorted. Hit the ground hard next week, so we can see what you’ve got, because I gave up a defensive back’s place for you.”

Garrett nearly squirmed under Coach’s intense stare.

He’d seen the replay. Two weeks ago, a Trooper defensive back had been crushed making a tackle. He wouldn’t return this season. That was the place on the team he was taking. That guy’s bad luck was his good luck.

Garrett didn’t know what to say, so he went with the obvious platitude. “I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the team.”