“It’s all wrong,” Alonso said.
I looked at him. “What?”
“The whole thing is wrong,” he said. “I hate it, Maverick. I fucking hate it. Got that?”
I nodded. “I understand.”
Alonso pointed a thick, crooked finger at me. “You don’t understand. You think you do, but you don’t. I know how close you are. I can respect that part. But trust me, you don’t understand.”
“I’m not sure what this…”
Alonso slammed his left hand to my back. “If it were up to me, I’d end it. I’d put a stop to the whole thing. I think about it at times. If I had that kind of power.”
“I can see this bothers you,” I said.
“Bothers me… that’s not even close to what it does to me.” Alonso stared even more intently. “That’s why I’ve got to do something about it.”
“Such as?” I asked.
The locker room door opened and in walked Lay, Reid, Matias, and Riff.
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel any sense of relief or not.
“Are we interrupting?” Lay asked.
Alonso pointed at Lay. “I don’t like you. Don’t talk to me.”
“Nobody likes Lay,” Riff said. “We just deal with him.”
“Is it okay that we’re here?” Reid asked.
“Sure, come on in,” Alonso said. “Maverick and I were just talking. I think it’s time we all be honest with ourselves. Right?”
“Honest about what?” Matias asked.
Alonso patted my back. “Go ahead, Maverick. Say it.”
I’m sleeping with Madison.
No. Not that.
I’m… banging Alonso’s daughter!
Definitely don’t say that.
Uh, Madison and I are engaged in a… mutual… physical…
“Okay, I’ll say it then,” Alonso said. “We need to take advantage of what’s right in front of us and make something great out of something tragic.”
“Wait,” I said. “Are you talking about Coach’s wife?”
“Yes,” Alonso said. He then scowled.“What did you think I was talking about?”
I triedto slip out of Alonso’s reach but the guy had a hell of a grip on my left shoulder.
His arm around me.
“I sometimes have to say things that sound insensitive,” he admitted. “So, it may make me look like a real asshole when I talk about setting up an event or putting together awareness programs. At the end of the day, those types of things do help us. Helps the team. Gives us recognition. I don’t take pride in that, but I have to think that way.”