Tackled by Love (20 page)

Rolling my eyes, I say, “No, Dad. I can’t believe you remember that. It was forever ago.”

“Of course I remember. It was the first time you smiled since your mother died.” The mood between us becomes somber as we think about my mother. No matter how long it’s been, it never gets easier and I miss her every single day.

“So, are you seeing anyone lately? I thought you and the librarian were going to go on a date.” Although my dad’s dating life isn’t my favorite topic, discussing my mother and the impact her death had on the two of us ranks even lower.

“Oh, well we never went out.” He takes the kabobs off the grill and places them on a plate. He sets them in the middle of the table and walks into the house. I’m sure he’s stalling to avoid talking about it. Once he comes back out carrying a bowl of salad and some baked beans, I continue.

“What do you mean you never went out? I thought you liked her.” My dad hasn’t seriously dated anyone since my mom. Come to think of it, I don’t think he’s ever been on more than one date with any woman.

“I don’t know, I just didn’t think we’d have anything in common. She’s nice and all, but I don’t see us going any further than friends, so why waste each other’s time?” He picks up my plate and spoons some of everything on to it, before doing the same to his own.

“Dad, you know you’re going to have to move on eventually.” My voice is quiet, hoping not to upset him.

My dad lets out a deep sigh. “I know, honey. There’s just no one that compares to your mother. Once you’ve married the most incredible woman in the world, it’s hard to find anyone else. It’s like going from a flawless diamond to cubic zirconia.”

I grab my dad’s hand. “You don’t have to replace Mom, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a companion in your life; someone to share your life and interests with.”

“But that’s the thing, I don’t want anyone else. I don’t want a companion. I want your mother. And I’ll have her again, I just have to wait a while to see her.” He gives me a sad smile and my heart breaks while tears run down my cheeks.

“I love you, Daddy.” My voice is tight and clogged with emotion as I try my best to hold back the tears.

“I love you, too. Now let’s dig in before this food gets cold.”

While I’m waiting for Autumn to get off work so I can meet her at her place, I decide to call Andrews and see how he’s been. I haven’t talked to him much since the new season started, so I thought I’d check in on him.

“Hey, Stone. How’ve you been, man?” he answers after a few rings.

“Just enjoying the retired life. How’s the team?” I’ve been avoiding any news relating to my old teammates. Even though I’ve found a new happiness with Autumn here, it still stings that I’m not out there leading the team to victories every Sunday.

Andrews lets out a heavy sigh. “It’s not good. Everyone is off their game. Guys are missing their routes, the line keeps breaking down, Brandon is constantly getting sacked because he doesn’t know how to run with the fucking ball. And don’t even get me started on that punk ass bitch and all the whining he does every game. If we win, it’s his victory, if we lose, it’s our fault. That asshole wouldn’t know the meaning of team player if it smacked him right in the face.”

It takes me a minute to respond. I really wasn’t expecting things to be that bad. “Damn, I’m sorry, bro. I wish I was out there with you guys, I really do.”

“It’s not your fault, Stone. It doesn’t really matter anyway because I’m asking to be traded as soon as the season is over.” This shocks the shit out of me. The team is located near his family, which is really important to him with his mom being sick. If he
wants
to be traded, then there’s more shit going on that he’s not telling me.

“Why? I thought you wanted to stay close to your mom so you could take care of her.”

“I do, so I’m going to move her with me and change her doctors. It’s not ideal, but I just can’t play there anymore. I can’t trust my own teammates and I just can’t deal with it anymore. It’s affecting my performance, so I need to get the hell out of there.”

“What do you mean you can’t trust your teammates? What’s going on? The guys stealing your foot powder or something?” I’m trying to lighten the mood, but my conversation with him goes downhill real quick.

With a long sigh, he says, “I didn’t really want to tell you this until I knew for sure, but you need to know. Remember Wade, the guy that hit you during that scrimmage game?”

“How could I forget that asshole? He ended my career.” I start pacing back and forth, knowing that whatever he’s going to tell me could send me into a blind rage.

“A good buddy of mine plays on his team. He heard Wade talking in the locker room that he was paid to hit you during that scrimmage game.” The room starts to spin as every emotion clouds my head. Placing a hand against the wall to steady myself, anger starts to work its way up from the pit of my stomach, through my chest, stopping in my head, making the vein in my forehead pulse fiercely.

“Who the fuck paid him?” My voice is low and demanding. I want to know who the motherfucker is that put him up to this.

“I don’t know yet, but I’m trying to find out. Wade is big and dumb, so I’m sure it won’t take much to get him talking.”

“What the fuck!? Why would he do that?!” I yell out. “Do you have any idea who might have done it?” I have a person in mind, but I want to know if he thinks the same thing.

“If I had to bet on it, I’d say Brandon. He has the most to gain, so I think he went all Tonya Harding on your ass.” I’m going to gut that motherfucker. I knew he was way too smug about the whole situation.

“We need to come up with a plan. Let me talk to my attorney and see what he says we should do. I’m going to nail this fucker to the wall. Try to keep quiet about it too. I don’t want to spook Wade or Brandon.” My fists clench and unclench wanting nothing more than to punch the wall.

“I feel ya, just let me know what he says and I’ll do whatever you need me to. I’m sure my buddy wouldn’t mind helping, since this is some fucked up shit. There’s no room in the league for bullshit like this.”

I hang up and collapse onto the couch in the living room. Staring blankly at the wall, I run through all kinds of scenarios. What would have happened had Wade not hit me? I’d still be playing, that’s what.

“FUUUUCK!!” I yell out, slinging the remote that’s sitting nearby up against the wall. It shatters on impact, putting a hole in the wall before pieces fall all over the floor. Looking at the broken remote, that’s what my life feels like. Right when I think I’m on a new path and figuring shit out, something new gets thrown at me, shattering everything. I could accept the fact that an accident happened and my knee failed me, but this? No fucking way.

My mom walks through the front door, stepping on the scattered pieces. Looking down, she tries to walk over the mess. “Oh my, what happened here?” Bringing her head back up and looking behind her, she sees the hole and tiny pieces of sheetrock hanging from the collision of the remote. “Landon! You want to tell me why there’s a hole in my wall?” She’s facing me now with her hands on her hips.

A tight ball of fire sits in the bottom of my stomach and I need to get out of here before I do something stupid. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll fix it, but I’ve got to go.” Without waiting for a response, I grab my keys off the table and leave.

I end up at Dale’s. Sitting at the bar, I order a beer. The only thing that’s going to make this better is to get drunk as shit so I can forget for a little while.

Wade was paid off to take me out.

This one sentence rolls through my head over and over again like a broken record. Bile rises in my throat when I start thinking of what could have been. I chug the rest of my beer to push it down. I feel my phone buzz from within my pocket.

Valerie: We need to talk. Can you meet with me this week? <3

What the fuck is up with the heart?

Me: What do u need 2 talk about?

Lifting my hand, I signal the bartender to bring me another one. Once he sets it down in front of me, I take another long pull, draining half of it. My head starts to feel light and my problems are starting to drift to the back of my mind, allowing me a moment of reprieve that I eagerly welcome.

Valerie: Us.

Damn. I almost forgot I was talking to her.

Me: Are u going 2 sign the agreement my lawyer sent to u?

Valerie: No but I think we should talk about it more.

Me: There’s nothing 2 talk about I’m not giving ur ass any alimony

Valerie: I deserve to be compensated for the things I sacrificed for you and you know it!

She’s getting mad.

Good.

Me: Sacrifice? Ha that’s real rich

Valerie: Don’t be a dick.

Me: Why don’t u choke on a dick and go back to that shit bag and let him take care of ur ass

I’m sure that one’s going to piss her off. I can imagine her perfectly glossed lips pursed as she tries to keep up her cool façade. I tuck my phone back in my pocket since I’m not responding to anything else she sends me. Fuck her. My pocket vibrates again, but I ignore it and finish off my fourth beer. Right now the only thing I care about is drinking enough to drown out the thoughts in my head. Because if I think about it long enough, I want to go into a blind rage and could probably kill someone. Who in their right fucking mind thinks this is okay? 

By the time I’m ready to go home, I have to call a cab, but at least all thoughts of my knee and the plot against me are absent from my mind. When I stagger through the door and to my bedroom, there’s a note on my door.

We’ll talk about the hole in the wall and my broken remote in the morning.

-Mom

Awesome.

***

The smell of coffee wakes me from a deep sleep. I wipe the drool off my face right as the pounding in my head registers and I let out a groan.

“Wake up, sunshine,” my mom says in a sarcastic voice as she waves a cup of coffee under my nose.

“Can this wait, Mom? My head is killing me.” I pull the covers over my head to block the light leaking through my closed eyelids.

“No, this can’t, Landon. You might be an adult, but I’m still your momma. Now get your butt up and come to the kitchen.
Now
.” Her last word is punctuated with a firm tone and I know better than to argue with her. After a few minutes, I’ve managed to drag myself out of bed and head for the kitchen.

“Have a seat, son.” My mom gestures to the seat in front of her. At least she’s got coffee waiting on me. Once I sit, she says, “What happened yesterday? It’s not like you to put holes in walls and break things.”

“I’m sorry about that. I will fix it.” I take a drink from my mug, willing it to ease my headache and soak up the residual booze.

“I’m not worried about the wall. I’m worried about you. Now tell me, what made you do that.” I look at her and see the worry lines mark her face. Her concern for me makes me feel guilty.

“You know how I hurt my knee the last time during that practice scrimmage game?” She nods. “Well, I just heard from my buddy that rumors are floating around that it wasn’t an accident.”

Her eyebrows furrow as she tries to piece together the information I’m telling her. “What do you mean, it wasn’t an accident?”

“Someone was
paid
to take me out.” The words taste like vomit leaving my mouth, dripping with acid.

My mom gasps as her eyes widen. “Paid? Who would do something like that? Why?”

“I’m still trying to figure it out. I have my suspicions, but nothing has been confirmed.” I rub the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger as my head pounds harder.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“What can I do about it? It’s over; my career, my old life, all of it. I’m going to talk to my attorney, but at this point, what does it matter? The only thing I want to do is beat their faces in, but I can’t do that and I can’t think straight because my mind is consumed with rage. Physically hurting Wade and the guy I think paid him is the only punishment I see fit right now. I don’t even know if anything can be done about it. At the end of the day, it’s not going to change things anyway.”

“Landon Stone,” my mother says in a firm tone as she sits up straight and looks at me with an intense stare, “You are going to get to the bottom of this and make them pay legally, you hear me? You’re going to be better than them and use your brain, not your fists. The world needs to know that this type of behavior will not be tolerated and that justice will be served. What’s going to keep them from doing something like this to someone else? You need to put a stop to it and there’s only one way to do it. Collect your evidence, bring it to your attorney, and sue those assholes.” She stands up quickly and goes to the sink to dump out the rest of her coffee and rinse her mug. As shitty as I feel right now, her little speech brings a smile to my face, especially when she calls them assholes. I can’t remember the last time I heard her curse. But her talk is effective and sparks a fire deep inside me. All I could think about since Andrews told me was kicking Wade’s ass. My mom has given me more clarity, and I know she’s right. Beating the shit out of Brandon and Wade won’t deter them from doing this shit in the future. Plus, they’ll still be able to play and I’ll likely be in jail for assault and battery. Time to beat them at their own game. I’m going to go back to bed and get my shit together when I feel like my head is attached to the rest of my body.