Chapter 24

|| Ares's POV ||

Life is tough shit!

Finally, I got rid of those annoying reporters who followed me to the club after not finding me at my house. Fortunately, Savannah wasn't there with me or else she would have faced this dark side of being a public figure. I didn't want her life to be disrupted by my fame. My heart warmed, thinking about the possibility of being watched by her through the interview. Although she didn't care about my career, I hoped that she would hear me out once. I didn't give her the credit just because I wanted to win over her heart. I wanted to show her that she deserved much more than that fucking Finn treated her.

But I wasn't lying in another way. Her marathon runs toward me to ensure that I was okay, it was everything that I needed to boost my encouragement. She comforted me with her presence and realized that I could do even better with PK even though it wasn't even on my priority list.

Smiling at her memories, I entered the restroom, meeting all the best players who were picked from different states.

" Ares Thatcher!", a tall man came forward, offering a friendly handshake with a big smile. I smiled back politely, guessing his identity,

" You are?"

He gave me his name, still keeping that big smile,

" Ethan Allen."

I heard this name a few times in the best. He was a good player from the Western state and had a few trophies on his sleeves. Ethan spoke raising his voice and exclaiming,

" Gosh! I finally got to see you closely. In the past, we just saw each other as rivals. Welcome to the team buddy!"

I chuckled lightly, returning a short hug at his welcoming behavior,

" Same here!"

Ethan whipped back, gesturing at the other players who didn't notice my presence yet,

" Come over here, dudes. Ares Thatcher is here!"

Everyone turned their attention to me and I could see the flicker of excitement in their eyes as they approached me. They were all welcoming except for the fact that they had to yet believe that I was their mate now. Most of them were looking like they were in a dream zone.

Did they all think that I would forever stay in JK? Not forever! At least, I thought that I had secured a good position in their team but life turned everything down.

Sighing softly, I blocked those negative thoughts inside my head and greeted back politely. Their welcoming attitude cleared a lot of my worries. It was a bit stressful to think that Finn might have bonded close relationship with them. After their welcoming attitude, I didn't think that Finn had left a deep impression of his presence among them.

As they went apart, I finally spent my sweet time scanning everything. PK wasn't big like JK but it carried a decent aura to refresh your mind. Even the practicing field ahead of us seemed lively and bigger than PK. No matter what, it was my second home now, and hopefully, I would get used to it soon after spending a few months here.

A tap over my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. Turning, I saw Ethan, wrapping one of his arms over my shoulder. He joked guiding me to their practice area,

" What are you thinking?"

I shrugged, getting a good vibe from this man,

" Nothing!"

Ethan chuckled lightly, shaking his head with a mysterious look on his face. He appeared as he read through my mind. His tone shifted into a serious one suddenly, putting back his hand into his pocket,

" Look buddy, I have to tell you something in advance. Finn was the coach's favorite. If I am not wrong, he does know that you two hate each other. So.."

" You think that he will pick on me?", I blurted, jumping straight to the point. I got the fact. Every coach has a certain preference for a particular player. I wasn't surprised to learn that Finn was his favorite which might tense the atmosphere between us.

Ethan shrugged putting on a smirk,

" You are smart. I am sure, you will understand him slowly. Just don't give up. He might seem tough on the surface but he is useful. Do not let your arrogance take over you."

Ethan walked forward after providing his piece of pieces of advice. I didn't know whether it was truth or lies but I was going to make sure that JK regrets removing me from their player list.

__________

Ethan wasn't lying when he told me that PK's coach might give me a hard time. Although he didn't do anything yet so far, his cold glare had already proved that he wasn't pleased with my presence. Most of the time, the investors of the club suggest players' names. I guess, the coach didn't suggest my name at all.

But why?

He was a 6 feet tall man, a masculine figure with a white beard on his face. His features didn't soften for a second as he watched us deeply while standing in the row. His track stopped right in front of me and I felt, Ethan, giving me a tense stare. Coach Jonathan spoke to me for the first time,

" Ares Thatcher, you might be the best player of JK but we have different standards of training. You have to prove your worth to us. Don't get so cool-headed, thinking that you are the best player and always remain the best. Time changes so do people and opportunities."

" Yes, Coach!", I replied affirmatively, looking straight to the field. He hummed softly and didn't offer a single greeting.

Was he that bad?

His piercing voice diverted my attention,

" Boys, 7 times run around the field. Come on! No break!"

The boys were all panting as they finished running 7 fucking times around the field. I no lying but it tired me a bit since their field was two times bigger than JK's land. Ethan and I were gasping too, dropping our hands over our knees. We both looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Ethan chuckled standing straight numbly,

" Long run, huh?"

I shrugged patting my butt,

" Big place, I guess. It was pretty big."

" Ares Thatcher!", Coach Jonathan's yelling voice startled us as we both looked his way. He walked down to me, his eyes were still cold like before. Scanning from head to toe, he ordered gesturing at the field behind,

" 5 more runs for you, Ares. You need to work out more."

Fuck! Why?

It wasn't like I was a beginner player. Doing workouts was a common thing for me but doing extras according to his order surprised me a bit.

Was he pulling my legs on purpose?

I wanted to refute it but held back later on. Fighting with your coach might be a wrong decision on your very first day. Before I took my leave, Ethan couldn't keep his mouth shut. He intervened nervously,

" But coach..he has done it already...how come.."

" 3 more runs for you for misreading my intention!", Coach Jonathan barked at Ethan whose jaw dropped instantly. I pitied Ethan who tried to talk for me but Coach Jonathan seemed a bit harsh on us.

Giving us no time to refute, Coach Jonathan stormed in the opposite direction, disappearing from our sight. Ethan growled frustratingly, giving me a long stare,

" You are going to have a tough time here, buddy."

_______

Finally, we both ended our runs, Ethan completed first who was sitting over the grass. I crashed down beside him, sweating heavily where Coach Jonathan appeared nowhere to be seen. I muttered a curse, letting out a whine,

" Fuck! It was torture, trust me. Do you have any idea why didn't he like me? Did Finn any words to him for me before leaving?"

I spoke before looking around to find Coach Jonathan. Did he think that I would be afraid of those training? Hell! It was just unacceptable that he was treating me like a junior player. The other boys from our team shot us a sympathetic look as they watched me sweating like a dog. Most of them appeared clueless that why was I being by the coach on my very first day! Neither did I! Maybe, I had fallen into bad luck probably.

Ethan seemed to dig through his thoughts deeply. After scratching his head, he blurted resting his elbows on the ground,

" I didn't hear specifically anything but Finn seemed to argue with coach Jonathan before leaving the club. They both were cold that day. I guess, the coach wasn't happy with his decision. Finn joined PK even before you joined Jk. Coach Jonathan trained him personally and treated him differently than others. Perhaps, it affected him a lot but what is the point of hating you here? It isn't like you asked Finn to leave PK."

I nodded thoughtfully and tried to figure out ways to impress Coach Jonathan. He was after all my teacher and I couldn't take any extreme steps against him. I had to think of ways to get his attention on me. If he and Finn appeared cold, why would he hate me?

I wasn't bluffing but It was the truth that I was the second most promising young football star currently. There was no reason that a coach wouldn't want a shining star like me on his team. But Coach Jonathan was exactly the opposite of my thoughts. He was unapproachable, completely different than JK's coach. As a blooming star, JK's coach always paid extra attention to me. Even he chose my training very carefully to avoid any fraction on my bones.

Was he doing everything to get revenge for Finn or was there something else behind his hatred for me even though I was his best player now?