Chapter 39 :Coach Ramirez
HAYDEN’S POV
I knew he was out there.
Even with my bedroom door closed, with Lilian’s laughter filling the space and her fingers tracing idle patterns across my chest afterward.
I still felt him.
Stephen had this way of existing that made it impossible to ignore him. It didn’t matter if we weren’t speaking. It didn't matter if I told myself I didn’t care. The air shifted when he was near. It pressed against my lungs and tonight it felt suffocating.
Lilian propped herself up on one elbow, studying me. “You’re distracted.”
“I’m not.”
She raised a brow like she didn’t believe me.
The truth was, I shouldn’t have kissed Stephen earlier. I shouldn’t have let it happen and let it mean anything. But it had and that was the problem.
Because when it happened, it didn’t feel like a mistake. It didn’t feel like confusion or curiosity or some stupid rivalry-fueled impulse. It felt….real and that scared the hell out of me.
So I did what I always do when something scares me.
I tried to erase it.
Lilian brushed her lips against my jaw, soft and familiar. There was no tension there. That’s what I needed.
“Should I stay over?” she asked quietly.
I hesitated for half a second too long. Her expression shifted, just slightly.
“I’ve got early training,” I said.
It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t the whole truth.
She slid off the bed and started pulling her clothes back on. “You’ve been weird since practice.”
“I’m fine.”
She didn’t argue. She just gave me one of those looks like she knew I wasn’t telling her something and didn’t like it.
After she left, the room felt colder.
I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the wall. On the other side of it was Stephen. I wondered if he could hear us earlier.
The thought made something twist low in my stomach.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. This was stupid. I wasn’t going to spiral over one kiss. It didn’t change anything. It couldn’t.
There was a knock on the door.
I stood and opened it, expecting maybe one of the guys from the team.
Instead, I found Coach Ramirez standing there.
I blinked. “Coach?”
He didn’t smile. “Walk with me.”
My stomach dropped.
We headed down the dorm hallway in silence, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. It was past midnight. Whatever this was, it wasn’t casual.
When we reached the stairwell, he crossed his arms.
“You want to tell me why a scout from Westbridge was asking about you today?”
My pulse spiked. “A scout?”
He nodded once. “Full ride with immediate transfer. They’re rebuilding their roster and they want a forward with your stats.”
Westbridge. That wasn’t small. That was a national-level spotlight.
“They’re pushing hard,” Coach continued. “Said they’ve been watching your game footage for months.”
“You didn’t tell me,” I said.
“I didn’t know until today.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “But that’s not the part that concerns me.”
I tensed. “Then what does?”
“Rumors.”
My jaw tightened. “What rumors?”
Coach studied me carefully. “That you’re distracted and your head's not in the game.” My chest burned. “Is it?” he asked.
“Yes.”
His gaze sharpened. “You’ve always been focused,” he said. “But the last two practices? You’re aggressive in the wrong ways. You’re hesitating when you shouldn’t. Something’s off.”
Stephen’s face flashed in my mind. The way he looked at me afterward. Like I’d broken something sacred.
“I’m fine,” I repeated.
Coach sighed. “Westbridge wants to meet this weekend with an official visit. They’re offering you something big, Hayden and it's bigger than what we can.”
I would need to transfer and start somewhere no one knew about one stupid, confusing moment and Stephen wasn’t five feet away every night.
“Think about it,” Coach said. “But don’t take too long. They won’t wait forever.”
He left me there in the stairwell. I leaned back against the cold concrete wall, heart pounding.
The word felt like both escape and betrayal because leaving would solve everything. Wouldn’t it?
No more tension, pretending, or late-night arguments with myself about what that kiss meant but it would also mean walking away from the team and everything I've built here.
I went back upstairs slowly.
When I stepped into the dorm, the music from Stephen’s room was vibrating through the walls.
I stood there for a second, staring at his closed door.
Then, before I could overthink it, I knocked. The music cut off. A few seconds later, the door opened.
Stephen looked wrecked. His eyes flicked over me, guarded. “What?”
I swallowed. “We need to talk.”
“About what?”
The air between us felt like a live wire. “I might transfer.”
The words hung there. For a split second, something flickered across his face.
Then it vanished, replaced with something colder. “Cool,” he said. “Congrats.”
“That’s it?”
“What do you want me to say?” His voice was tight. “You’ve clearly got everything figured out.”
I stepped closer. “This isn’t about…..”
“About what?” he snapped. “About us? Because there is no us.”
The word hit harder than it should have. “You think I don’t know that?” I shot back.
“Then why are you here?”
Because I don’t want to leave you. The truth lodged in my throat.
Instead, I said, “Because this affects the team.”
He laughed, humorless. “Right. The team.”
Silence fell between us. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept and for a second, I wanted to reach for him.
Instead, I clenched my fists.
“Westbridge is coming Saturday,” I said. “For an official visit.”
His eyes darkened slightly. “Good for you,” he replied. Then he stepped back and shut the door in my face.
I stood there, staring at the wood.
Something wasn’t right, not just between us but in general. Because Coach hadn’t mentioned one detail. When he said Westbridge was rebuilding, there was something else in his tone.
I pulled out my phone and searched for their roster updates. The headline popped up immediately.
Westbridge Signs Former National MVP, Lucas Vale, as Player-Captain.
My breath caught…….Lucas Vale.
The guy who had dominated the college soccer league and trashed our team in interviews last year. The one who thrived on tearing people down publicly and now he was recruiting.
This wasn’t just about an opportunity. It was a power move.
If I transferred, I’d be stepping into his shadow or into his war.
I looked back at Stephen’s door, maybe leaving wouldn’t solve anything. It would just start something bigger and for the first time all night, the anger in my chest shifted into something else.