the crisp morning air and bit down on one of the two cookies I’d taken with me. A little sugar would wake me right up. And since I was about to be wide awake, there was no sense in going back to the baseball house to do nothing but sit around and wait for one of them to drag their asses out of bed. Plus, the walk from the apartment to the baseball house was a little far, and I wasn’t feeling it.
But Sunny’s place was within easy walking distance to campus, and I decided to head over to the field house instead. The weight room would most likely be empty at this time, which was honestly how I preferred it. After I worked out, I’d text the guys and tell them to meet me for ground balls and tee work. They might still be passed out, but there was a slight possibility that Colin would be awake by the time I was done working out. If he wasn’t, I’d do whatever I could on my own.
I pressed in my personalized code on the panel on the door, and the sound of it unlocking echoed in the otherwise empty space. Pulling the door open, I breathed out a sigh of relief that no one else was in here. Don’t get me wrong; I liked my teammates, but I loved working out alone.
I went through my conditioning routine, which had been strictly planned out for me, focusing on explosive movements and speed. Anything that might boost my chances for the draft, I was willing to try. Anything legal, that was. I wasn’t down for any sports-enhancing drugs or “safe” steroid. Not that they hadn’t been offered to me in the past because they had, but I wasn’t willing to risk getting kicked off the team and ruining my chances for good. Plus, I was scared that once you started something like that, how the hell did you stop?
Grabbing my phone, I turned off my music app and sent a group text to Colin, Dayton, and Matt. Colin responded, saying they’d be here in twenty.
I took my time re-racking the weights and wiping some equipment down before I made my way toward the team fridge. It was always stocked, never empty. Ever. Which I knew would not be the case if we shared it with the football team. Thankfully, they had their own training facility and fridge stocked with food, so they left ours alone. All I was saying was, those guys knew how to eat. And they were always hungry.
I finished off the bottled ion-positive water I’d been drinking during my training and grabbed a post-workout drink to help hydrate and soothe my muscles. Taking a few long breaths to slow my heart rate down, I pulled on the fridge door and scanned the items inside. Deciding to forgo the usual protein shake—I’d had too much liquid already—I grabbed a bar and a hard-boiled egg instead. Cracking the egg on the small counter, I laughed to no one as I tried to peel the fucking thing. Why were the shells such a bitch to get off?
Sitting down on a bench, I waited for the guys to show up, no sounds at all around me, except my own.
Both doors flew open, slamming into the walls behind them, and I looked up to see Colin fresh-faced and Matt looking like hell.
“It’s too early for this shit,” Matt groaned as he moved his sunglasses on top of his head, over his hat.
“You wanna start or sit on the bench, Transfer?” I asked, pretending like I had any idea what Coach Jackson’s plans were for Matt.
“Fuck you,” he said, sliding his sunglasses back over his eyes. “And stop yelling.”
I looked at Colin and let out a quick laugh.
“Someone’s a little hungover,” Colin said as he gripped Matt’s shoulder and gave it a slap before giving me a fist pound in greeting.
“How are you not?” Matt asked Colin, seriously questioning how he was the only one who felt like death while the rest of us were okay. “And where were you anyway?” Matt directed the last question at me.
“What do you mean, where was I?” I started to ask before adding, “You don’t remember falling, do you?”
“Falling?”
“I picked your ass up and tucked you in bed.” I shook my head, and he looked at me like I was crazy.
“That didn’t happen,” he argued.
“Oh, it fucking happened,” I emphasized, and he looked at Colin for confirmation.
Colin nodded.
“Shit.