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Shane poked his head around rows of lockers. It was probably the fifth time he'd done that in the last fifteen minutes. And, lo and behold, Paul was still not there.
Moments later, he shot his head up as Coach Michaels' whistle shrilly blew in the locker room. The man hooked a thumb over his shoulder as he spoke.
"Outside now, gentlemen! Practice is already starting late as it is."
Guys being filing out of rows in their football uniforms. Shane was by now concerned. It wasn't like his best friend to blow off practice or even show up late. He approached Michaels, intending to simply pass by to go outside with the others. However, the man stopped him.
"Hold up there a minute, McMahon," the coach said.
The dark-haired young man eyed him silently.
"Where's Levesque?"
Shane shrugged.
"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Maybe he forgot about practice."
"I doubt that," Michaels said. "You and I both know how consistently dedicated he is when it comes to the game."
"True."
"Well, maybe he's just running a bit late," the coach said, more to himself as though thinking aloud. Then, facing Shane again, he said, "Go on."
The young man nodded and continued on his way.
By the time Shane was out on the playing field, Paul suddenly showed up in his uniform. He had his helmet in hand as he trotted across the way.
Coach Michaels instantly saw him and turned away from the rest of the clan, who were in the middle of warm-up.
"Hey! Levesque!" he called. "What happened to you?"
The quarterback stopped in his tracks, damning the fact that he got caught. He had somehow hoped Michaels wouldn't even notice him. He glanced around at the other guys, his eyes briefly meeting Shane's before he responded.
"Err... I got caught up in one of my classes."
"Oh, did you? Well then, you must have a note." The coach held out a hand, waiting for him to hand one to him.
Levesque shrugged.
"I don't have one," he dumbly said.
Michaels shook his head, giving the guy a look of pure disappointment. He knew something was up, and for some reason, he didn't expect the quarterback to indulge him with it.
"Well, that's not good," the coach said. "Because that tells me you just lied to me."
Paul just stared at him and didn't say anything. However, on the inside, he was beginning to really seethe. First, he'd dealt with Professor Calloway butting into his personal business, and now Coach Michaels was getting on his case. That in itself was bad enough, but for Coach to make an example out of him in front of the guys downright pissed him off.
Levesque faced the man, trying to keep his temper in check. It was difficult, but he seemed to succeed in the task.
"I'm not lying to you," he said. "Really." Paul noticed Shane intently watching and listening to the entire exchange from the second row of football players.
Michaels remained silent, eyeing him sternly for a moment. Then, he spoke.
"Okay, Levesque... We'll discuss this later. In the meantime, get in position and join the warm-up. And don't you let me down in today's practice!" Coach warned.
Paul swallowed hard as he took a spot beside Shane. He exchanged glances with his best friend and nodded.
"Yeah, okay... I won't, Coach Michaels." He began mimicking the warm-up exercises the others were doing, his gaze fixing on the coach. He could feel a tremendous surge of intense answer, one he could barely swallow down. But it wasn't just Michaels that had the emotion bubbling inside him.
The vision of Amy Dumas' face came back to him, fueling his anger. Who the hell did that bitch think she was, judging him? Worse yet, she'd had the nerve to reject him!
He would show her. When the opportunity presented itself, he would take it and run with it... He would teach the
redhead a lesson, one she would never forget.