Chapter 3
"Edward dear, it's time to get up," I hear, but roll over trying to escape the fact I need to get up.
Once I'm in the darkness, under my pillow, everything is wonderful again.
"Edward, honey, you really need to get up."
"Five more minutes," I mumble, slipping back into a sweet sleep.
"Edward!"
I nearly jump out of my skin, sitting up. "What, Maria?"
"It's time for you to get up," she snaps, handing me a towel and nearly pushing me into the bathroom.
"Okay, I'm up," I grumble, reluctantly going into the bathroom to begin getting ready for the day.
As I'm in the shower, I remember today's going to be a sense of torture. I have to volunteer.
Shaking my head at just the thought, I turn up the shower even further. The scalding water helps me forget about everything.
After a nice, hot and relaxing shower, I give myself a quick shave, wanting to maintain the five o'clock shadow women love. Dressing in a Dior suit, slipping on some wing tip shoes and one of my Cartier watches. A spritz of cologne, and I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
Trudging down to breakfast, I see Maria pouring cereal and setting a plate of toast next to it.
"This is it?" I wonder, plopping down in a chair.
"Yes, it is. You wouldn't get your butt out of bed and I don't want you to be late."
"Not even coffee?"
She brings over a steaming mug. "You honestly think I'd forget the coffee?"
"I don't know."
"If you got up earlier, you would've had a full breakfast."
I roll my eyes. "I'm sure being a few minutes late won't hurt."
"Edward, eat your food. You have a very important day today."
I wave her off. She might think it's important, but I sure as hell don't. All the coaches and Alice want is to parade me around and look sorry for my sins. Though, I don't believe I actually fucked up anywhere.
"I want you go in to today with the right mindset."
I hum out something that sounds as though I'm agreeing with her.
"Really, Edward, volunteering your time and effort can be one of the most rewarding things in the world."
I give her a look, devouring a spoonful of cereal.
"I'm serious, some of the most meaningful times in my life have revolved around volunteering."
I cock my head to the side, taking a bite of toast. "Maria, you can't possibly be serious. There's nothing remotely interesting about wasting your entire day for other people."
She frowns, looking rather unimpressed with my words, but hey, they're the truth. I don't sugarcoat shit.
"Fine, you can believe what you want, but the big guy up there," she says, pointing above her, "he likes when you volunteer. He fills your heart with joy and happiness. Lord knows you could use some of that right about now."
I shake my head.
"Edward, a lot of people depend on a food pantry. They don't have anything else."
"Yeah, I know. I'm helping out. Isn't that enough?"
"Not with that kind of attitude."
I scowl at her, slurping up the rest of my cereal and grabbing my coat.
"Remember there're going to be a lot eyes on you today. Try to be on your best behavior."
"Will do. Wish me luck!"
"I do," she calls. "A lot of luck."
With that I hop in my sleek red Audi R8 and hit the pedal. I know I need to be there on time, but a glance at the clock tells me I'll be hearing an earful from Alice later.
I roll into the parking lot of the food pantry. Alice's first slice of torture for me. She claims this will be a good way to show I'm human, though I don't know what else I could be. Cameras are lined up all over and there're shit loads of media outlets ready to cover the story, which is pretty impressive.
I park far away from the crowd because I don't want my pretty baby to get scratched. I don't know what it is about them, but I love Audis; they're fucking amazing to drive. And a scratch would only mar the beautiful exterior. There's no need for that.
Walking over to the crowd, I try to do my best to pose for all the pictures and even attempt to give them the spiel they want.
"Edward, what brings you to the Mustard Seed Food Pantry today?" one of them asks.
"Well, I want to help out," I answer plainly, trying to give them the grin they're looking for.
"You're donating?" another shouts.
My brows furrow. Donating? Yeah my time and energy. "Yes, I'm donating valuable resources."
"Wonderful. Is it food? Water?"
I shake my head as I see Paul Lahote walking out of the door. It looks as though he's been here for a while. "I'm donating my time."
Paul scrunches up his face at my answer.
"What did you donate?"
"Twenty-five thousand dollars for the food pantry to use however they see fit."
I nod, trying not to scowl on TV, but Paul is doing one hell of a job of making me look bad. "I'll be matching that and adding to it," I tell them, to which there's happiness from everyone. That's when we're called to get to work.
I see the cameras following us and I make sure I slap on a smile. I want to ensure everyone thinks I'm happy doing this shit, so I don't have to do it again.
Inside, I feel claustrophobic. There's a cold feeling and it's not the temperature. There're homeless people staring at me, everywhere. One of the worker ladies, Sarah, lines me up and tells me how much to give.
"Remember just an even scoop of each. We need enough to go around."
I give her a skeptical look. There's no way there isn't more food in the back they can make up. "Okay."
"Seriously, we won't have enough for the dinner crowd."
Dinner crowd?
Jesus, these people need to get jobs so they can stop relying on places like this.
"Okay, I got it," I answer, showing her I have one even scoop.
She nods, then goes over to Lahote and instructs him to do the same.
"I know, I remember," he tells her, giving her a bright smile.
Has he done this shit before? It makes me wonder what kind of trouble this kid has gotten himself into to know the rules and ways of the food pantry.
Then the people begin to line up. The line gets really long, and as I'm doling out food, I'm wondering when I'll be able to leave.
It doesn't look as if that's going to happen any time soon.
I look over at Paul as we're rationing out the food. He seems into it, smiling and greeting everyone who comes to get a piece of meat. I don't know how he can do it; pretending to happy, or at least comfortable, is not a strong suit of mine.
"How long 'til this is over?" I whisper to him.
He looks at me as if I have two heads and goes back to scooping food.
"Don't you think it's boring?"
He shakes his head and responds with a derisive tone in his voice. "No, I actually enjoy my time here, Edward. I just wish it wasn't overshadowed by media attention or you, for that matter."
I give him a look, then turn back to the people in front of me. There's no way they care I'm here dishing up food for them. I'm sure they would rather have someone else here.
The day is long and I'm pretty tired when Sarah tells us the lunch crowd is done. Paul offers to stay for the dinner crowd, but I inform her I can't.
I'm needed at my contractually obligated workout session and if I don't make it there, they'll dock my pay and possibly bench me for a game. I sure as hell don't want that.
"Thank you for volunteering your time, Mr. Cullen," she says with a small smile, shaking my hand.
"You're welcome. And a generous check will be on the way for the pantry."
"That's wonderful."
"No problem," I return, turning and leaving.
The cameras are there to catch my exit, and I give them a few nice poses and even a goofy one, pointing to the sign on the outside of the building, before hopping in my car and getting the hell out of there.
As I'm racing down the road to the stadium, my phone starts blowing up like crazy. I peek to see it's Alice and send her to voicemail. I don't want to hear from her right now. Especially, not after the vile torture she put me through today.
Fucking bitch…
I swear, if she had her way, she'd parade me around in front of every sob-story organization there is. She's ridiculous like that—her PR methods suck shit.
Walking into the workout room, I see most of my teammates, and while I want to catch up with them, I know I need to change and get my ass in gear.
"Edward, you need to get signed off from Dr. Benefico before your workout," Coach Peters informs me.
"Okay, will do."
I slip on the rest of my warm-up clothes and hang up my suit carefully. I want to make sure it still looks good for when I leave. I'm sure there will be a few cameras then, too.
Putting on sneakers, I walk down the hallway and knock on Carlisle's door.
When it opens, though, Carlisle is nowhere to be found.
"Hey," I greet the dark-haired beauty.
"Hi, Cullen. What can I do for you today?"
"I, um, need to have my ankle signed off on before I can go workout."
"Okay, sit up here," she instructs, motioning toward the table.
"What about Carlisle?"
"He's in the back working on Johnson. I can take care of this for you."
"Are you sure you're qualified?" I ask, giving her a look.
"Yes, I can assure you I'm qualified to look at your ankle and assess you for workout."
I can sense, in her tone, she doesn't like to be questioned, but I doubt she understands the magnitude of the situation. My body is my life and without it I would be nothing. I certainly can't risk an ankle injury.
I sit up on the table and wait for her to look it over. She kneels down and my mind is flooded with all sorts of fantasies. This woman is gorgeous, I've come to realize, but is so different from what I usually like. I prefer blondes, especially ones who look like supermodels.
Her delicate hands remove my sneaker and sock, before she takes my foot and thoroughly inspects. She begins testing the range of movement at the ankle. Then she presses on it, feeling for tender spots, and judging my reaction.
After she's done, and I'm fully captivated by her inspection, she announces her verdict. "I think you should wrap it for the workout and stay away from anything where there's a potential you're going to strain it—like running or heavy pressure."
"Okay," I agree easily. I should probably ask more questions, but she seems confident in what I need to do and she appeared to know what she was looking for when she was inspecting the ankle.
"I'll get a wrap and be right back."
I nod and try to wait patiently on the cold, metal table.
When she comes back, she's smiling and it's beautiful, something I haven't yet had the privilege to see. It would look even better beneath me in a bed.
"Foot up please," she requests, and I happily give her my foot.
She begins wrapping up my ankle, and I look at her as she works diligently. "Bella, did you know you're beautiful?"
She looks up and scowls at me.
"Really, though. I bet a lot of men are after you."
"It's not something I discuss at work," she replies, wrapping my foot a little tighter than the other day.
"You're phenomenal at your job," I add.
She purses her lips. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I just meant, you have so many wonderful qualities, I'm curious if you've found a man worthy of all you have to offer."
She gives me a look that tells me she's not biting.
"Again, I'm not discussing this at work. Can you take a lap around the room for me?"
"Sure," I huff, seeing I'm going to have to pull out all the stops to get this chick underneath me. I'm not even sure if she's worth it.
I hobble around the room with my too-tight brace; she tells me to hop back up on the seat and adjusts it a bit, clearly knowing it was a little too snug.
After that, she sends me on my way.
Working out isn't one of my favorite activities, but it is part of my contract, and since my body is my life there's no better way to keep it useful than training it.
Coach instructs me to keep it light, since my ankle is still at risk, but I always feel the need to break a sweat. There's something inside me that dislikes working out so much, I need to make a workout worth it to be able to do it all the time.
I start arms, working easy and taking breaks, but Coach likes me to go heavy on my legs. It makes us faster, leaner. Something every good quarterback needs.
"Hey, was that you on the news?" Seth asks, as I switch machines.
"Yeah, I was at the food pantry this morning."
Seth chuckles and shakes his head.
"Good job fucking up something awesome, Cullen!" Black shouts.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"The food pantry doesn't want any of us back because you made the people there feel alienated."
"The fuck?"
"Yeah Cullen, you're a dick!" Black yells.
I drop my weights and walk over to him, but Coach Peters is already stepping between us. "Boys, get back to work, or I'll have both of your asses riding wood next game."
"Fine by me," Black tells him. "I wasn't the asshole, anyway."
I clench my fists, but keep them by my side.
"Cullen, come with me, we need to talk."
I grumble out something that sounds like I'm acknowledging the bastard, but I want nothing more than to go over there and kick the ever-loving shit out of Black.
Coach Peters takes me back to his office for the second time in a week and I'm really starting to despise this man. He doesn't understand that Black is nothing more than a jacked kid who liked to play with balls when he was younger. He doesn't know the first thing about blocking and he's a shitty example of someone getting a free ride because he's big.
"Have a seat," Coach tells me more than asks.
I take a seat in front of his desk and wait for the onslaught I'm sure is coming.
"Edward, we need to talk about your behavior."
"What about it?" I snap. If anyone needs an attitude adjustment it's Black. He thinks he's holier-than-thou and it's a pile of bullshit.
"I know this isn't my concern, but everything comes back on the team when one of us looks like a jackass."
I glare at him.
"What happened this morning?"
"At the food pantry?"
He nods.
"I went and shoveled out food with Lahote."
"Did you at least pretend to be happy there?"
I shrug.
"That's what I thought. The pantry called Alistair and informed him they don't want any more footballers from our team coming their way."
Again, I shrug, because I certainly didn't do anything that fucking warranted getting the entire team banned from volunteering at that god-awful place.
"Your behavior was so far from remorseful that it actually made the people, who seek out a place like the food pantry, not want to go there."
"I did no such thing. I dished out slop, smiled pretty for the pictures, offered a generous donation, and even talked to the media."
He nods. "I know exactly what you did and I'm not impressed Edward. I set up with you to meet with Ms. Brandon before your next volunteering appearance. If your attitude doesn't change, Alistair has given me permission to bench you. From there, we may think of ditching you."
"You couldn't afford to fire me."
"Me, no. The team, yes. We don't need someone like you around if this is your attitude. You may be good out on the field, but you're a shit that needs to be knocked down a few pegs, and I'm going to be just the guy to do it."
I roll my eyes.
"Mark my words, Cullen. Your ass is grass and I'm the lawnmower. Change your ways or I'm lowering the blade."
I wave him off. "Are we done here?"
"Yes, you can go for the day. I'm marking you as absent from the workout and it's going to cost you."
"What the hell?"
"You can't seem to keep your cool during a workout. I'm not letting you stay here with Black. End of story. Like I said, change your attitude."
"It's not just me," I complain.
"It may not be, but until I can see past your glaringly obvious attitude issue, you're getting faulted for it. Now go home and cool off. Come back when you're ready to focus on anything but yourself."
"Fine."
"Oh, and Ms. Brandon said she will be meeting with you tonight."
"When and where?" I question, completely unaware of the meeting.
"She said she had her ways of finding you," he answers nonchalantly, "and to be ready."
What the fuck?!
I throw my hands up and walk out of the asshole's office, stopping at my locker to grab my clothes, not even bothering to change before leaving.
There are days when I am just beyond sick of this place.
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!
He's an asshole, right? I would tell you to buckle up, but hell, you know me. And you know how I write already! So I'm going to tell you to sit back and relax! Enjoy the ride!
As always thanks to Midnight Cougar and Wiltshireglo for all your help and dedication to this!
If anyone read and liked Reconnecting Roads as a fic and doesn't know, I published it as The Long Road Home. It can now be found on Amazon. I'm offering a little deal, if you would like to leave me a review on The Long Road Home on either Amazon or Goodreads I'll send you a juicy teaser from Offensive Maneuvers. Thanks guys!
