Chapter 4 In trouble already

Bella

Coach led us down the hallway without saying a word. Tyler and I followed behind him, both of us keeping a reasonable distance from each other. He stopped in front of a study room and opened the door.

“Inside,” Coach commanded.

I walked in first, followed by Tyler. Coach closed the door behind us before taking a seat across from us. He folded his arms, and I pursed my lips together, trying not to look up.

“Now, explain,” he said.

Tyler and I looked at each other. Neither of us said a word. The silence stretched until Coach spoke again.

“Tyler?”

He sighed with a grunt and walked over to take his seat on the recliner chair, leaning back as he spun. “Maybe you should ask Bella why she suddenly attacked me with a kiss.”

My head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?”

He gave an arrogant shrug. “I mean, this could be her scheme of getting back at me.”

I gave a loud snort. No one had ever annoyed me this much.

“Then why did you kiss me back? You even used your tongue,” I fired back at him.

The moment the words left my lips, I realized what I’d just said and pursed my lips, feeling a little embarrassed. I looked away from Tyler, who also did the same.

We both cleared our throats noisily. I pushed my hair back rapidly, revealing my nervousness.

“I kissed back because I couldn’t breathe,” Tyler let out after a second.

I turned again to him. He just had the most ridiculous excuses. “Oh, please. You seemed to enjoy it.”

Tyler’s face blushed a little, and he gave another awkward, noisy throat clearing. He was about to say another thing when Coach stopped both of us.

“That’s enough.” He slammed his hand against the table.

We both went silent, each looking away with a glare.

Coach rubbed his forehead before reaching for his laptop. “This is no longer about who kissed whom.” He turned the laptop toward us.

My eyes widened when I saw the screen. There were countless articles and posts about us.

TYLER BROOKS FINALLY HAS A GIRLFRIEND?

WHO IS THE MYSTERY GIRL KISSING HOCKEY STAR TYLER BROOKS?

My mouth fell open at the headlines. Girlfriend? That thought repulsed me.

“They already posted that?” Tyler asked, already behind me.

He leaned over my shoulders and stared at the screen, reading the headlines with a disbelieving chuckle. I turned to move away, but my face met his.

Our eyes met for a second, and I looked away nervously. What was that? I subconsciously asked myself.

That kiss was crazy.

The movement of his lips against mine, the softness, the unforgettable taste of his... I bit my lips to stop my thoughts.

This was not good.

I finally pushed Tyler off so I could escape from the space, suddenly feeling a little too hot.

He threw a glare at me. “The thought of dating you repulses me too,” he lashed out and went back to slumping onto the chair.

“This is bigger than either of you seems to understand,” Coach stated.

“Tyler, your name is one of the biggest names associated with this team. And Bella, if people find out you’re on the team, they will doubt your skill to play.”

My face frowned at that.

Coach continued. “They might think you’re just on the team because you’re Tyler’s girlfriend. This could affect the team’s professionalism. We need to stop that from happening.”

My expression hardened, and so did Tyler’s.

“So, what do we do now?” he asked seriously.

Coach sighed and glanced between both of us. “The easiest way is to make it clear that this was a misunderstanding. You two aren’t dating, and there is nothing going on between you.”

I nodded quickly. “Good.”

Coach closed the laptop. “From now on, you two try to stay away from each other until I clean this mess. Understood?”

“She’s the one you need to tell that,” Tyler responded.

I crossed my arms firmly and rolled my eyes at him. “Don’t worry. I don’t want to get close to you either.”

Coach stared at both of us for a second and let out a short chuckle before walking out of the room.

The moment he left, we both followed after him. I couldn’t wait to get away from the arrogant jerk. I headed upstairs, wanting nothing more than to lock myself in my room and forget about everything that happened today.

Just as I reached my door, Tyler suddenly grabbed my arm. I gasped as he turned me around and pinned me against the door.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

His face was stern. “You still haven’t explained yourself.”

I stared at him like he was crazy.

“Explain what?” I asked, pretending to be clueless. His grip tightened against me, and I let out a little yelp.

“Tyler!” I glared at him.

He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing. “Why did Asher Forest call your name? Why did he look at you like he had lost his soul?” Tyler fired at me.

My breath caught as I froze at his question. Did he figure there was something between us? I can’t let him find out.

My hands clenched beneath me, and I stared back at him, short of words.

Tyler’s face pushed closer again, almost an inch away, and I was forced to turn to the side. His breath fell harshly against my cheek.

“Don’t tell me this is both your plot to ruin my reputation?” he whispered coldly into my ear.

The feeling sent a dangerous tingling down my spine. I immediately pushed him away, breathing a little fast. “I don’t know him,” I blurted out.

Tyler’s eyes stared at me. I felt like I was being placed under a lie detector.

“And what reputation are you talking about?” I added quickly, trying to hide my fluster.

“You mean being obnoxious?” I crossed my arms.

His lips lifted up in a smirk. He moved closer again, and I flinched a bit.

“Looks like someone is already a fan,” he let out.

My expression folded into a hard frown. “No, thank you.”

I pushed at his chest, trying to leave, but he grabbed my wrist again and pinned it up against the wall. My glare flashed at him fiercely.

“Let go,” I gritted.

His face came close again, so fast that I had no time to react. My breath seized. I tried not to look away while clenching my hands.

Tyler’s gaze shifted to my lips, and he leaned in, his lips hovering over mine. My face heated up again, and I couldn’t help but shut my eyes, thinking he was going to kiss me.

But then, he pulled back, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I opened my eyes, realizing what had just happened.

“Stay away from me, Bella,” he said instead and let go of me.

I released the breath I was holding and watched with a cuss on my lips as Tyler walked into his room.