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“I met up with her shortly after, and upon learning what had happened, I retaliated against Neil Halloway for what he’d done to her.”
“Allegedly done to her,” Sellars added.
“Sir, with all due respect, that’s what happened. My roommate isn’t a liar.”
“These are serious accusations, Ryan. Against a veteran player who’s been a pivotal part of this organization for over eight years.”
“I understand that, Sir. But none of the accusations are false.”
“Isn’t it possible that maybe it didn’t go down exactly as she told you it did?” Hastings chimed in. “You know, maybe they were messing around, it got a little rough, she got angry after learning he was married and wanted to get back at him? Come on, man. You know how these women are.”
Ryan could feel his blood beginning to boil and his face turning red. “Coach, again, with all due respect, she isn’t a liar. If she told me that’s what happened, then that’s what happened.”
“And you proceeded to beat Neil Halloway to the point of a fractured orbital and a concussion. He’s out for at least four weeks. He was taken to the ER. Did you know that?”
What Ryan wanted to say was “Good. The pussy got what he deserved.” But what he said instead was, “No, I didn’t. And I’m glad he’ll be OK. I was angry, and I got carried away. I should have shown more restraint.”
“You should’ve kept your fucking hands to yourself, Baylor!” Hastings yelled, pounding the table. “Do you understand the position this puts me in? I…Jesus, kid, I liked you.”
“You’re very lucky you didn’t catch an assault charge. You could be sitting in jail right now if we hadn’t done so much damage control,” Coach Reilly said. “There don’t seem to be any videos, thank God, but we’ve had to scrub this shit clean on so many levels.”
“An assault charge?” Ryan asked incredulously. “I would think Halloway could’ve caught one as well for attempted sexual and successful physical assault against my roommate.”
“Alleged,” Sellars added again.
It was clear who was the favorite in this situation, and it wasn’t Ryan Baylor.
Ryan nodded. “Yeah. Alleged. Sorry, you’ll have to forgive me. I’m young and I forgot how these things work in this league for a minute.”
“Excuse me, kid?” Sellars growled.
“She’s gonna get the Kyle Beach treatment. Cover it up and deny it ‘til you die, isn’t that right? Wouldn’t dare wanna risk any bad publicity or loss of ticket revenue.”
“Baylor, you’re way out of line!” Hastings yelled, standing up.
Ryan stood up as well. “Coach? You have two daughters. They’re what, 12 and 15, is that right?”
“What’s your point?”
“As a father, I’d imagine you’d want your little girls surrounded by men like me, willing to stand up for them when shit hits the fan, no? Or would you rather them be surrounded by rapey assholes like Neil Halloway?”
“This…isn’t about me, and it isn’t about them. This is about you and the fact that you physically assaulted a member of this organization to the point of hospitalization. Don’t forget that, Baylor.”
“Right,” he said, pushing in his chair. “Listen, this meeting is over…”
“Sit down, kid. This meeting is over when I say it’s over,” Sellars ordered.
“No. It’s over now. Do whatever you have to do with me. But I’m not going to sit here for another moment and have my integrity and my roommate’s integrity called into question. Do whatever you have to do. Shoot me a text. I’m gonna go dress for practice.” With that, he walked out of the conference room, slamming the door on the way out.
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall in the hallway, as the adrenaline dump caught up with him, and his legs began to shake. When he opened his eyes, to his shock, all the guys were lined up outside the door, all of them, Nick included, with their fists out. Thankfully, they were lined up on the left side, since his right knuckles were practically burger. He bumped them, one by one, with Seggy giving him a nod of approval, as he made his way back towards the locker room.
Rizz was the last one in line, and when Ryan got to him, he collapsed into his arms and broke down. “It’s all good, brother. You’re brave. Just breathe through it, OK?” Rizz said softly, running his hands up and down his back. “I’m proud of you, Baylor.”
For the first time in over two months, he knew he was right where he belonged.
He just wasn’t sure for how much longer.
I Suck at Goodbyes (28)
