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“Holy shit,” I mutter, reaching down and grabbing it from the floor, my eyes widening when I see the hundreds of notifications on the screen before it rings again in my hand.
Reed.
“What thefuckis going on?” I ask, running a hand over my hair, trying to shake off the fog of sleep.
“Turn the fucking news on. TMZ. Right now.” He says it so loudly that I pull the phone back from my ear, squinting at the sudden burst of noise.
I feel for the remote on the nightstand and click the TV on, turning toE! News. Two newscasters are in conversation, talking animatedly, but I can’t hear what they’re saying until I turn the volume up, and the screen flits to…
My phone drops from my hand into my lap.
No. No.No. Fuck. No.
Scrambling for the phone, I pick it up and bring it back to my ear. “Tell me this is not fucking happening.”
He scoffs. “It’s fucking happening, brother, and it’s on every major outlet there is. Every social media platform. Every streaming service.”
I press the speaker button and go straight to the browser, ignoring the notifications pouring in, and pull up the first article that comes up when my name is typed in. Of course it’s fucking TMZ.
PLAYBOY PLAYMAKER PREYING ON CO-EDS?
Hudson Rome seen carrying a busty blonde co-ed bridal style out of a fraternity house last night at Northwestern University and now we want to know… Who is she? And is she just another score for Chicago’s star goalie?
There’s a photo of me with Caroline in my arms, her face nuzzled into my neck, and the look on my face is grim. I knew photos would probably be taken, but what the fuck else was I supposed to do?
Thank fuck you can’t make out Caroline’s face, so at least I know she’s protected from this shit.
I don’t generally give a fuck what the media has to say, but this shit looks really bad, and I don’t want her in the middle of a media scandal.
“This is so fucking bad,” I mutter. “So goddamn bad, Reed. Like the worst possible goddamn scenario.”
God, I hope she’s okay and still sleeping last night off. I hope she hasn’t seen this shit.
His sigh is long and ragged. “I know. Chaney’s having a fucking heart attack, and I was about to drive to your goddamn house since you haven’t answered anyone’s calls or texts.”
Dropping my head back on my shoulders, I blow out a breath and try to think. I have to get on top of this. I’ve got to go to Coach, first and foremost. I’m going to come clean, tell him I’m in love with Caroline. Tell him why we kept our relationship a secret, smooth over whatever I can so it doesn’t hurt their relationship. Assure him that I’d never do anything that would hurt her and that I would do anything on this fucking planet to protect her. And that’s what we should focus on.
Protecting her.
Whatever comes back on me comes back, and I don’t give a damn as long as she’s okay.
“I was asleep. I got home late as fuck and just passed out the second I got inside. Caroline…” I say, rubbing the back of my neck, “She got drunk last night, and her roommate called me and asked me to come get her. She was worried. I got there, and some fucker was hovering over her like a creep. I almost killed him, but I had to get her out of there and get her back to the house. She was passed out the entire time.”
“I figured something happened. Fuck, we know what’s going on, Hudson, but the rest of the world doesn’t, and shit like this makes it look bad. Real fucking bad.”
“I know. Fuck, trust me, I know. At least they can’t make out who she is,” I say. The one saving grace of this absolute goddamn mess. The only way I’m even remotely going to be able to fix this is by going straight to Coach and getting PR on this. Try to find a way to clear this up and not hurt the team without anything falling back on her. “I’ve got to go to Coach, Reed. I’ve got to come clean and set things straight. Caroline will probably hate my fucking guts after, but it’s the only way to fix this and protect her too.”
“As much as I don’t want that to be true, I agree. But Hudson, he’s going to lose his mind. You realize that, right? You’ll probably be suspended in the middle of the season.”
Getting up from the bed, I pad to my closet to throw clothes on as we talk. “Look, I hate that the team gets flak because of this shit, but all I care about is protecting Caroline. If my reputation takes the hit, fuck it, I don’t care. I’ll sit out, I’ll take the trade… I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her out of this and make sure it never touches her.”
He sighs again, remaining quiet for a second. I can hear Holland in the background, talking quietly. “Holland is threatening to cut my dick off if I don’t say this, but she said you better fix this and get your girl, or she’s going to kick your ass.”
Typical Holland. I shake my head. “I’m getting dressed now. My phone is blowing the hell up. I’m going straight to Coach’s office and pray he doesn’t kill me in the process.”
“We’ve got your back, brother. Keep me posted.”
After a quick goodbye, I set my phone down on the bathroom counter, my hands gripping the granite as I try to take a deep breath.
