I swipe my screen to close the messages from last night I’ve been re-reading. “I’m not,” I tell Coach, and that’s the truth, but I can get why he reads me that way. I’m tight. I’m tense. I’m chomping at the bit to get to Parker because things have already gone off course with the Montgomerys insisting Parker stay at the White House instead of the hotel for her visit. She’s obviously as uncomfortable as I am with the situation given the amount of texts we exchanged in the middle of the night when we thought the other was sleeping.

I unlock my phone, peeking at one when Coach looks away.

Parker

Do you remember when we used to take the couch cushions and slide down the stairs? There’s a sick set here. We could really go wild.

It’s late. Why aren’t you in bed?

(Also, I do remember. We crashed into Madeline one time and she broke her collarbone).

Parker

I don’t really sleep well here.

I don’t get why they’re keeping you.

Parker

Story of my life, Fitz.

“Your leg is shaking like that time we were down by three against Roxbury in the red zone and I asked you to run it,” he reminds me.

I lock my phone again and stop bouncing my knee. The memory of my second starting game in high school makes me laugh. I did almost shit myself. “Never stopped running the ball after that.”

I turn my attention to the window.

“Fitz.” Coach sighs.

My leg is bouncing again. Fuck.

“Is there something bothering you?” he presses.

Sure, I wish I could begin. I’ve got my soon to be fake fiancée held captive in the White House and I can’t sleep because of that and every time I close my eyes I see her mauled back.

Now I’m clenching my fist. My nervous system feels like it might blow a fuse.

Coach folds his newspaper. “This about Todd?”

Fuck, I think, that too. We’re one man short on this flight. Todd refused to come.

I clear my throat. “I mean, he should be here.”

“Todd will get over it when that Super Bowl bonus goes through.”

I drum my fingers against my leg.

“For Christ’s sake,” Coach laments. “We can’t have you bouncing around at the White House. Did you even sleep last night? You look a little tired. Seemed that way last week at captain’s practice too. You were dragging your feet.”

Captain’s practice is for captains to run during the offseason for guys who are around the facility, but Coach never has his eyes off his guys—off me—all that much. He likes to find out early where the weak spots are. And never in my career have we started this early.

“Having trouble sleeping,” I tell him, feeling better that it isn’t a lie.