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back. Practice for this year started last
     month. First game is this Friday.” He didn’t want to be having this conversation. Somehow, he thought since practice had already started, that Landon had let it go. He should’ve known he was wrong.
    “Trust me, we talked. He’ll let you back on. You start tomorrow.” He turned to leave. As if that was all there would be to this conversation. As if Reece had no say in the matter.
    Reece ripped his eyes away from the lake and stared at his dad in disbelief. “What did you do? Did you offer to pay him?”
    “No.” He stopped and turned back around. He gave Reece the look that he knew was meant to intimidate.
    Reece clenched his jaw in silence. He gave him his own furious look back. He wanted his dad to know that this tactic wasn’t going to work on him.
    Landon huffed. “I did offer to make a nice contribution to the athletics department.”
    “So you’re basically buying my way back onto the team. ” It wasn’t even a question. I t was a statement. Unbelievable , Reece thought. Or maybe not. Maybe ‘typical’ i s more like it.
    “You never should’ve quit.” Landon ’s tone was shifting into lecture mode.
    “No, you never should’ve talked to Coach on my behalf. Then again, offer him whatever you want. I’m not joining the team. I quit for a reason . ” He said the next words slowly . A s if that might actually help them to finally sink in. “ I don’t want to play .”
    “Reece,” Landon said. His voice had gone all hard as it morphed into his I-mean-business tone. “We’re going to talk about
     this. I humored you last year but this is senior year. It’s a big year for you.”
    “No,” Reece said. “You’re not going to bully me into this. I’m not playing.”
    “Do you have any idea how much your mother and I do for you? Do you appreciate any
     of it?” he began. “All I’m asking is that you play a little football.”
    Reece said nothing. His dad was the reason he didn’t want to play. Landon was one of those parents who sat in the stands, demeaning the other team, shouting
     inappropriate things. But more often than not, he got away with it because of the
     yearly donations he made.
    It was embarrassing and Reece fel t like he’d put up with it long enough.
    No matter how good he pla yed, Landon always had some reason for tearing it apart. He ’d spend days hearing about what he should’ve done differently. How he should’ve played better. He’d got ten sick of it. It took the fun right out of it and beat it to death. Do wn to noth ing. But even that, he could have lived with. A few of his teammates had dads like that, too. What he couldn’t stand was being associated with him while he was out there.
    He ’d ruined it for Reece .
    He’ d tried to explain that more than once. But Landon had refused to listen. Not willing
     to admit that he’d done anything wrong. The way he saw it, he was just supporting
     the team. He’d berated Reece for having a problem with it. Reece had warned Landon that if he couldn’t
     keep his mouth under control, he’d be done.
    Landon hadn’t listened.
    Reece had turned in his uniform the next day and had never regretted it.
    Landon , however, ha d yet to recover.
    Like it’s a kick in the balls to his masculinity that he has a son that doesn’t play or something, Reece thought .
    Landon had refused to come to Reece’s baseball games last summer . Reece knew damn well it was because he thought of it as a pun ishment or something. Like , if Reece didn’t play football, he wouldn’t su pport him in basebal l. The truth? It was a relief. He didn’t want him there. He played a l ot better when he wasn’t around . B ecause Landon brought nothing but stress with him.
    And his m om never missed a game.
    “You either play, or you can hand over your keys.”
    Reece shrugged. This wasn’t the first or probably even the last time he would threaten him with his vehicle. His parents had got ten it