Read Juked for Free Online

He’s definitely not giving the one hundred percent we used to see from him.”
    “I agree completely,” I say. “They’re getting around him way too often. Whatever his reasons, I’m glad this Flanigan kid is a midfielder. I think we’re going to need him. Not only is Shivel slowing down, he’s become a real dick to work with.”
    “I’ve noticed that, too. Kid’s a little too big for his britches with nothing to back it up. I can’t do anything about it now, and I’m not totally convinced Shivel isn’t just going through a rough patch. But I want us to keep an eye on him while we start grooming Flanigan. If Mack gets injured, or we have to yank him, we need the rookie ready to go.”
    “Sounds good to me,” I say.
    We discuss a few more players, watch a few more clips. It’s close to an hour before we’re done, and I’m walking back into the locker room, where my teammates are still hanging out. Most of them haven’t even showered yet.
    “Why the hell is everyone still here?” I ask Christian, who’s sitting on the bench shirtless, drinking a beer.
    “Oh, you didn’t hear yet, did you?” he asks, passing me a Shiner. I shake my head and pop the top. Normally, we wouldn’t be drinking in the locker room after practice, so I figured this was a celebration of some sort. “Kuttnauer is getting married.”
    I raise my eyebrows. “No shit?”
    “Yep. Seems everyone on our team is either getting hitched or having babies,” he says with a snicker. His statement seems pretty accurate after the summer we’ve had. Chris Kuttnauer is the third guy to pop the question in the last few months. And two teammates became first time dads during the off-season, with three more babies ready to be born during the season.
    “Not everyone,” I say as I peel my now almost dry jersey over my head. “You planning on settling down anytime soon?”
    He takes a swig of his beer. “I haven’t met anyone interesting lately, so it would be hard to do but I’m not opposed to it. What about you? Any of your lady friends caught your eye for more than just a one-nighter?”
    “Hell, no.” I take another swig, peel the sweaty clothes off my lower body, and wrap a towel around my waist. “I have no interest in getting married at all.”
    Christian looks surprised to hear that. “Are you kidding? With your giant Mexican family, I would have thought you’d be the first person to walk down the aisle and start making babies.”
    “No way, but thanks for the stereotype.” I shake my head adamantly while he laughs. “You saw the shit my mama went through when dad left her. No way in hell I am going to get married just so I can abandon my family later on. I may be a dick, but I’d rather be a single dick.”
    “Why the hell do you think you’d leave your family behind?” Christian asks, confused. “Not all marriages end. My parents are still happily married forty years later. They’re still all lovey-dovey.” He shivers in disgust. “It totally grosses me out.” I laugh. “But it also proves my point. Just because your parents had a rough go of it doesn’t mean you will.”
    “Apparently you’ve forgotten about my sister.”
    He sighs. “I haven’t forgotten about Blanca. I know she had a nasty divorce, too.”
    “Look, I’m not saying marriage is bad,” I say, holding up my hands. “I think I’d be better off not risking it. I’m perfectly fine with the way things are. No one has expectations of a future. No one gets hurt. I can get laid whenever I want.” He rolls his eyes as I waggle my eyebrows up and down. “It works fine for everyone involved.”
    “If you say so, man,” Christian says.
    “And besides,” I add, “like you said, I have a huge family. I have more than enough people to dote on without dealing with all the bullshit that comes from relationships.”
    Chris Kuttnauer walks by, showered and dressed to the nines. “You guys coming with us to celebrate?”
    “Maybe,” I say. “By