Bite me captain

Tessa POV

There are three things seventeen year old Tessa Cruz hates most in the world: early mornings, high school football, and being told what to do.

Today, she’s dealing with all three.

The sun hides behind the clouds as she stands on the edge of the Grey Ridge High School football field, hoodie pulled tight, watching dew drip from the goalpost like tears. I glance toward the bleachers where my uncle; Coach Cruz, is screaming at a group of muscled teenage boys doing wind sprints like their lives depend on it.

Maybe they do. This town’s obsessed with football like it’s religion.

I sigh, shifting my backpack higher on my shoulder. I could've stayed with my mom in Miami, living off takeout and pretending not to care that their electricity flickered every other day. But when my mom decided to “find herself” in Ibiza with a yoga instructor named Sky, I had no choice but to move in with the only responsible adult left. My mother’s estranged brother.

Now I’m here. In “Werewolf country”.

Okay, maybe that part's a rumor.

But Grey Ridge definitely feels wild. Woods on every edge of town, howling at night, and a football team known as “The Wolves” with a stare-down that could freeze lava.

And then there’s him.

My eyes lock on the one player who isn’t running laps. He’s leans against the bleachers, shirt already slung over his shoulder, chugging from a water bottle like he’s the cover model for Teen Alpha Monthly.

He’s tall. Tan. And Trouble.

And he’s watching me.

The moment our eyes meet, his lips curve into a cocky, lopsided smirk. Like he’s already pegged me for something. I glare back, daring him to say something. He doesn’t. He just lifts the football in his hand and throws it straight at me.

I duck with a shriek as the ball whizzes past my ear and bounces against the wall behind me. “Are you kidding me?!” I yell out in anger.

The guy’s laughs. Full on belly laugh. Coach Cruz isn’t. He blows the whistle so loud half the birds in the trees take off. “Maddox! What the hell was that?!”

“Testing her reflexes, Coach,” the guy, Jax Maddox, apparently calls out, still grinning widely . “She passed.”

I storm towards the ball, grab it, and launch it back at him with everything I have in me. It hits his chest dead center. His grin only widens.

“Well damn,” he mutters. “She’s got an arm.”

Coach jogs over to me, panting slightly. “Tessa, I told you to wait in my office. What’re you doing out here?”

“Getting assaulted with sports equipment,” I say, my eyes still locked on Jax.

“That's Jax Maddox. Team captain. Ignore him. Better yet, avoid him.”

“Trust me, that won’t be a problem.” I mutter under my breath

Coach eyes me for a second, then sighs. “Listen, I know this is a big adjustment. New town, new school”

“New forced guardianship?” I add sweetly.

He rolls his eyes. “Let’s just get through day one.”

---

The rest of the morning doesn’t go much better. Grey Ridge High is full of tight-knit cliques, with football royalty reigning supreme. Every hallway features framed photos of past champions, all of them looking suspiciously like they belong in a Marvel movie. The students aren’t unfriendly exactly, just... wary.

At lunch, I claim a table near the back, earbuds in, head down. I’m mid-scroll when a tray clatters down across from me. I look up at the new figure.

Jax Maddox. Shirt back on, unfortunately.

“You're in my spot,” he says casually.

“Didn’t see your name on it,” I fire back.

“You’re new. So let me help. That seat? Mine. This table? Mine. This school? You guessed it mine.” His deep voice fills the space annoyingly

I sip my drink. “Are you always this territorial or just when girls show you up on the field?”

His grin fades for a split second, just long enough to intrigue her, then it comes back, smug and sharp. “Coach said you’re staying with him.”

“Congratulations. You can follow basic gossip.”

“Means you’ll be around the team. A lot.”

I freeze. “What?”

He shrugs. “Student athletic trainer positions open. Usually goes to Coach’s niece. Congrats.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I spit out

“Not even a little.” He smirks

Coach Cruz walks by just then and claps a hand on my shoulder. “Forgot to mention your schedule’s been updated. Welcome to the team, Tess.”

I watch Jax smirk as Coach walks away. “This is cruel and unusual punishment.”

He leans in. “Get used to it, rookie.”

And just like that, my peaceful, quiet senior year is gone.

Replaced by Jax Maddox’s smug face, muddy cleats, and a whole lot of unwanted responsibility.

Welcome to Grey Ridge.