“Thanks,” I said, having no idea what he was talking about. I had played a mediocre game at best last Friday.
“You’ve got balls, dude!” Another guy clapped me on the back as he walked into the building. I shook my head a little and headed in.
All morning long, the remarks continued. Random guys coming up repeatedly and making some comment to congratulate me. They were always just rushing past me—people trying to get to their classes and shit, so it wasn’t until lunch that I figured out just what the hell was going on.
“Holy shit, if it isn’t king stud himself!” Mika smacked my shoulder as he walked past me.
“What the fuck, Klosav?”
“You, my man!” he cackled as he plopped down in the chair next to me. “You have to have balls the size of Texas!”
“Are you going to tell me what the fuck you’re talking about?” I asked, “or do I need to beat the living shit out of you first?”
Klosav laughed.
“I’m talking about you, dude!” he yelled. “Who else spent the weekend boning the sheriff’s daughter while he was out of town? In the sheriff’s house, too! Leaving your Jeep right out front and everything? Holy shit!”
Oh no.
Oh, fuck no.
“Who the hell told you that?”
“Clint,” Mika said with a shrug. “He said you were fucking her all night while her dad was out of town. Said he saw you coming out of her house with only half your clothes on, looking like the cat who ate out the pussy.”
“That didn’t make any fucking sense,” I told him. Inside, my head was reeling. I had completely forgotten about Clint, but when I thought about how I must have looked as I walked out of Nicole’s house first thing in the morning—shirt unbuttoned, shoes in my hand—I knew exactly what he had assumed.
And had obviously told everyone else as well.
Shit, shit, shit.
“You gotta tell me.” Klosav leaned over conspiratorially. “Did you fuck her in the sheriff’s bed? Because if you did…holy shit!”
Had Rumple heard any of this?
Oh shit! How could she not have?
“And you were there the whole fucking weekend? ‘Cause Paul said he saw your car there on Saturday afternoon, and Clint saw you…”
Shit, shit, shit.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
What was I going to do?
I looked all around the lunchroom, but I didn’t see Nicole anywhere. I did see Heather Lones.
“Hey, Heather,” I called. I shoved myself out of my chair and left Mika still babbling. She stopped and turned around though her expression was not friendly.
“What?” she asked. Her tone was even less friendly.
“Have you seen Nicole?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“She left,” Heather finally said.
“Left? What do you mean she left?”