“Keep laughing,” Derek said with a smug grin on his face. “You should know I talked to your coach. He’s not happy with you.”
“Yeah, well, it’s your word against mine. Coach trusts me. He doesn’t know shit about you fools.”
“Watch your mouth,” Derek said then peered to the left and right for reassurance from his friends.
I stopped jogging.
“Look, we got off to the wrong foot. I’m being more than kind with this bullshit. You were about to attack a woman…”
“We were drunk,” he interrupted. “It didn’t mean anything. We wouldn’t have gone through with it.”
“She was asking for it,” someone else said.
Take down their leader and the rest will scatter.
I braced myself, ready to pounce and strike Derek. He stared me down.
“Let’s go, guys. We’re done here.”
“That’s right,” I said, swinging back my shoulder as if I were about to hit him.
He flinched. I laughed and ran through them.
“Talk to your coach!” Derek yelled.
I raised a hand in the air, flipping him the bird.
They were just joking around, I told myself. By the time I got back to gym, though, I found myself walking toward his office, wondering if they had in fact talked to him. They didn’t bother me, but it pissed me off they had practically assaulted Brooke the other night. I didn’t want them to get away with any more bullshit.
As I approached the door, I heard him yelling. Trey walked out a moment later, his head bent. He shook it as he passed.
“He wants to see you too.”
“What about?” I asked.
“Get in here, Austin!”
Fucking frat boys.
EIGHT
Austin
I walked into the office. Coach glanced up at me with the same look of disgust he usually wore, even when we won games. He didn’t say anything as I sat down at a hard, wooden seat in front of his desk.
“You going to be ready for this next game?”
“Yes, Coach.”
No frat-boys?
“Good. I hear your grades are up, and I’ve heard you’re not partying hard. Who’s this new girl you’ve been hanging out with?”
I did my best to mask my emotions.
“Girl, Coach?”
“Come on, you know what the hell I’m talking about. Trey gave you up to get out of trouble.”