Katie cups a hand over her brow as we weave through the mostly empty halls, until I spot Ethan, laughing with another player I don’t know. His smile falls as he sees me, or maybe it’s my wrath he recognizes as he moves, gaining better balance as he squares his shoulders.
“Hey, Hadley.”
“You drugged me, you asshole.”
He scoffs. “It was just an edible. It’s not like I roofied you.”
My palms slam into his chest, pushing him with the full strength of my anger, making him stumble several feet, before tripping over a bench and falling. I follow him, as he gets to his feet, glaring at his boyish face I’d once thought of as cute and sweet. “You don’t drug people, you shit bag.”
“You had fun.”
A sound that is part screech, part growl, fitting of the lioness costume I wore last night, leaves me. “You were my friend and you drugged me,” I repeat. “You don’t give someone edibles unknowingly. It makes you a douchey predator! And I swear, if you drug anyone again, I’ll destroy you. They won’t be able to find your teeth to identify you.”
I turn and am three steps when he scoffs. “I was just trying to help you loosen up. You guys can be so uptight.”
Katie charges like a rhino, her fist connecting with his jaw with a crack that has him turning his head. “We’re fine being uptight and holding onto our high standards. It filters out the bottom feeders like you.”
Ethan shakes his head and raises a hand to his face, stretching his jaw. “You guys are fucking crazy.”
“Remember that,” I tell him. “Because if you think this—defending ourselves and our friend is crazy—you’re going to think we’re absolute lunatics if you try that bullshit ever again. She trusted you. She liked you, and you took advantage of her—of us. You are not welcome in our house ever again. Don’t even try to come by or I’ll report what you did to the police, and you can kiss your future and Camden goodbye.”
He sneers, revealing his true colors that he loosely managed to conceal for too long.
As Katie and I turn, we discover a small audience has gathered, phones raised to record our altercation.
Movement draws my attention to Palmer, Corey, and Lenny as they cut through the crowd, looking at Ethan and then at us.
“I got him,” Lenny says. I think for a moment he’s going to put his arm around us and try escorting us out, but he slides past us toward Ethan, gripping his arm like he’s an obstinate child refusing to leave the grocery store.
“Callum, collect their phones,” Corey says, nodding to their teammates. One releases an audible sigh, catching Corey’s attention. “Don’t be a fucking idiot. We have enough to deal with this morning.”
“Come on,” Palmer says, tilting his head toward the empty hall that we just made our way down. “Let’s get you two out of here before shit hits the fan.”
As we step forward, Corey and Palmer fall into step at our sides.
“Grey,” Palmer calls as Grey steps into view.
Grey looks from Katie and me to Palmer. “What’s going on?”
“Ethan gave them the edibles last night. He didn’t tell them they were edibles.” Palmer’s jaw is sharp as glass, his anger barely contained, reminding me of the friendship that’s developed between us that feels a hundred percent more authentic after Ethan’s reaction.
“Where is he?” Grey asks.
“Lenny’s got him. You need to call Nolan.” Palmer says. “Stall him.”
“He’ll be pissed,” Katie says, nodding in agreement to their plan.
Palmer nods. “He’ll be a lot more than mad, which is why he can’t be here right now.”
“I meant, he’ll be pissed if you keep this from him,” Katie amends.
Palmer nods again, his gaze falling to the floor, as though already feeling the repercussions of his decision. “I know, but if he gets here, he’ll probably want blood—I know I would.” He glances at me, and then back at Katie. “If Nolan even tries to hit him, it will jeopardize his place on the team. Peters will make an example out of him.”
Grey nods, and disappears, his phone already to his ear.
When we step outside, the morning chill soaks into my bones from all angles, but especially my bare feet. The last twelve hours—the last fifteen minutes—hits me like a windstorm, pride, regret, and fear all dancing around me until Palmer moves in front of me.
“Are you okay?”