“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Away game ritual,” Sydney says and walks over to my bed on her heels to keep her freshly painted nails from getting ruined.
Emily and Bri sit on the end of my bed, and I scoot over so Sydney can sit next to me.
“A drinking game?” I ask.
“Everyone picks a bottle to drink,” Bri says. “First two to finish automatically lose. The other two chug a second bottle to determine the winner.”
I sift through the bottles. Wild Turkey, Smirnoff, Bacardi Pineapple, tequila, schnapps, Jager, Jack.
“These are all awful.” I glance up, and they’re all grinning at me.
“That’s the point,” Emily says and grabs the Bacardi. “You gotta take lots of small drinks and prolong it instead of taking it like a shot.”
“Five minute time limit.” Sydney grabs the tequila. “And you have to take a drink every time the person to your left does. No mentioning the game tomorrow, or any game, for that matter, or you have to drink.”
“Pick your poison,” Bri says and sits back as if to let me know I get to pick before her.
I take the Jack because it reminds me of Nathan and then Bri goes for the Jager.
Emily grabs glasses from both our bathrooms and adds ice and Diet Coke for us to chase the liquor.
After we all take our first sip and grimace, I look around at the setup. “I did not expect this. Especially from you.” I glance at Bri.
She shrugs. “It helps with nerves and sleep. Plus, it’s fun because I never lose.”
She takes a drink, and it’s like a domino effect until we’ve each taken another sip. We hold up our bottles to compare and sure enough, Bri has the most left.
“What can I say? It’s a gift,” she says triumphantly.
“Real sips, Bri,” Emily grumbles. “Next time, I’m going to bring a Sharpie and draw a line before each drink to make sure it goes down.”
“I’m drinking it,” Bri says and takes another, forcing us all to go.
Without being able to talk about the game tomorrow, which is on all our minds, we fall quiet. Sydney is the first to break the silence. “I need a boyfriend.”
Emily groans.
Bri rolls her eyes. “You don’t need a boyfriend.”
“Okay, fine,” Sydney huffs. “I want one. When we get back to Valley tomorrow night, it’s my new mission. Screw Shaw and his friend-zoning, video-gaming, sexy ass.”
“You want me to knock him over the head with a controller next time I see him?” I offer.
She giggles. “Yes, please.”
We offer her sympathy smiles, and she shakes her head. “Let’s talk about something else. Chloe, tell them what you told me about how you really met Nathan.”
“Oh.” I take a drink without realizing it until the others follow suit. I look to Emily and Bri guiltily. “Nathan wasn’t really my boyfriend the morning you walked in on us before classes started. I met him at the mixer the night before and one thing led to another.”
Emily laughs. “You dirty skank.”
“I’m sorry I lied. I panicked and then you guys seemed to warm up to me because of him.” I shake my head. “It was shitty, and I’m sorry.”
“But they’re together now. Isn’t that twisted and romantic?” Sydney asks and takes a drink. She holds her bottle up. “Shit, I’m out.”
“Me, too,” Emily says.
Bri and I look at each other as we take our final sips.
Emily motions to the remaining bottles. “Pick your bottle, ladies.”
Bri holds out, waiting for me, and I take the Smirnoff.
She grabs the Wild Turkey.
“You’re full of surprises.”
She grins.
Sydney holds up her hand between us. “On your mark, get set, go!”
We both hurry to open our bottles. I have a slight edge on her as I get the bottle to my lips first, but I hesitate as the liquor hits my tongue. I fight to get the rest of it down, but it’s Bri who slams her empty bottle onto the bed first. “Undefeated.”
The next morning, I fall into line next to Bri as we do our team warmup.
“You ready for today?” she asks with only a hint of her too-serious captain tone.
“Ready,” I say as we high knee across the sand. I raise my legs higher and then shake my head. She might be a pain in the ass, but Bri is effective in making us work harder.
“About Nathan,” she starts, and my heart rate picks up and not because I’m lifting my legs to my chest.
“Yeah?”
Bri shakes her head. “You went to an insane level to try and be a part of the team.”
I give her a shy smile. She’s not wrong.
“I’m sorry you had to do that.”
My head snaps to look at her to make sure she’s seriously apologizing.
“As captain, I should have placed my personal feelings aside. And as a decent human being, I should have welcomed you. I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t so bad. I did get the guy after all.”
She smiles. “Well then, you’re welcome.”
Coach blows the whistle, and we hang back as the team gathers near her.
“You ready to kick some State ass today?”
“So ready.”
Before our first match, we head to the locker room to relax and to get more individual plans from Coach. Coach is talking with Bri and Sydney first, and Emily and I take a seat in front of our lockers to wait. Nerves I’d been fighting all morning bounce to the surface, and I’m a ball of anxious and caged energy.
“You got any Tylenol?” Emily asks. “I don’t do caffeine the morning before games, and I feel a withdrawal headache coming on.”
“Yeah, in my bag.” I stand and grab my backpack from the locker and hold it in my lap as I rummage through.
“Good Lord, what don’t you have in there?” Emily picks up a box of tampons in one hand and a textbook in the other.
“Shit, I forgot to give that to Nathan,” I say as I finally find the bottle of Tylenol at the bottom of my bag.
“The tampons?” She hands me those, and I stuff them in my backpack.
“No, the textbook.” I hand her the Tylenol and take the textbook. “It’s Nathan’s. Crap, I hope he didn’t need it this weekend.”
I flip it open, more out of curiosity than anything. What the hell is Microeconomics, anyway? I freeze at what I see inside and fail to close it before Emily looks over.
“Holy shit, Chloe. What is that?”
Unfortunately, her outburst catches the attention of everyone around us, including Coach.
“I…” Words fail me. I don’t understand, and there’s ringing in my ears like someone knocked me over the head with a barbell.
I register Coach’s harsh voice telling everyone to get out, but I can’t manage to move or look at anyone.
29
Nathan
We’ve got late afternoon practice today, so Joel and Wes are over and we’re hanging outside by the pool enjoying the day.
“Zeke’s got his first home game in a few weeks. I talked Coach into giving us the day off practice. You guys in?” Wes asks.
Joel lifts his bottle of water. “Nice. You being the assistant coach is finally paying off, Dubya.”
“I hate when you call me that.”
“I know. That’s why I do it.” Joel smirks. “Dubya.”
I pat my pockets for my phone. “Shit, I left my phone upstairs.” I stand to go get it and the guys chuckle and yell after me. Something about being pussy-whipped, yadda, yadda. I don’t let it get to me because, hello, pot meet kettle. Those two are the most whipped guys I know.
I take the stairs two at a time. Chloe should be done soon and headed back to Valley. They’ll get in tonight around the same time we’re done with practice, and I’m looking forward to seeing her. Twenty-four hours and I’m totally jonesing for some time with my girl. Yeah, okay, so I’m pussy-whipped. I’m not mad about it.
I�
��ve got a dozen new texts, but I skip them all and pull up Chloe’s name. She hasn’t responded since my good luck text this morning, but I go ahead and send another as I head back downstairs. I let her know what time I’ll be back to the house and that I’m excited to see her. We’ve already talked about it so it’s not really necessary, but damn, I just want an excuse to text her.
I take my seat outside and start scrolling through the other messages. Wes and Joel are talking about the team, so I tune them out as I read my missed texts. Heath sent me a picture of the NMU ice and locker rooms. Visit went well and I think he’s getting excited about the prospect of playing in college.
Gabby sent me color schemes, which I ignore because I gotta draw the line somewhere on helping her with wedding plans.
The last text is from Frank. I open it, prepared for another job offer, but when I read it my stomach drops.
Frank: Get the book? No pressure, not expecting anything in return, I just wanted you to know I miss having you.
Confusion turns to unease as I read the message over and over. I’m in my room tearing it apart before I even realize I’ve moved from my seat outside.
“Dude, you alright?” Joel asks from the doorway. “You turned all pale and looked like you were about to puke before you raced up here.”
“Have you seen a textbook?” I pull at my hair when they both stare back at me with puzzled expressions. A cold sweat breaks out over my entire body. “Frank. The textbooks. Have you seen any?”
Wes groans and then grits out, “You said you were done.”
“I am.” I turn in circles, but I don’t see it anywhere. “Fuck, I am. I can’t explain right now.”
I give the downstairs the same treatment but don’t find anything.
With no answers in sight, I call Frank… something I swore I’d never do again. It’s not like I hate the guy, he gave me a job when I needed one and he was cool when I told him I was done, but he represents a whole part of my life I’m not proud of and would prefer not to ever think about again.
“Hey,” Frank greets me cheerily.
I don’t waste any time on niceties. “What book? Where did you leave it?” Mentally, I’m already thinking of everywhere he might think to put it for me, and I’m really hoping he doesn’t say the locker room. Goodbye scholarship, goodbye basketball, goodbye Valley.
“I gave it to your girl.”
Life as I know it flashes in front of me. Shame and regret make my knees buckle, and I lean against the nearest wall.
“Chloe,” he says her name, confirming my worst nightmare. “I saw her at TKE on Thursday night as she was getting in an Uber to go to your place. She didn’t give it to you?”
He keeps talking, but I hang up on him and turn to face Wes and Joel. They’re hovering like two mother hens.
“Chloe has it.”
“Maybe she tossed it and didn’t wanna tell you about it. That’s what I would have done if he’d given it to me,” Joel says reassuringly.
I shake my head. “She doesn’t know.”
I read the judgment loud and clear on their faces. Fuck, I should have told her.
“Don’t panic. It’s probably just in her dorm. It looks like a normal textbook unless she opened it.” Joel might believe that, but I don’t. My gut tells me everything.
She knows, and I’ve already lost her.
30
Chloe
Head leaning against the window, I find some solace in the cool glass. The promise of night and the end of this shitty, shitty day.
I’m sitting in the very last row of the bus all by myself. The seats across and in front of me are both empty. A glance up and across the aisle finds Sydney watching me with worry in her dark eyes.
The day was a success, at least regarding volleyball. Valley came out on top and the team looked good. The bus ride home should be filled with excited chatter, but instead it’s quiet and an impending doom hangs in the air.
After Coach confiscated the textbook and informed Emily she’d be paired with Liz, I was dismissed to the sidelines.
Bri’s gone back to hating me. She hasn’t even attempted to speak to me. Emily either; I think she was more shocked than anyone. I’d nearly forgotten what it was like to live with people who were repulsed by my existence.
The silence around me is a reminder of what my life was like when I first got to Valley and how much things have changed. Gradual change feels like it isn’t change at all until you compare it to where you started.
Two months ago, I wasn’t sure who I was or what I was capable of. I couldn’t reconcile which parts of my life had been earned and which had been bought for me. Now? Now I know I deserve to be here. I feel it deep in my bones and with every fiber of my being. Having something taken away when you’ve earned it hurts so much worse than when it’s been bought.
My phone vibrates in my hands and I look down to see Nathan’s name flashing on the screen. I’d been replaying the conversation with Frank over and over in my head all day for clues. Why was Frank giving Nathan a textbook filled with drugs? And why had Frank used me as a proxy? And the last one that bothered me the most, did Nathan know?
He’d called at least a dozen times, which was enough to doubt his innocence. Then there was the single text that told me everything and nothing.
Nathan: I’m so sorry. I can explain.
I sit up straight as the bus pulls into the parking lot outside Ray Fieldhouse. Sydney offers me a reassuring smile that I try and return. Everything is going to be okay. I didn’t do anything wrong. I repeat those things hoping I’ll believe it by the time I face Coach. But when it’s just me and her left, I give up on hope and force myself into action.
Silently, I follow Coach inside and through the locker room to her office. She flips on the light illuminating the small space in a fluorescent haze.
She drops her shoulder bag on the desk and removes the sunglasses and visor from her head. I take a seat while she gets settled in. I interlace my fingers in my lap and squeeze to let out some nervous energy. When she finally sits down, I brace myself for the worst but am prepared to fight to stay on this team. I deserve to be here. I know that now, but I also know that some things are out of my control. There are consequences for every action, fault or not.
“Chloe, I don’t know where to begin. I didn’t expect this from you.” She sighs. “Aside from the obvious infraction of possessing illegal substances, you put the team at risk. The type of scandal and bad press this could bring to Valley is the sort of disruptive PR that can kill a program.”
She gives me a look that says I, of all people, should know better and she’s right. I should. It’s not the first time I’ve brought scandal to a team.
“It’s not mine. I know how it looks, but I need you to believe me.”
Her pinched expression tells me she doesn’t and why should she?
Everything I’ve worked for—transferring schools, the extra workouts, the dedication and determination I put into it all—it’s disappearing before my eyes.
“Wait.” Sydney pushes into Coach’s office unannounced. She’s breathless, hair wild, still in her team colors. Emily is two steps behind her and then, astonishingly, Bri appears.
“Ladies, this is a private meeting.”
“That wasn’t Chloe’s book,” Sydney insists, totally disregarding Coach’s not-so-subtle hint to get out of her office.
Tears prick behind my eyes. I can’t believe they showed up for me.
“Chloe isn’t even taking Microeconomics. Ask her.”
Coach glances from them to me, weighing their words and trying to decide to entertain it, from the look on her face.
“If it isn’t yours,” she asks me. “Then whose is it?”
My stomach drops. “I can’t tell you that, but I swear it’s not mine.”
She presses her index fingers to her temples and rubs with a pained expression.
I’m so mad at Nathan and myself too for getting swept up in a guy I clearly
don’t know. This is what happens when you live in a make-believe world—reality eventually crashes down.
Murmurs from the doorway brings my attention back to where Sydney and Emily stand. Bri pushes past them into the office, looking angrier than I’ve ever seen her. “The textbook doesn’t belong to Chloe. The truth is, it’s my fault. I put it in her bag.”
“What?” I ask, shocked by every word that came out of her mouth.
She doesn’t look at me as she continues. “I found it near Chloe’s things and I just assumed it was hers. I put it in her bag, but I had no idea what was inside.” Her gaze flits to me, but she doesn’t quite look me in the eye. “My bad, Chloe.” She shrugs and looks back to Coach. “Emily and Sydney were with me, they can vouch for her.”
Emily nods, and Coach looks to Sydney. “That true?”
“Definitely,” Sydney says a little too enthusiastically. She might be overselling it a bit.
I chance another look at Bri but her hard expression is pinned away from me.
I fix my gaze back on my lap while Coach mutters about being too old for this drama and nonsense.
“I’ve half a mind to suspend all four of you.”
We’re like stone as she studies each of us.
“Next time, I will.”
Sydney gives a little squee of excitement, but I keep my own joy shoved down because nothing about this feels like a victory yet. My teammates finally had my back and I want to be happy about that, but it’s shrouded in the reality that because of my friendship I nearly took them down with me.
Nathan
Coach holds Joel and I back after practice to talk about how things are going with the freshmen. I let Joel do most of the talking. I’m too amped, too nervous, too anxious to see Chloe and explain. She hasn’t responded to my calls or texts, but I know they’ll be back soon. This conversation is really better in person anyway.
The Fake: A College Sports Romance (Smart Jocks #4) Page 20
