by Mae Doyle
Kennedy Academy keeps their locker room close to the football field but still attached to the main building. God forbid the football players ever have to work for something in their lives, I think to myself, as I stomp down the hall.
I don’t know what Teague is up to, but I know that he and Bethany are working together – or were working together – so I want to stop this as quickly as I can.
She was definitely the one who printed off al of the posters and hung them up, but maybe he was the one who got her to take them down. The idea that he may have stood up for me gives me hope and I allow it to surge through my body for a moment.
Hope that maybe he’s not so bad.
Hope that maybe he’s redeemable.
I remember the way it felt to have his arm wrapped around me that afternoon in the woods. Maybe we could have that again.
But only if he was the person who made sure that the posters came down. I have to know if he worked with Bethany on this…
Or if he’s the person who made it all stop.
I know which one I want it to be, but I also know that the chances that Teague is suddenly a good guy are slim to none. But what do I have to lose? Nothing. Nobody.
The noise from the locker room hits me before the smell does. Geez, they haven’t even had gym or worked out yet, but it still smells like a pack of feral animals have taken up residence in this part of the school. I hesitate outside the door, but before I can make up my mind if I’m going to knock or turn and walk away, the door flies open, and Robby comes storming out.
“All I’m saying is that it was a pussy maneuver to take them all down, okay?” He’s yelling this into the locker room before he sees me, but when his eyes land on me, he stops talking and smiles. “Nora, to what do we owe this delicious pleasure this morning?”
He has to be talking about the posters, and I crane my neck to look past him and through the door to see if Teague is standing in there. If he is then I have my answer. The thought gives me a rush of hope.
But then I look at Robby. He’s glaring at me like I’m fresh meat and he hasn’t eaten in days. Out of all of the guys here, Robby is the one that I fear the most…well, besides Teague. I hate the way that his eyes rake over my body. It’s bad enough knowing that Teague wants me, but Robby is just…well, objectively, he’s cute. But he’s been my guardian during lunch every single day, and I’m a little tired of him and tired of how he looks at me.
“I’m looking for Teague.” My voice trembles a little, but I lift my chin and look him in the eyes.
In response he chuckles and crosses his arms, leaning against the doorframe so that I can’t easily push past him. “Now, what do you need him for this morning? I can take care of any needs or wants you have, sweet Nora. I mean, I know for a fact that you haven’t let him hit it yet. You’re hurting my odds on the bet, sweet thing.”
Gross. “Eat shit, Robby. I need to talk to Teague.”
“Wow, tough words from the virgin.” He grins when I flinch and then continues. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on and I’ll take care of you. If Teague needs to know then we can clue him in, okay?”
“No.” Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself to push past him, but he reaches out and grabs my arm before I can move.
“Listen, Nora, you go in there and you’re not coming out in one piece, you understand what I’m saying? Besides, Teague’s not in there. You just missed him.” Slowly he slides his thumb up and down my arm and I swear, my skin crawls until I pull away from. His grip is tight and I have to yank hard to get loose. Even when I do, there are red marks on my arm from his grip.
“I’ll find him, thanks for your help.”
He opens his mouth to say something, but I don’t give him the chance to speak. Instead, I turn and stalk back down the hall. School starts in a few more minutes, so where in the hell is he?
Teague
The elation I felt when Nora ran from the school was short-lived. Not that any of the students would have dared to make a move to take down the posters, especially not knowing that Bethany was the driving force behind them. Unfortunately for her, and for me, just then, the principal, Mr. Viktor Colter, walked in.
Of course.
Out of all of the staff at Kennedy Academy, he and the damn art teacher are the only ones without a sense of humor. He’s always been easy to spot thanks to his crew cut and his stupid fucking skinny ties. The man dresses like he’s going to a funeral every single day and acts like he ate a bowl of lemons. I’ve never seen him smile and I’m pretty sure that he hates his job and every one of the students.
“What is this?” His voice cut through the air and I dropped my arms, even as the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up.
He paused and walked past me, his head on a swivel as he slowly took in all of the new art that appeared overnight. Seeing them through the eyes of the students, this shit is hilarious. But seeing them through his eyes, well, I understood why maybe they’re not in the best taste.
“Take them down. Now!” At first, everyone froze. His eyes roamed the halls and all of the students just stared back at him. The blood in my veins ran cold as I realized how completely and utterly fucked we were. “Did I stutter?!” When he asked this, his loud voice cutting through the space, students started hurrying to do as he asked, and he walked over to me.
“Mr. Colter, good morning,” I had said, looking as friendly and innocent as possible.
“Mr. Ward. My office, now.”
***
That was twenty minutes ago, and that’s how I ended up here, waiting on him to get back. I keep replaying how everything went down in my mind, trying to decide exactly how pissed he really was when he saw the posters of Nora all over the wall. Sure, he may be really mad, but it’s not like he’ll actually punish me. I may have to miss a game or two, but Bethany is fucking crazy if she thinks that I’m not going to take her down with me, and Mr. Colter won’t dare to punish me knowing full well that it will hurt the football team.
I have absolutely no problem throwing anyone under the bus as long as it serves me, and Bethany doesn’t matter to me.
“Looks like we need to have a conversation, Teague.” Mr. Colter leans back in his chair, propping his fingers into a steeple like he’s a fucking shrink or something. “Care to tell me exactly what happened this morning?”
I shrug, trying to look as innocent as possible. “Looks like that Nora girl made herself an enemy.”
“That Nora girl.” He stares at me and I shift in my seat. “Last I heard, that Nora girl lives with you for the time being. So, pray tell, who decided to make themselves her enemy?”
Me.
Bethany.
The entire school.
I open my mouth to speak, but he holds up his hand to stop me. “Listen, Teague, you’re a good kid most of the time. Get your shit straight with Nora and we can forget that this ever happened. But if I hear one rumor of her being bullied again then you’re off the team.”
“You wouldn’t.” Sitting up straight in the chair, I slam my hand on his desk. “The team needs me, Mr. Colter, and you’d be really screwing over Kennedy Academy if you were to do that. Besides, I’m not the one who made all of those posters, so you can’t punish me for something that I didn’t do.”
“You didn’t do it? I highly doubt that, Mr. Ward. You were the person that her mother trusted enough to take care of her, but all I hear and see is that she’s not making any friends and is having a hell of a time fitting in. Next thing I know, you’ll be blaming it on someone who wasn’t really involved.”
My mouth is open to speak, but I shut it. The silence in the room is thick and uncomfortable. It’s not my fault that Nora can’t make friends with anyone but fucking Jade. I can’t help the fact that she’s weird.
Mr. Colter seems to read my mind. “You’re one of the most popular guys at Kennedy Academy, Teague, and you’re telling me that you couldn’t have made her life a little easier? Now tell me why I should trust y
ou to be mature enough to be on the football team when you treat someone new like this?”
Taking a deep breath, I try to calm myself, even though my heart is racing. There’s no way that he’s going to get away with this. I just have to make sure that he realizes what a huge mistake he’s making.
I exhale and then look him in the eyes. “I think that you’re making a grave mistake punishing me for something that I didn’t even do, Sir. Besides, don’t you think that you should make sure that the person who was really behind this gets punished?”
He pauses, and for a moment, I think that I’ve won. But then I push it too far. Like usual.
“I’m happy to go get the person who did this, if you’d like. That way the team and the school don’t have to suffer since I can’t play.” Even as I say the words, I know that I’ve made a mistake. Should have kept my damn mouth quiet.
I don’t know what reaction I expect from him, but I’m not surprised by the one I get. Before I even finish speaking his face is bright red and he’s standing, leaning over his desk, his hands planted just inches from mine.
“Don’t you move, Teague. You think that I’d be hurting Kennedy Academy by taking you off of the football team? You sure think a lot about yourself, don’t you? You forget, Teague, that just because you lived under the shadow and protection of your predecessor, Clay, that you are not nearly as indispensable as he was. In fact, how about this? No more games through the end of the month. We’ll see how the team does. If they win without you then you’re off it for the rest of the year. If they lose then you can go play. Are you a betting man?” His nostrils are flaring, and I can see the rage in his eyes.
Mr. Colter snaps his mouth shut when he’s finished and the two of us stare at each other, both breathing hard. The excitement radiating off of him is almost palatable. It takes me a minute to be able to comprehend what he’s saying, swallow, and then answer.
“Are you kidding me?” My temper flares and I stand up, leaning over his desk to face him. I can almost feel his breath from this close. “That’s fucked up. Sir.”
“It’s done. I’ll call the coach and let him know. In the meantime, Mr. Ward, you should do your best to keep your grades up so that they’ll still be a spot on the team for you. If you’re needed, that is.”
I’m dismissed, but I’m not done. “Don’t do this. This is a mistake. I’ll walk the line better, I promise. You won’t have to deal with me again.”
I’m repentant, but it’s too late. Someone like Mr. Colter doesn’t deal with beggars, and I should know that.
“Time for you to take up another hobby, Teague, preferably one that doesn’t involve tormenting the new girl.” He grins and slowly sits back down, his eyes still locked on mine.
This can’t be happening. I love football, and to just be kicked off of the team like this is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t want to let him get away with it, but even as I try to think of a way around this, I know that the damage is already done.
What do I do now?
“Oh, yeah? And do you have any recommendations of what hobby I should consider?” The smug look on his face is pissing me off, and I know that I should just cut my losses and leave, but that’s not who I am. I’ve never been willing to just turn tail and run, and I’m not going to start now.
“Hmm, something for a person like you… Over the top, angry, prone to fits of rage? I’m sure that you can think of something, Teague. Maybe golf. Oh, swimming is nice. Have you thought about that? All of that nice cool water may help calm you down a little. I can put in a call to the swim coach if you’d like to get started right away. Your afternoons did just clear up.”
He’s enjoying this too much. Giving him a curt nod, I turn to leave, but he interrupts me before I even make it to his door.
“Make sure, Mr. Ward, that whatever you choose to use as your outlet won’t reflect poorly on the school. Kennedy Academy has a reputation to maintain, and we wouldn’t want someone like you to tarnish it.”
Someone like me. Fuck him.
This is all Nora’s fault.
I can’t believe that I was actually starting to feel things for her. You see what happens when you let people in? They fuck you over. They ruin your life.
I’m not going to let Nora get away with this. Even though I know that I should be mad at Bethany, I can’t help but direct my rage at Nora.
Gorgeous, funny, heartbroken, pathetic, little virgin Nora.
Fine. I’m off the team for now, but I’ll be back in a month.
But until then, I’m going to focus on my other hobby. The one that Mr. Colter doesn’t know about.
The one that only Nora knows about.
If I can’t be on the football field, then I’m going to spend more time hunting.
As soon as I get out of Mr. Colter’s office I see Robby running at me through the hall. He slides to a stop next to me, breathing hard. “Have you seen Nora?”
Clenching my fists, I force myself to try to breath normally. She’s the entire reason that I’m in trouble right now, so the fact that she’s not dead on the floor should be a clue to Robby that no, I haven’t seen her.
“Why? What the hell could that little cunt want with me right now?”
Robby raises his eyebrow but doesn’t say anything for a moment. Instead, he falls into place next to me as stalk through the halls. Looking for her.
“What happened with Mr. Colter?” He doesn’t look at me when he asks, and I can tell that he knows that I’m fucked.
“I got kicked off of the team for a month thanks to Bethany and her little stunt.” Even as I say the words, I find them hard to believe. It’s surreal, but I know that the more I tell people, the more real it will be.
I’m off of the fucking team. Thanks to Bethany.
Thanks to Nora.
If she hadn’t moved in with me then none of this would have happened. Literally everything bad that happens to me is thanks to her.
“Whoa, what? He can’t do that, can he? We need you, Teague.” Robby looks shocked and I want to smack him and wipe the look off of his face. He’s stopped and turned to me in the hall outside our room. I still haven’t found Nora, but we’re both already late for class.
“Do you though? He said that he thinks that the team will be just fine without me, so tell me honestly, Teague, do you think that the team really needs me?” Spitting the words at him feels good, but it doesn’t address where my problem is really coming from.
“Of course we do!” He holds up his hands and backs away a step to get out of my striking range. “You know that, Teague. You just tell me what you need from me and the rest of the team.”
What I’m about to ask him is out of line, and I know it, but he’s the one who offered. I’m interested in seeing just how devoted to me and the team that Robby really is. This will help me see if he’s loyal to me or not. Robby’s going to have to make a choice.
“I need you to throw the games. If you don’t win without me then I’m back on the team. But if you guys can do it without me then I’m off for the rest of the year. My senior year, Robby.” I don’t want to get my hopes up, but if there’s a small chance that he’ll do this for me and convince the rest of the guys to, as well, then maybe I can be playing football again in a month.
Slowly he backs away, dropping his arms down to his side. The halls are empty, and we hear our teacher start talking, but the two of us don’t move. “You know that I can’t do that, Teague. There’s no way that the rest of the guys are going to want to blow their chances at the playoffs just so we can have you back.”
I knew it. I knew that when push came to shove that Robby would pussy out on helping me. Everyone at fucking Kennedy Academy wants to look after themselves and I’m left all alone, my back against the wall.
Stepping forward, I jam my finger into his chest. He flinches like I’m going to hit him. “You’re really going to fuck me over like that, Robby? After everything? C’mon, I know that you can talk to the team and get t
hem to see the light.”
At first, I think that he’s going to chance his mind and agree with me, but then he shakes his head. “Listen, Teague, as much as I’d like to help you, the team isn’t going to take the fall on this one.” He pauses, and then surges forward, obviously trying to get the words out before I interrupt. “You and Bethany need to figure this one out.”
Fuck Bethany. And fuck Robby, too. Before I can respond, he turns and slips inside the safety of the classroom, leaving me standing alone in the hall.
Okay.
Let’s regroup.
I’m off the team. For now.
The guy who I thought was my best friend turns out to be a snake in the grass.
But Nora is still here, and she’s still mine.
At least I have that going for me.
I’ll deal with Robby later, but right now, I have more important things to do. Not only do I need to make it through the day, but I need to see what else Bethany has up her sleeve.
The stunt with the posters this morning was pretty good, but knowing her, there’s more. She doesn’t know when to quit, which means that Nora’s bad day is probably about to get infinitely worse.
Ignoring the fact that I should be headed to class right now and that I’m about to be counted absent, I turn and stalk down the hall. If I remember correctly, Bethany has French right now, so I’m going to pay her a little visit and see what the fuck she’s planning for the rest of the day.
Chapter 11
Nora
“I saw the posters.”
I’m bent over my painting, trying out the palette knife painting technique that Mrs. Carlson showed us all at the beginning of class when Jade slides into my peripheral vision and gives a small wave. Even though I try to ignore her, it’s impossible to keep my eyes on my painting for too long. Sighing, I swipe one more angry blue streak across my painting and put my palette knife down.
I hate that Jade saw the posters. All damn day I’ve tried to forget about them, with no real luck. Art is supposed to be my safe place, and her bringing it up right now is enough to make me sick.
