It's the fact that they partied together for a couple of years and he was always super reserved about his conquests.
Obviously there's nothing wrong to keep one’s hookups private, but knowing Landon, I see how that's odd for him.
In everything else he’s an open book, he wears his heart on his sleeve.
And while he never disclosed anything, the girls did talk and it was known that he never fucked any of the cheerleaders.
There's a wall in the girls’ locker room where someone started rating the football players sexual abilities.
Apparently they get rated for kissing, size and how good a fuck they are overall, and Landon hasn't got a rating for the latter.
I don't blame him for not confiding in any of us about being a virgin, of course we’d have ribbed him mercilessly.
I'm still the laughing stock of the group for how I fucked up with Aubrey on that beach, so I understand his need for privacy.
In my case I totally deserved to be outed after how I treated Aubrey.
“Hey, you're miles away.”
She whispers in my ear and I can't help but smile, while I tuck a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear.
“I was just noticing how much more affectionate Landon is with you lately. So I guess that he finally felt safe enough that you wouldn't choose and dump him?”
We're whispering so the others can't hear our conversation.
She nods and asks me if that bothers me.
I tighten my arms around her waist and whisper into her ear, my lips barely touching her skin, inhaling her sweet scent.
“No, it doesn't. I take it went well and I see you’re happy. So if anything it turns me on a little. Am I weird?”
She giggles, dragging her lips against my jaw and then asks me if I’d like to watch.
And shit!
I'm fucking shocked that the answer is yes, that seeing her with any of the others actually sounds hot as fuck.
Only because I know that she's as much mine as she's theirs and that I can touch her, and kiss her, and love her whenever I want.
I'm so fucking elated by the lightness I feel in my heart that there's no cheating, no lies and none of the stress I felt when I was pushing Aubrey away, scared of being judged, that I almost don't hear the school comms system coming to life and blaring an announcement.
‘Miss Richmond to the principal's office. Miss Aubrey Richmond, please report to the principal’s office.’
Aubrey looks around the table at each of us, worry shadowing the beautiful smile she had just a second ago.
“I hope there isn't something wrong with my mom. I know I’m still mad at her and Daddy for that ambush with Tyler but I've been worried about her. Morning sickness has got her really bad.”
She collects her book bag and rises from my lap and without a word, we all follow her to the admin wing.
We walk behind her in the school’s empty hallways, shoulder to shoulder, ready to help our girl with whatever this is about.
When we enter the front of the office, Mrs Avery the school secretary gives us a tight smile.
“Just Miss Richmond, please.”
I'm about to open my mouth to protest, knowing full well that even if her mom were sick, or something else had happened at home, it would be confidential.
Mr McArthur opens the door to his office, peering out behind Mrs Avery.
He takes in our presence with a tired gaze, he looks kinda defeated and as if he has to do something he’d been dreading.
“I was gonna have you four called in next and Coach Benson too. But I guess we could have one big conversation rather than multiple ones. As long as Miss Richmond doesn't mind. Mrs Avery, could you notify Coach Benson that I need him here as soon as possible, please?”
Aubrey looks at the principal and then at each of us and she looks as perplexed as we all feel, especially seeing the principal's discomfort when he looks at all of us.
We file into the office one by one and Mr McArthur helps Aubrey into a chair facing his mahogany desk, before sitting back behind it.
“Gentlemen, would you please take a seat?”
There's only three extra chairs in the office, so I'm more than happy to stand up behind Aubrey, arms folded over my chest.
Knox also decides to save a chair for coach.
As Coach Benson enters the office, I notice that he looks as perturbed as the principal and I really begin to wonder what the fuck’s going on here.
It can't be about us all dating Aubrey, right?
I mean, we haven't been exactly hiding our relationship and I know that people at school love to gossip, but even so, we're all eighteen, so what we do and who we date shouldn't really concern the faculty.
Right?
The principal takes a deep breath before addressing Aubrey.
“Miss Richmond, are you dating any of these young men in the room?”
We all react at once.
“Why are you asking?”
Aubrey.
“I don't understand what concern of yours this might be.”
Landon.
“This is none of your business and an inappropriate question to boot.”
Knox.
Teague and I look at each other and we both register the furious look on coach’s face.
Fuck!
So it's no surprise what comes next.
“Answer my question, please, Miss Richmond.”
“Yes.”
“Yes you're dating one of the gentlemen in the room?”
“Uhm, no.”
The principal looks frustrated.
“Are you dating one of these guys or not, Miss Richmond?”
She sighs and faces the principal head on.
“I am.”
“Which one.”
Aubrey's voice is firm and confident when she informs the principal that she is in fact dating all of us.
“All four?”
This is coach.
“Yes, all four. May I ask why you wanna know?”
Mr McArthur’s lips thin out in a tight, severe line.
“I was hoping the rumours weren't true.”
I’ve had enough of this bullshit and I come one step forward, standing at an angle that allows me to look at both the principal and coach at the same time.
“Sir, I don't understand why we're all here. Is it against school code to date more than one person? If so, the academy would be empty of students. Granted, we're open about it but—”
The principal shakes his balding head and explains.
“Your dating status in itself isn't something the academy cares about. The problem is with the particular four students Miss Richmond is dating and with the opportunities her cheerleader position affords her.”
“I don't understand.”
Coach explains, looking straight at Aubrey.
“It has to do with the results of the latest drug tests we performed on the football team.”
Landon is the first one to talk.
“Did we test positive again?”
Aubrey protests.
“That's impossible! I’ve been guarding their drinks with my life!”
The principal's expression looks more and more grim with every word uttered by Aubrey and then coach throws us a real curveball.
“No, actually. You four were the only team members to test negative. The rest of the team tested positive to the same substances found in the first three positive tests that started this whole mess. As you know, we’ve decided to perform our own tests on the whole team when you three protested your innocence and doubted the legitimacy of the positive results. So we started testing independently from the anti-doping board, and we test everyone to make it fair and to have total certainty when it comes to you three.”
I ask if this is why we’ve been tested more and coach confirms that at the moment us three are undergoing the anti-doping tests administered by the anti-doping board and also the ones administered independently by the school.
�
��You three and Mr Marks are actually the only players to have tested clean on the last three occasions.”
Coach looks furious.
“The only reason why our team hasn't been disqualified is that the board hasn't performed any more random tests but concentrated on you three and the tests performed by our academy remain our property and therefore private.”
It's a lot to take in but Teague voices everyone's perplexity.
“What I don't get is what does all this shit have to do with Aubrey.”
“Miss Richmond is the only difference between the players that tested positive and the ones who didn't.”
I react immediately:
“This is bullshit! Why would Aubrey—”
The principal sighs, looking tired and troubled at the same time.
“Trust me Mr Archer, I was very reluctant to have this conversation with Miss Richmond. This is why I’ve ignored all the rumours when even you were convinced that Miss Richmond interfered with your drinks.”
He must notice my tense reaction because he explains:
“You kids think that the faculty are blind and deaf but we know a lot of what happens under our roof. It's our job, Mr Archer. And despite Miss Richmond being a new student this year, her family has been attending BHPA for generations. The Richmonds have always been among our best students and our most fervent supporters and fully involved with the alumni activities ...”
I do my best not to roll my eyes: what he means is that Aubrey's family donates a shit ton of money to the academy.
“So, it’s with a very heavy heart that I called Miss Richmond here today but we’ve received an anonymous tip and after being aware of the rumours that Miss Richmond had something to do with the first positive tests, we had no choice but to investigate this matter further. And the involvement with Miss Richmond seems to be a decisive factor in the results of those drug tests. So Aubrey, is there anything you wish to tell me and Coach Benson?”
Before Aubrey can utter a word, Knox intervenes.
“That doesn't make any sense, Mr McArthur. Forgive my bluntness here, but I was the first out of us four to date Aubrey here at school and I’ve never tested positive. This must surely put a dent in your theory. And anonymous tips or not, you can't go around accusing people, you need proof.”
The principal shakes his head, slowly.
“And proof is what we're trying to get, Mr Marks. The first piece of evidence, was an analysis on the school provided sports drinks. The four bottles yourself and the other three gentlemen didn’t consume were analysed and the substances found were consistent with the first positive results. And Miss Richmond herself has just admitted that she has been providing you four with all your drinks on game day.”
Teague shakes his head and I don’t miss the exasperation in his tone.
“Sir, but isn’t this proof that Aubrey has nothing to do with all of it, if anything? The fact that we passed the drug tests and drank only what she gave us means—”
Mr McArthur looks dead serious when he explains that actually at the beginning of the season, when we tested positive, the rumours were that Aubrey was into me but I rejected her.
And of course, the principal believes that theory because he witnessed Aubrey’s reaction when she first saw me at the assembly on the first day of school and blurted out that infamous ‘fuck me’.
I have only my own dumbass self to blame for the way I shunned Aubrey afterwards and for how I yelled at her in public more than once when I thought that the tainted drinks were payback for ignoring her.
If even I thought that she was responsible for it all, how can I be surprised if others believe that too?
Especially because I was very vocal about it.
And I can easily guess Mr McArthur’s line of thought: at first Aubrey messed with us when I was ignoring her and the others were only vaguely involved with her but now that we’re all officially dating her, she would protect us.
What the principal and coach are failing to provide is a motive to mess with the rest of the team.
But do they really need a motive? All they really need is proof that she did it.
Aubrey must be following a similar train of thought because she squares her shoulders and asks the principal what was the anonymous tip that made him call her into this office today.
Mr McArthur hands her a piece of paper that looks like it’s been torn from a notebook.
“It was found this morning in the suggestion box that Mrs Avery checks every morning. As you know, we have an online one too but we still keep a box in the admin offices.”
The piece of paper says:
‘Aubrey Richmond is the one fucking with the football team’s drinks. If you want proof, search her locker.’
Aubrey
I KNOW I’VE NOTHING to do with what’s happening to the football team, so actually this could be good to exonerate me once and for all.
“So, this is why you called me in here? You want to search my locker?”
The principal and coach confirm that’s their intention and I tell them that it’s totally all right with me.
“Let’s go, then. I haven't done anything wrong, so let’s clear this up.”
I rise from my chair but Knox asks if I have the right to have a parent present or a lawyer.
The principal shakes his head in denial.
“The student lockers are and remain property of the academy, so it’s in our right to search them if we have reason to believe that they might contain illegal or dangerous substances or any item prohibited on campus. The reason why we called Miss Richmond in here today, is because we value our students’ privacy and we were hoping that something could emerge from this conversation that would deem a search unnecessary.”
I jut my chin up and look at the principal.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. Let’s get this over with.”
Coach steps closer to me, his big frame effectively blocking me from leaving the room.
“Young lady, I need to warn you that if we were to find any evidence of wrong doing, the consequences would be extremely serious: immediate expulsion from BHPA and if the school were to press charges, legal consequences too. Also, some of those pills are controlled substances so it’s illegal to purchase them without a medical prescription.”
I’ve always disliked Coach Benson, especially because Reece, Pryce, and Chaz told me how he treated them the entire time last year, believing the rumours that they had sexually assaulted Max’s ex-girlfriend.
So I'm not surprised at all that he looks at me as if I were guilty.
I glare at him with the most defiant look I can muster and drawl:
“Let's go and get this over and done with. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
We walk down the hallway, and stop at the row of lockers closest to the A-Classroom.
First period is just over and students are starting to trickle out on their way to their next class.
We must be quite a sight to behold: me surrounded by the guys in their letterman jackets, followed closely by the principal and Coach Benson.
The men wait behind me while I put in the combination to open my locker and the gasp when I pull the metal door open is a collective one.
“What the fuck?”
That's my voice coming out as if someone had knocked the wind out of me and the guys behind me use very similar expletives.
Somehow I'm not worried about being heard cussing since in my locker, sitting on the first shelf there are two boxes of weight loss pills and two of diuretics or water pills.
I turn around to look at the principal and I know it sounds extremely lame, but I find nothing better to say than:
“This shit isn't mine. I swear I’ve never seen it before and I've no idea how it made it into my locker.”
The principal and Coach Benson are looking at me with matching serious expressions and Mr McArthur’s voice is low and somber when he informs me that I'm expelled, effective immediately.
I don't
even have time to react to the news when the guys explode in an array of protests.
“You can't do that! She said that shit isn't hers!”
Devon.
“If you expel her, I refuse to play football tomorrow night.”
Teague.
“Me too!”
Landon and Knox.
“Sir, with all respect, I believe her and I think she's being framed. There must be a way to prove Aubrey's innocence. What about the security cameras in the hallway? There must be some footage that can tell us if someone has tampered with Aubrey’s locker. And by the way, as long as my girlfriend is expelled, I’m not playing football either.”
Devon again.
Coach Benson starts yelling at the guys that they have a responsibility towards the whole school, that they can't let everybody down by refusing to play.
“Son, if the four of you refuse to play, we might as well forfeit the final. I don’t have another quarterback and I’d have to draw from the junior varsity team. Plus Teague and Landon are our best running backs. You can’t do that to us.”
We all know how much coach has riding on tomorrow night’s game, so I’m not surprised when he pleads with the principal.
“Adam, is there anything that can be done?”
The principal shakes his head.
“I’m afraid my hands are tied. Miss Richmond, you need to leave campus immediately. All I can promise is to get in touch with our security company and view that camera footage in hopes that it exonerates you. But it might take twenty four hours.”
I’m too shocked to say anything and lean into Devon’s side when he wraps a protective arm around my shoulders.
“We’re all going home with our girlfriend. It looks like you have until tomorrow afternoon to look at that footage.”
When we move to leave, the principal tries to stop us:
“I would think twice before refusing to play tomorrow. If you four want a letter of recommendation for college from any of your teachers, I suggest—”
Devon calls his bluff.
“Fair enough. My father is a Harvard alumnus, I’m sure he’ll find a few of his buddies willing to write letters for all of us. Our plan is to attend Harvard together, the five of us. So, for as much as I’d love your help, sir, I’m gonna tell you right now that my father and Mr Richmond will be extremely unimpressed that you won't work harder to see that justice is upheld. Isn't that what school should teach us?”
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 89
