Out of the Shadow

by J. L. Paul

  “I need to talk to you really fast,” she said, her eyes dripping with worry.

  “Sure,” he said with a shrug and followed her to the break room.

  She closed the door and leaned against it. She took a deep breath and wet her lips. “Cole, I heard about Ally and Robby and I’m really sorry.”

  His brows scrunched up as he jammed his hands in his jeans pockets. “I’m not following you. What about them? They’re friends – so what?”

  She stepped toward him and rested a sympathetic hand on his arm. “No, they’re not. Doug told me that Rhys Redden managed to get tickets to Oakwood Manor for Robby and Ally for the New Year’s party and that they’ve been dating since before Christmas.”

  Cole shook his head as a doubtful laugh left his lips. “Not likely. Ally and Robby are only friends.”

  Lila bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Cole, but it’s true.”

  A fist clutched his lungs and squeezed as he shook off her hand, pushed her away, and stormed out the door. It just could not be true.

  ***

  “What in the hell happened to you?” Robby demanded as he opened the door and admitted her. The tantalizing aroma of spicy chicken and beans wafted to her nose.

  Her once neat ponytail was in wild disarray and she was certain her face was a mess. On the drive over, little aches and pains had made themselves known and when she’d glanced in the mirror, she’d noticed a few scratches on her cheek, a welt under her left eye, and a bit of dried blood on her bottom lip.

  “I got into a fight in the locker room,” she said as tears began to well in her eyes. “Stupid, really, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

  He gathered her in his arms and she closed her eyes to bury her face in his chest. “Ally,” he cooed. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded and eased out of his arms to smile up at him. “Yeah. She’s one of those jealous types. She started ragging me about why Cole and I broke up and then she threw in my dad’s drug addiction for the hell of it and I couldn’t help myself.”

  He gently brushed her hair aside and inspected her face. “She got a few licks in, huh?”

  “A few,” Ally admitted before an evil glint sparkled in her eyes. “But I got in my share, too.”

  He smiled and kissed the welt near her eye. “Maybe it was therapeutic,” he said then gave her a stern look. “Not that I condone that type of behavior.”

  She rolled her eyes and fell back into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. “And maybe this is therapeutic.”

  He held her, gave her a squeeze then kissed the top of her head. “Come to the kitchen. I stopped and grabbed some food.”

  “Mexican,” she said as she released him. “I smelled in when I walked in the door.”

  He chuckled as he fetched two plates from a cabinet. “Glad I rate higher than the food.”

  She smiled at him. “You do.”

  He winked and set a plate in front of her then turned to grab silverware. She opened the cartons and started dishing out the food.

  They talked while they ate and Ally told him about her conversation with Jamie earlier that morning. He set his fork down and tented his fingers over his plate.

  “He’s right, Ally,” Robby said. “He needs to know, especially since I’m going to be working with him. Now, I can take him aside and tell him, but I think he’d rather hear it from you.”

  She groaned and rested her head on the table. “I know, I know.”

  “You’re about to get salsa in your hair,” he said, in an effort to lighten the mood. She lifted her head and raised a brow at him. She slipped out of her seat and climbed in his lap, straddling his legs. His hands rose to her waist as a dimpled smirk crossed his lips.

  “And you’ve got salsa right…here,” she said in a low voice. She kissed the corner of his mouth. He moved his hands to the small of her back and pressed her closer as her lips closed over his. He deepened the kiss, much to her delight, and she raked her hands through his hair. A sense of sweetness enveloped her heart as his arms wrapped around her and held her protectively close to his body. She moved her lips over his, hungry for the excitement that always rattled her body whenever he kissed her.

  Then, the front pocket of her sweatshirt started to ring. Her foggy mind didn’t register it but Robby’s did.

  He pulled his lips slightly away from hers. “Answer your phone or turn it off.”

  She grinned and yanked it out of her pocket, flipping it open quickly. “Hello?” she answered a bit breathless.

  “When the hell were you going to tell me, Al?” Cole demanded.

  It was like someone dumped frigid water over her head at that moment. “Cole?”

  “When did you plan on telling me that you and Robby are dating?” he asked, his voice cold fury. “After I started working with him? Or did you think that you could just come in the studio and make out with him and let me figure it out on my own?”

  “No…Cole…I wasn’t,” she tried to explain. All the words she’d thought she had carefully planned disappeared and her mind turned numb. “Cole…”

  “Save it, Al,” he said.

  She summed up the last vestiges of her anger. “Maybe I was waiting for you to tell me about the girl you’re dating,” she said, her voice rising. She’d started to move off of Robby’s lap but he clutched her hips tightly and shook his head.

  “What girl?” he growled.

  “That Lisa or Lila or whatever her name is,” she said, hitting her stride. “The one you made the date with that night we were all over RJ’s house. That girl.”

  He snorted out a sarcastic laugh. “You think I’m actually dating Lila, huh? Figures. But no, Ally, I’m not. And if you would have just asked, I would have explained what that was all about. But you were just waiting for an excuse to run to Robby, weren’t you?”

  “No,” she tried to protest.

  “Whatever,” he said. “I have to go.” He hung up without another word.

  Ally slowly shut her phone and turned her watery eyes on Robby. He gently touched her face and pulled her back into his embrace.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ally woke early the next morning, her lip sore and puffy, and her eye stinging. She gathered up her things and tiptoed out of the room without waking Shannon. She showered, dressed, and, skipping breakfast, raced to the Athletic Building. She paused before Coach Thornberg’s door and knocked softly.

  “Come in,” Coach called and Ally timidly entered. Coach smiled and gestured for Ally to take a seat. “Thank you for coming in so early.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ally gushed, unable to hold back any longer. “I know I was wrong to fight with Danielle, but she said some pretty terrible things.”

  Coach held up a hand and stopped Ally’s rambling. “Sami came to me and told me everything that happened. I know Danielle was baiting you, probably looking for a fight. But unfortunately, I cannot just let this matter drop. Someone told the Dean of Students and he’s insisting that I dole out a strict punishment.”

  Ally swallowed and nodded, bracing herself for what was to come. “I understand.”

  “I hate to do this, Ally,” Coach Thornberg said, her eyes sympathetic. “But I have to impose a five game suspension on both of you.”

  “Five games?!” Ally exclaimed, scooting to the edge of the chair. “But we only have five games left.”

  “I know,” Coach said a bit tersely. “But my hands are tied.”

  Ally nodded again and massaged her forehead. “I’m sorry. Um, do you think it would be all right if I came to practice tonight to tell the team what happened and to apologize in person?”

  Coach’s eyes widened in surprise but her lips eventually curved into a smile. “If you’d like. I think the team would appreciate it.”

  “Okay,” Ally said as she stood and shouldered her bag. “I need to get to class.”

  She shuffled out of the office, her tormented mind wondering what she’d say to the rest of her teammates. She didn’t
think they’d have much of a chance at the finals without her and Danielle and the other girls would be sorely disappointed. But, she was partially to blame for the situation and she figured the right thing to do would be to own up to her mistake and apologize. Maybe someday they’d forgive her.

  She bent her head against the bitter January wind and the large, fluffy snowflakes as she stepped out onto the slushy sidewalk and turned toward the academic buildings. She wrapped a scarf around her face and tugged on the beanie she’d yanked over her head that morning. She wasn’t much in the mood for class and considered going back to her dorm so she could indulge in a little bit of self-pity, but she didn’t think it would be a good idea. She was in enough trouble as it was.

  “Ally!” Jamie shouted, his long legs stretching to catch up with her. She stopped and he grabbed her arm. “Where were you this morning?”

  “Meeting,” she mumbled, tying her scarf around her face.

  “Come on, we’re not going to class right now,” he said, dragging her back the way she’d just come. “I told the professor we had a family thing to deal with.”

  “James,” she whined. “Where are you taking me?”

  “A meeting,” he said gruffly as he pulled her to the parking lot.

  She sighed and relented, gratefully climbing in his car to get out of the cold. “What kind of meeting?” she asked through her thick scarf.

  “RJ wants to talk to you,” he said as he started the car and put it in gear without allowing the engine to warm up. “And don’t worry, Cole is not there.”

  “I am not skipping class to go talk to RJ,’ she protested. “He can wait until classes finish.”

  “Nope,” Jamie insisted, concentrating on the road through the blowing snow. “You have practice, anyway.”

  She pursed her lips, not ready to reveal the horrible events of the previous day. “Fine, but I’m not hanging out there all day, just so you know.”

  “I’m not asking you to,” he said as he cut through the streets and drove slowly through the threatening weather. He didn’t speak for the rest of the short trip, too intent on the road. When they parked in front of the house, she hopped out of the car and ran to the door, anxious to hear what RJ had to say and get back to campus.

  RJ met them at the door and hurried them inside. They unzipped their coats and when Ally removed her hat and scarf, RJ gaped at her. “What the hell happened to you?”

  Jamie’s head snapped around as he, too, noticed her face. “Cuz?”

  She waved them off. “Basketball,” she mumbled. “Now what is this meeting all about?”

  RJ stared at her face for a moment longer then crossed his arms over his chest. “I thought you were going to tell Cole about Robby?”

  “You told me yesterday that you were going to tell him after practice,” Jamie added.

  “Who told him?” she asked.

  “Lila found out and told him yesterday,” RJ said. “We were at a meeting at the studio and she took him aside afterwards and told him.”

  Ally cursed under her breath and whirled away from the boys, tears forming in her eyes. She sucked in a breath, loathing that Lila girl with all she had inside. It seemed she was bound and determined to make Ally’s life miserable.

  “I’m sorry,” Ally whispered.

  “Don’t tell me you’re sorry,” RJ growled. “I think you owe someone else an apology.”

  “I know,” she said as she stomped into the kitchen. She stood before the sink, suddenly remembering how Cole had done the exact same thing when she’d confessed that she’d kiss Robby. “I know.”

  They followed her. “Why didn’t you just tell him?” Jamie asked. “I mean, I’m sure it would have still hurt him but I think he would have rather heard it from you.”

  She spun around, blotting at the tears falling from her eyes. “I had every intention of doing just that, James,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even. “But then I got into a fight in the locker room and I got kicked out of practice, which really sucks, because now I’m suspended for the next five games. The last five games.”

  RJ took two long strides to stand before her. He held her by the shoulders and forced her to look up at him. “Are you all right?” He gently touched the slight, purplish bruise under her eye. “Did she hurt you?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, shaking RJ off. “Fine.”

  “Cuz,” Jamie groaned.

  “She deserved it, Jamie,” she said, clenching her teeth. “She said some pretty nasty things.”

  “You still have to keep your temper,” RJ lectured. “At least it’s just basketball this time. You could have gotten in real trouble with school.”

  “Who’s in trouble at school?” Cole asked as he appeared in the doorway, snow melting in his dark hair. His eyes landed on Ally and he shoved the bags in his hands at Jamie before pushing past RJ. “What happened to you?”

  “Nothing. Just a fight,” she said, ducking her head.

  “A fight? With who?”

  “A girl on her basketball team,” RJ said. “That’s why she didn’t call you last night. Now she’s been suspended and can’t finish the season.”

  Cole sucked in a breath and gripped her chin a little roughly, forcing her to look at him. “That was really stupid, Ally.”

  She jerked her chin out of his grasp and narrowed her eyes, her heart pumping loudly in her ears. “Yeah, well, you would have done the same thing if you would have heard her.”

  Jamie placed the bags on the kitchen table and joined the other two crowding around her. “What did she say?”

  Her jaw tightened as she fixed each boy with a glare. Her fists balled up at the mere thought of Danielle’s words and she had a sudden urge to hit something. The anger returned and roared to life and dripped out of her eyes in the form of tears.

  She shook her hair off her shoulders and shrugged in a nonchalant manner. “She said she knew why Cole dumped me,” she started, noticing the flash of pain in Cole’s eyes. “She said he dumped me because he was afraid I’d ruin his band the way my dad ruined Tight Control. She said my dad only retired because he was a washed up drug addict and that pretty soon I’d end up in the gutter right beside him.”

  She bit her lip and swiped quickly at her tears, ignoring the sympathetic looks in the boys’ eyes. She pushed past them and headed for the door.

  “But I shut her up. She won’t say anything like that again, at least not around me,” Ally declared fiercely. “And I don’t want to miss anymore class so James, please take me back to campus.”

  “Ally,” RJ said quietly. “Stick around, okay? We’ll talk about this.”

  “There’s nothing left to say,” she responded. “And I want to go to class. James, are you taking me or do I have to walk?”

  Jamie groaned and smiled weakly at his friends. “Let’s go, cuz.”

  ***

  Cole slumped in the recliner, the remote control loose in his hands, and replayed every word Ally had said that morning. He’d always known she had a temper but it was growing shorter and shorter. She was going to get in a lot of trouble, soon, if she didn’t watch it.