Coach leveled me with a flat glare. “Youdotrain hard, youdoappear to be committed, but I’ve been fooled before. Just this once, I will give you a pass. This will go on record in two weeksifyou can’t prove in that time that you,Jett Santo, got your drink spiked.Ifyou can, then you will be absolved of the offense you have committed.”
“I didn’t commit an offense,” I retorted angrily.
“I don’t fucking care!” Coach suddenly screamed as he leaped to his feet. “If you were stupid enough to get tricked, you’re as fucking reckless as I feared. This team is not for reckless, stupid, arrogantdevils. Now get the hell out of my office, tell no one, and I want you back here in two weeks or before, withproofthatyou’vebeen played.”
“Two weeks?”
“Yes, you’ve got an injured ankle.”
“I have an injured ankle . . .” I stood slowly as his meaning sank in. “I’m suspended?” I demanded, outraged at the outcome.
“Yes. What? You think I would let youplay?” Coach snorted in contempt as he sat back down heavily. “You may be privileged, boy, but you get noprivilegesin my team. Now get out, get proof, and keep your mouth shut.”
I had no choice but to leave him, and as I slammed the door behind me, I heard the crash from his office. I didn’t give a fuck what he had thrown, as I was pretty close to destroying something myself.
Gray was already on his feet as I stormed toward them. Ash was looking past me to the closed door.
“What is it?” Gray asked as I walked past them.
“I’ll tell you outside.”
We exited the locker room, and I jogged down the steps as my mind raced with the last ten minutes. Gray and Ash were silent as they kept pace beside me. When we were far enough from the sports building, the stadium rising behind it, I turned to them both.
“What did I drink on Friday?” I demanded of Gray.
“What? I dunno.” Gray looked at Ash, who shrugged. My brother tapped his hand off his thigh as he thought about it. “I wasn’t there long enough,” he said. “Why?”
“My drink was fucking spiked,” I spat out as I looked around to make sure there was no one else nearby. “I failed the drug test.”
“For real?” Ash asked in astonishment.
“I’m suspended for two weeks,” I added as I glared back at the modern sports building, as if the sandstone walls were the cause of my problems.
“Are you joking?” Gray demanded as he stepped closer to me. We were twins, but I was slightly taller, while my brother was broader. Our features were similar, but we weren’t identical; however, there was no denying that we were brothers. Our twin bond was just as strong, although some days that worked against us rather than for us.
“Do I look like I’m fucking joking?” I snapped at him, and his eyes narrowed at my tone. “Sorry,” I muttered as I shook my head.
“How did this happen?” Ash asked as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “The girl?”
“I think so,” I told him as Gray looked between us both.
“What girl?” he asked as we began to walk slowly onto the campus. Gray hadn’t come home Friday night, choosing to stay with whoever’s bed he had fallen into.
“Some blonde in my bed on Saturday morning,” I explained as we walked under the heavy tree canopy.
“I didn’t see a girl when I came back to get ready for practice,” Gray said as he looked between us. “Why am I just hearing about it?” Neither Ash nor I said anything as we walked on, each deep in our own thoughts. “And you don’t know who she was?” Gray probed.
“No clue.”
“So, she hooked up with you after you were spiked?” Gray surmised. “Otherwise, you would remember who she was if it happened before you took it.”
Ash looked thoughtful as he stopped walking. “Yeah, that’s a good point. We need to trace back to everyone you spoke to from the minute you turned up at the party to the last thing before you can’t remember.”
Nodding in agreement, I saw four of the guys from the team heading out of the library. They saw us and hollered. Forcing a smile on my face, I reached into my back pocket and put on my shades.
“We say nothing to anyone,” I told them both as I gestured toward our teammates heading toward us. “Act like nothing has happened. All they need to know is that my ankle got tweaked in practice and we’re being careful.”
“This is bullshit,” Ash muttered under his breath as he raised a hand in greeting.
