“You’re such a pretentious prick with this car,” she said as she got into the front seat.
“It’s an R8, it’s cool.”
“It is, you’re still a prick.”
I grinned at her. “You already anxious about seeing your number one fan?”
“You know he hates me because of Ash.” Quinn rolled her eyes. “But I told Dad you were driving me home and mentioned that your mom would want to see me, so he’s coming too. At least Dad will keep him on a leash.”
“Nice, should be fun.” I looked over at her. “You tell my mom to expect them?”
“Obviously, I told Sable.” She glanced at me. “Kerr realize you should be in Missouri?” Quinn asked as she slipped her sunglasses on.
“Yeah, and Dean Prick hauled me into his office,” I told her.
“For Mayhem?” she asked, and I nodded. “It was hardly worth a visit to his office; it was more inconvenience than Mayhem.”
“That’s what dad said.”
“You boys losing your touch?” she teased me as I drove.
“Warm-up act, Queeny, you know better.”
Her laugh was light in the car as she leaned forward to switch the music on. “I’m feeling the nineties vibe. Eddie or Kurt?”
“Hmm, both?” I suggested. “Start with Kurt.”
“Come as You Are” flooded the car, and I felt myself relax as Quinn started to sing along to the lyrics.
As we drove off campus, I thought about what to say to my dad and brother about Ava. Dad would want me to forget about it and would call Coach to make the problem go away. Onyx would agree, but he would want me to make her suffer a little. I smiled to myself.
I really hoped the dean hadn’t kicked her out. I wasn’t finished with Ava Bryant yet.
Chapter 21: Jett
Dinner had been good. Dad, Onyx, and I had aboys’ catch-upwhile Mom prepared the table. We had staff for that, but she liked to set the table, especially when she had guests coming.
Onyx had met my innocent stare with a knowing look when I showed up, telling them I had dropped Quinn off first and the Lawrences would be over for dinner. Mom knew, but it seemed she had kept her older son in the dark. His animosity toward Quinn wasn’t hidden, and he would have found a reason to bail had he been warned.
As I now sat outside Coach’s office on Monday morning before practice, I thought back to the conversation with my dad and older brother.
“Why are you benched?” Dad asked me as soon as the door to his study was closed.
“Failed a drug test,” I told him, and when his mouth fell open in surprise, I shared a look with Onyx. “We think I drank a bottle of water with a drug called Versed in it. It’s used mostly as an anesthetic. I actually have no idea why anyone would take it recreationally.”
“Youthink?” Onyx asked from his chair.
“One of the effects is memory loss. I have no recollection of the evening. I woke up the next day with no memory of the night before, of what I drank, or who gave it to me.” I saw the fury on my father’s face. “I didn’t know I had taken it. I took some painkillers before the game that morning for what I thought was a hangover, and the water was the same one with the drug, so I failed the random drug test.”
“Water? You drank spikedwater?” Dad asked as he began to pace. “Was it opened before you drank it?”
“I don’t know.”
“And Coach Bowers?”
“Doesn’t believe me,” I answered. “Well, hekind ofbelieves me. I have two weeks to prove I got my drink spiked.”
“If you don’t remember, how are you supposed to prove this?” Dad demanded angrily.
