“Side note: there is one guy who went to Weston’s school who just got out of prison. I thought that was interesting, so I followed the breadcrumbs. Did you know they’re still allowed to post on Facebook? His page is littered with posts from when he was still behind bars.”
“I did, actually.” My uncle had been serving time for possession since I was in middle school. His page was never without a new post.
“Hm,” Ari tried another sip of her hot drink. “Well, the guy from jail goes by the name Lawrence. We’re friends now and I think he thinks I’m into former jailbirds.”
“Lawrence?” My memory flashed to the large, intimating guy from the frat party. I remembered how easily his eyes raked across my body like he knew how to find my vulnerabilities.
“Yup,” she offered. “He seems harmless enough. He got out six months ago. Went back to his hometown.”
“Which is?”
Ari gave me a knowing smile. “Fairfield for the win. Once again.”
“Unbelievable.” I let out a half-hearted laugh.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just something Weston told me… or didn't tell me.” I waved my hand, dismissively. “Is that everything?”
“Basically.” She made a few clicks on her computer. “Honestly, besides his glaring hero complex, I see nothing you should be wary about. Weston seems like a great guy. My only qualm would be him putting everyone first. I want you to have some there for you.”
“He puts me first,” I promised. He did and would in a heartbeat. But she wasn’t completely wrong in her worry. Because the main reason we couldn’t be a couple was because he needed to be there for others. He’d give up normalcy for his life of favors. And if I didn’t find something to help him, he’d give up the possibility of us.
“Good.” Ari started typing. “Now, about these bastard coaches.”
I rolled back my shoulders, pushing back my problem for a moment to take care of something much more important. “Think we can do something?”
“Give me time and I’ll burn their houses down,” she told me with a knowing look. When I winced, she added, “Oh, jeez, sorry! Too soon. I met metaphorically, of course.”
“Great,” I said with a laugh. “Because I don’t want to have to come bail you out of jail.”
“Imagine that being our first in-person meeting.” She giggled. “God, I should almost do it for the story.”
“Don’t you dare,” I ordered.
“I’m a lot of things, Covee,” she reminded me with a wink. “Impulsive isn’t one of them.”
“That’s one of the things I love about you.”
She pressed her hand to her chest, exaggerating her feelings of being touched. I knew better. Through everything, we had each other. We always would. In millions of people on the internet, we found one another. We stuck together. If I wasn’t sure of anything, I was sure Ari would be in my life forever.
“Speaking of being impulsive…” She twisted her mouth to the side. “Think you can keep your hero calm while I work on getting dirt. The story could be huge if he’s patient. I need time for… completely legal snooping.”
I frowned. “Don’t be too risky, Ari. The hacking won’t be worth it if you suffer.”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted and hesitated before adding, “And so will you?”
“Excuse me?”
“No pressure, but this will go faster with you helping. You have the skill and know-how. I trust you,” she said in an encouraging tone. “I think it’s time you trust yourself.”
“I can’t make a mistake,” I said in a barely audible voice.
“You won’t,” Ari promised with certainty.
I sucked in a deep breath. Maybe I could. If I did this, it could do more than just free Weston from his ties with his coaches. Figuring this out would help Dakota. David. And anyone else Axe and Bill were hurting. Who knew how many players they affected.
“Alright.” I sat up straight. “Tell me where to start.”
