“I’ll stay home with Tiger,” Jax says immediately. “Tell him I can’t make it.”
I shake my head. “It sounds serious.”
“Yeah,” Callum adds.
Jax stands up. “She can’t stay here alone.”
“What happens when we’re at our away games?” I ask. “When we’re at practice? When we have classes?”
We all go quiet. Imagining her alone here. Imagining what could happen. What she might do.
Callum raises his eyebrow at Jax. “Better get used to it, buddy.” He looks at me. “You coming, Zeff?”
I nod and chug the rest of my water.
I turn to Jax on my way out. “I’m not making excuses for you to Coach.”
“Fuck you,” he calls back.
Callum and I walk out the front door. When we reach our trucks parked side by side, he asks, “What do you think it is?”
I shrug.
Callum laughs. “I bet it’s crybaby Rowan whining about something.”
I chuckle and get into my truck. He’s probably right.
We’re two of the first ones in the locker room, but everyone shows up shortly after. The whole team files in looking confused and annoyed at being called in on a rest day.
Everyone except Jax and Rowan.
Callum leans over. “Told you.”
I sit on the bench and wait for Coach to make his grand entrance. He doesn’t call emergency team meetings for nothing, so whatever this is, it’s bad.
Rowan walks out of Coach’s office first. Everyone stiffens. Including Callum.
Then Coach follows with a clipboard in his hand and murder in his eyes.
Rowan sits next to Nolan at the far end of the bench. Coach looks around the room slowly, making eye contact with each of us.
“Where the fuck is Jax?” he asks.
His eyes land on me, and I shrug because I’m not Jax’s keeper.
“You live with him, don’t you?” Coach snaps.
I don’t respond.
Coach turns to address the whole team. “I guess we’ll get started. First thing first, boys. Who the fuck threw protein powder all over your piss samples in the fridge?”
My eyes widen. I try to imagine what that would look like.
Coach’s eyes are wide and feral as he looks at each of us.
“I need someone to fess up.”
The room falls silent. We’re all looking around at each other, waiting for someone to crack.
