What if he did run her out of town, and she’s never coming back?
“Hey,” Atlee says warmly from behind me.
I turn. She’s holding a mug, still dressed in her pajamas. Her eyes are soft and sympathetic when I turn around.
“I saw her moving her things out this morning. I tried to stop her before she left, but I was too late. I came up here and saw the note she left,” she says, nodding toward the counter.
My hands shake when I pick it up. My eyes quickly flit across the page to the short message she left.
That’s it. That’s all she left me with.
“How do you know she was moving her things out?”
“I watched her carry her duffel bag and the blanket she brought with her,” she says gently. “When I checked the closet and the bathroom, everything that was hers is gone.”
“When did you last talk to her? Did she say anything?”
Atlee hesitates. “Not since I dropped her off last night after the game. She looked tired, though. Like maybe she hadn’t slept much.”
Of course she didn’t sleep.
Her father has eyes on her.
The words replay in my head like a warning siren. He wasn’t bluffing when he said he was watching. And I’m the idiot who thought I could handle it.
I exhale hard.
“Did something happen between you two? Are you okay?”
She studies me for a second, like she’s trying to figure out how everything unraveled this fast.
“Her father wasn’t part of her life,” I explain. “He left before she was born. She grew up not even knowing if he was aware she was out there.”
Atlee’s brows knit together. “Okay…?”
“She transferred to Rixton. I think in hopes of meeting him, maybe she hoped they could build a relationship. I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it much.”
There’s a beat.
“Cooper…”
“Her father,” I say, forcing the words out. “It’s Coach Dawson.”
Her face drops. “Oh shit.”
I nod. “After the game last night, he called me into his office. I thought it was about my shoulder. Instead, he warned me to stay away from her. He said he’ll find out if I do. I guess he’s watching her.”
“He’swatching her?” she repeats. “What does that even mean?”
“Well, his words were,” I say, jaw tightening, “actions have consequences. If I don’t follow his orders, I could be risking my career.”
Atlee exhales sharply. “Are you shitting me? That’s a load of bullshit.”
I shoot her a look.
She shrugs. “Don’t act like you’re not thinking the same thing.”
I am. I just don’t know what to do with it.
