I can’t let this continue, they’re getting loud enough that someone down the hall or an RA is going to hear. So, I admit it.
“I was lying!”
Terrence stares at me without any smug expression.
“You should sit down for this…”
We sit on the floor across from each other like we used to do Freshman year. He stares at me with one cocked brow. It’s too late to lose my nerve, but my mouth is suddenly dry. I clear my throat.
“You were right. My flight landed the day before. And all those times I said I was going to the library to study, I was at Christos’ place.”
His brows furrow and I brace for more yelling.
“Who?” he deadpans.
We’re both shocked into dumbfounded silence. Alex’s muffled giggles are the only sound till I finally shake myself from the stupor. “
Coach Chris.”
Terrence’s eyes bulge out of his head and he rears back, his head hitting the bottom board of his bed “Wha–OW!” I move towards him, but he holds a hand out to stop me. “Hold on, for how long?”
So, without getting into the juicy details, I tell him everything. About the texting, the initial agreement to not sleep with each other, the buildup, the breakdown, and the kinda-sort-of-breakup. Terrence sits there, his knees pulled up to his chest like a kid at story time.
After all that, he says, “Shit, dude.”
I chew my bottom lip. “I don’t think I’ve actually said sorry yet.”
“No, I mean—apology accepted.” He shakes his head like he’s trying to shake off double vision. “That’s like… a lot.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“Nah, sounds like you’ve been tortured enough. What do they call that?”
“Karma?” Alex offers while leaning against the wall on the edge of our little secrets circle.
“Contrapasso?” These last few months have definitely been their own special circle of hell.
He responds with a resounding, “Just-deserts is what I was thinking.” He rests his head on the base of the bed. “So, are you and Coach going to make up?”
“Can we please call him Christos?”
Terrence and Alex ask, “Why?”
“He’s still Coach to me,” Terrence points out.
Meanwhile, Alex argues, “I still think you’re into authority figures.”
She couldn’t be more wrong, but we are not getting into that in front of Terrence of all people.
“I don’t know if we’regoing to work. The sneaking around sucked.”
“Yeah,” Terrence shrugs. “But I was the only one who noticed and now that I know, I could help cover for you.” I’m shocked by the offer, which he notices, adding, “I don’t see what the big deal is. He’s not your coach, or a teacher, or anything. Worst he would do if you broke up is ban you from the rink.”
“Which he won’t,” I say. “I already tried giving him the key back and he refused.”
“See, he’s a good guy. Why should anyone get in the way of that?”
I can almost hear Alex’s eye roll from across the room. “Because he’s still an adult with more influence?”
