Page 57 of Broken As Puck

Delacrue turned in his chair and glared. “Why do Matthews and the PR girl need to be here?”

I raised my chin. “I’m a witness.”

“And she has a name,” Matt added. “It’s Chelsey. As for me? I have information that might be relevant.”

Mr. Robertson waved his hand dismissively. “You can both stay.” He focused on Gadot and Delacrue. “I want to hear what happened directly from you, but if you lie, Chelsey will tell me what actually happened. Understood?”

They both nodded.

Gadot leaned forward, his foot tapping impatiently. “I overheard Delacrue say something homophobic.”

Delacrue sighed. “All I said was that I didn’t want the team to become a laughingstock.”

“And what is it that would make us a laughingstock?” Mr. Robertson asked.

“This fundraiser for the queer kids, obviously.” Delacrue rolled his head from side to side.

“Why would that be the case?” Mr. Robertson’s voice implied that Delacrue would be an idiot if he attempted to answer this.

“Because they’re⁠—”

“Hold on,” Gadot broke in, his tone strained and full of emotion. “I know what Delacrue’s opinion of gay people is, but I’m not going to sit here and listen to him make excuses, and I won’t put up with them being spewed in public. Especially not in front of the media when we’re supposed to be discussing and celebrating a charity that’s close to my heart.”

Mr. Robertson inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Fair enough, Amir.”

“He shoved me,” Delacrue spat.

“Which shouldn’t have happened,” Mr. Robertson agreed. “We can’t afford for disagreements to become physical, and he’ll be reprimanded for that.”

Delacrue looked smug.

“But,” Mr. Robertson continued, staring down Delacrue as if daring him to put a foot out of line, “I don’t ever want to find out that you voiced your opinion on the matter of the LGBTQ+ population in public or to anyone who might share it with the press while you’re a member of this team. We don’t condone discrimination, and you will also be reprimanded.”

Matt raised his hand, and Mr. Robertson motioned for him to speak. Matt shifted his weight as if unsure of himself. “Delacrue also made a comment earlier about Chelsey. The way he referred to her was disrespectful, and he accused her of playing favorites and giving some players more publicity than others.”

“Well, it’s true!” Delacrue protested, apparently not smart enough to hold his tongue. “Harris, Kelly, and Matthews got way more attention today than anyone else.”

“Because that’s what the magazine wanted,” I explained. “They asked to focus on the team’s leadership, as you saw with the interviews of Mr. Trent and the coaches. Harris, Kelly, and Matthews got more camera time because they’re the captain and alternates.”

Mr. Robertson sighed. “I see.” He picked up a pen and twirled it between his fingers. “Chelsey, do you think the reporter heard the context of the argument?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted reluctantly. “But even if she didn’t at the time, the other guys are probably talking about it right now, so she’s bound to find out. Can I offer a suggestion?”

He gestured encouragingly. “Go ahead.”

I drew in a deep breath. “I think the best response to safeguard the team’s reputation is to suspend Delacrue and prepare a press release to make it clear that the team doesn’t share his opinion and that bigotry won’t be tolerated. We need to be proactive.”

Delacrue shot to his feet. “Fuck off. You can’t get me suspended just for speaking my mind.”

Matt put himself between me and Delacrue, and I was quietly grateful for it because Delacrue was a big guy, and his face was turning red with fury.

“Wait a minute,” Matt said, holding up a hand to keep Delacrue at a distance. “I have another idea.”

“Excuse me?” I demanded, rounding on him.

He reached into his pocket, tapped on his phone a few times, and passed it to Robertson, who read the screen, a groove forming between his eyebrows.

“I’ve been keeping a record of the times when Delacrue has said or done something that reflects poorly on the team,” Matt explained, briefly catching my eye. “I have dates, times, and a short note about the context. I suspected he might cause trouble, so I wanted to be prepared.”