Hey guys. I know I said I wouldn't update until the third week of May, but I totally bombed my calculus exam and I need something to draw my attention away from that.
Also, I want to throw out a quick note that Vera Kate has created a forum called Atoning - Chloe novella for anyone wanting to discuss Kelley's new Chloe novella. So go and vent all your pent up excitement and take part in a hearty discussion.
Disclaimer: I do now own The Darkest Powers
Much to my dismay, they kept me overnight and I wasn't released until noon of Friday. My fever was completely gone last night, but Aunt Lauren insisted that I be kept longer. Ever since I freaked out yesterday when she was prodding me for information, she's been acting differently. When Mr. Delaney had left after speaking to me yesterday, she had spoken to him for a while and she didn't seem happy. And when I received a surprise visitor last night after everybody had left, she seemed really anxious and almost angry that they dared step foot in my room, which was surprising.
Ms. Davis had stopped by yesterday to deliver the homework I had missed and to explain it. I thought it surprising that a teacher, this teacher, would take the time to visit a student in the hospital, but then I realized that the faculty at school had probably been informed of what happened just in case something like it happened again. Ms. Davis never mentioned what happened or even questioned it, but when I had reached forward to grab the papers from her and winced from stressing the bruise on my stomach, I thought I saw understanding in her eyes. She didn't stay long, just long enough to make sure that I understood the material.
I also had a visitor this morning just before I was released, but I really wish I hadn't. Mr. Delaney had stopped by again to check on me. I noticed first how tired he looked, like he'd been up all night. The fact that he wasn't smiling was also worrisome. And when he sat down next to me to explain just why he'd been up all night, I wish I could have just curled up in a ball and stayed another day.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news," he said. "After hearing your story yesterday, I brought Liam Malloy in for questioning. Unfortunately, his father accompanied him as representation and we weren't able to pull the information we needed. He did provide as alibi that he was out of town last night, which unfortunately checked out. So, I'm sorry to say that we didn't have enough to hold him."
"But it was him," I said. "I know it was him. I was there."
He held up his hands. "I know, but without the evidence, we can't keep him. We swept the area where he attacked you, but we couldn't find anything incriminating. I'm sorry. We will, however, work hard to make sure this doesn't happen again. The faculty at the school have been informed to watch out for anything and we've alerted his place of employment to call us if he doesn't show. Beyond that, I'm afraid, there's nothing we can do."
I nodded, not knowing what else to say. I did understand that there were rules the police had to follow that caused limitations to their power. I just didn't like knowing that Malloy was still walking around. It made me uneasy and a little sick to the stomach. So, when Dad asked me if I wanted to go straight home after being released, I almost said yes. However, I had already missed a day of school and I only had three classes I had to get through so I asked to go to school instead. Besides, I could use my daily dose of Mila and Sam.
Walking into study hall late wasn't my idea. I had arrived at school before class even started, but I had to spend half an hour sitting in the school counselor's office. She insisted that I see her to make sure I wasn't taking on too much too soon. I tried to convince her that I wasn't about to have a panic attack, but she wouldn't think of it. When I finally talked her into letting me leave, I was half an hour late and had to awkwardly walk into the silent classroom. I did receive a few sets of eyes glued to me as I walked in and handed Ms. Davis my note from the counselor.
My usual seat in the front of the room was taken, so I had to sit in the only empty table in the room, which was right behind Derek and Amber. As I walked past, Amber's elbow shot out as she turned page of her book and collided with my stomach and the bruise. I gasped in pain and squeezed my eyes shut to stop the tears that instantly formed. Pulling in a shaky breath, I wobbled to the table and sat down. As much as I didn't want to give in to her satisfaction of seeing me in pain, I dropped my head on the table and put my hands on my stomach. Malloy was stronger than he looked, which was saying something because he looked really strong, and had forced me against the tree hard enough to not only bruise, but the doctor had been concerned about internal damage and warned me against causing any external pressure to the area. Amber's bony elbow hadn't helped. If I had stitches, I'm sure they would be torn.
I was still biting back pain when the bell rang. Before heading to geography, I stopped at the nurse's office and begged for an ice pack. I didn't really have to beg, but I was in so much pain that it came out as a plea. I tucked the pack between my t-shirt and sweatshirt and casually held it there as I walked to class. I noticed a few funny looks and I realized holding my stomach that was bulging slightly from the ice pack looked similar to something else and I moved my book my front of my stomach. I didn't need a rumor that Derek knocked me up in the locker room floating around.
Walking into geography, I headed to my seat in the front when someone grabbed my arm and yanked me down into another seat.
"Sit," Tori said, letting go of my arm.
"Um, okay?" I said, really confused.
Tori's never really talked to me before even though we've been in the same school since kindergarten. It's hard to believe sometimes that she is Simon's sister considering how cold she was while he was one of the warmest people you'd ever meet. I sat awkwardly in the chair waiting for her to say something, but she kept her mouth shut and her attention glued to her phone. Glancing once more at my seat up front, I sighed when someone else claimed it.
"You're going to do me a favor," Tori said out of the blue, her attention still on her phone.
"Huh?" I said.
"You're going to deliver something for me," she said. "To one of the football players."
"What?" I asked.
She sighed in frustration. "What, are you slow? You go to practice every day, so you're going to give one of the players something for me."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I said so," she snapped. "Meet me at my locker after school to get it."
"But there's no practice today," I said. "It's game day."
"So wait until the school clears and sneak into their locker room," she said. "You don't have to give it to him in person."
"Why do I have to do this?" I asked. "If I have to sneak into the locker room, why can't you just do it?"
"Because nobody will think twice about you being there," she said. "Considering you're sleeping with two of them."
Shocked, I said, "What are you talking about? I'm not sleeping with anyone."
She scoffed. "What, do you think I'm dumb? Of course I know that. But nobody else seems to. They all think you're having sex with two of them and would probably just think you're sticking around for an after-hours quickie."
"I don't want them to think that!" I said.
"Stop being a baby," she said. "All you need to do is put it in his gym locker and leave. It'll take a second. And it's not like you're getting nothing out of it. It's a favor, so I'll owe you one."
I sighed. "What do I need to give him?"
"You'll see it when I give it to you," she said.
"Why can't I know beforehand?"
"Because then you won't do it," she said.
"I don't really want to do it now," I mumbled to myself.
Geography passed without another word from Tori and then I happily left for theatre. When I saw Liz sitting inside the classroom, I remembered that I never got Simon's letter for her. I guess I'll just have to do it on Monday. When Liz saw me walk into the room, she pulled her backpack off the seat next to her and patted the seat. I slowly made my way over and sat down.
"I didn't think you'd come to school today," she said. "Are you feeling better?"
I nodded. "Clean bill of health."
She smiled then and reached into her bag. She pulled out an envelope and handed it to me.
"But I never gave you his letter," I protested, taking it from her.
"He stuck it in my locker this morning," she said. "I wrote this in study hall. You can wait until Monday to give it to him."
"Okay," I said, carefully sliding it into my backpack.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked, her smile falling and a look of concern replacing it.
"Yeah," I said, "Why wouldn't I be?"
She shook her head. "Just don't forget the whistle, okay?"
My fingers went to my throat where the whistle was hanging from a chain.
"Your dad told you?" I asked.
"No," she said, "But I overheard him on the phone last night. He was talking to Kit about legal policies in sexual assault cases."
"Kit?" I asked.
"Tori and Simon's dad," she said. "He's a lawyer, so my dad was getting advice on working around Liam's dad, who's also a lawyer."
I bit my lip. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
"Of course not!" she said. "Not even Derek. Your secret is safe with me. Pinky promise."
She held out her pinky to me and I hooked mine around it, smiling at the innocence of it.
"Are you going to tonight's game?" she asked.
"Wouldn't miss it," I said.
"Good," she said. "Because we've been practicing our cheers extra hard this week."
At the ring of the bell, I was happy to go home for a few hours before the game when I remembered I needed to meet Tori. I stopped at my locker first and deposited my books. I'd grab them again after I did Tori's bidding.
"You're here!" Simon said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me into a small hug. "I didn't think you'd show today."
"I only made it to my last classes," I said.
"Well that's something," he said. "You going to the game tonight?"
I nodded. "You're off the hook."
"Great," he said. "If you're willing to wait a little bit, I can give you a ride if you want."
"I can walk," I said.
"Yeah, but you don't have to," he said. "And this way my dad will give me my keys back."
I laughed. "So, that's your motive. Alright."
"Great," he said. "I'll see you later."
"Oh, Simon wait," I said, reaching into my locker and pulling out the letter. "Here."
"That was fast," he said. "Hope it's not a rejection letter."
"Whatever it is, don't shoot the messenger," I said.
He nodded and headed off. I watched him go and as about to shut my locker when I saw Derek approach his out of the corner of my eye. Liam's message flashed through my head and I swallowed. He made it pretty clear that I had to tell Derek. He didn't have to say the or else part. I stood there, willing myself to speak, but I just couldn't do it.
"Derek?" I said.
He paused to look down at me.
"Uh," I said. I bit my lip and tried to force the words out. "Good luck with tonight's game."
He turned back to his locker without acknowledging me and I sighed. So I chickened out. What else is new? Shutting my locker, I left to find Tori. I didn't actually know where her locker was, so I was guessing. When I finally found her, I hurried over.
"Finally," she said. "All you have to do is hang these in his locker and leave."
She held out a pair of lacy, black panties and I balked.
"I'm not hanging that in a guy's locker!" I said, stepping back.
"Stop whining," she said. "It's just panties."
"Why do you want to give him that?" I asked.
"Why do you think?" she said. "Look, don't be a prude and just do it."
I hesitantly reached out and took them from her. Stuffing them into my pocket, I looked around to make sure nobody saw me.
"Whose locker?" I asked.
"Brady Hirsch," she said.
I sighed. "Fine."
She slammed her locker and walked off, leaving me standing there with panties in my pocket. I watched her leave and sighed. Praying I wouldn't be caught, I headed for the gym. Going into the girls' locker room, I looked around to make sure nobody was around before finding the door connecting the two rooms. Carefully opening the door and peeking inside, I didn't see anyone. Easing my way in, I tiptoed through and stopped. I had no idea which locker was his.
None of the guys had locks, so I quietly went from locker to locker, trying to find something that might be Brady's. I could easily tell the football players from the regular gym students, but beyond that I had no idea. I had made it through an entire section before I was interrupted.
"Whose locker are you looking for?"
I spun around to see Derek standing behind me with an athletic bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes drifted down to my hand, which held the panties. His eyebrow lifted ever so slightly before his eyes traveled back up to meet mine.
"Brady's," I said, almost in a whisper.
"It's on the end," he said.
He pulled the strap of his bag higher before walking off, leaving me alone. I let out a shuddering breath. Wanting to get out of there as fast as possible, I found his locker and hung the panties over the top hook so he'd see them when he opened the door. Shutting the locker behind me, I rushed out of there and back to my own locker to retrieve my things. That was even more embarrassing than flashing my bra at him.
I rushed home and tried to calm myself down by taking a nap before the game. I was too worked up to actually fall asleep, but I did relax a little. By the time Simon knocked on my door, I was ready to go. Stuffing my camera into my bag, I rushed out to meet him. As I walked out the door, I pulled Derek's sweatshirt over my head without even thinking what I was doing. Opening the door to see Simon standing there rocking back on his heels, I said hello and locked the door behind me. I turned around to see Simon giving me a funny look, but just shrugged it off.
"Ready to cheer until you're hoarse?" he asked as we walked out to his car.
"Hmm, I might save that for state," I said.
"Good call," he said.
We pulled into the school parking lot and instead of going through the school, but headed straight for the field. As we approached the brightly lit area, I almost had to plug my ears from the noise. A lot of people had showed up, more than normal. There was no way we were going to get a seat, so we squeezed through to stand by the railings. He helped me all the way through and to the front so I'd have a better view.
"Great turnout," he said. "I don't think we've had this many people before."
"It's the last game before state," I said, getting my camera set up. "I'm surprised there is isn't more."
"There would be if the rival team was closer," he said.
Once the camera as in place and working, I looked around. The cheerleaders were doing their preliminary cheers and I waved toward Liz, who waved back. I looked around the stands at the sheer amount of people. I recognized many of them, but most of them were strangers. I looked back down at the field and watched the coaches talk. A man sitting on the bench caught my attention.
"Who is that?" I asked, pointing to him.
"Who?" he asked. Following my finger, he found him. "Oh, he's a recruiter."
"Recruiter for what?" I asked.
"College football," he said. "I'm not sure what school he's from, though."
"What is he doing here?" I asked.
"He's probably hoping to sign one of the players," Simon answered. "Most likely Derek. A lot of schools have been after him."
"Really?" I asked.
He nodded. "They've come from across the country."
"That's amazing," I said. "I didn't know he could draw that much attention."
I watched the man looking out over the field and suddenly had a moment of realization. Liam wanted Derek off the team before today and that man was probably the reason why. If Derek was off the team, Liam would be free to grab his attention. With Derek on the team, he wasn't likely to be noticed.
The music starting playing and I looked over at the end of the field in time to see the teams come raging out. The cheering was almost deafening as Derek led our team over to where the coach was waiting, which was right in front of us. They stood around the coach as he ran by the plays with them. As they broke apart and took position, Derek glanced to where we were standing and Simon shot him a two thumbs up. He didn't return the gesture, but ran out onto the field and took his place.
I hit record on my camera and turned my eyes back to the game. Throughout the game, I had people shoving at me from behind, pressing my stomach into the railing in front of me. By halftime, I was gritting my teeth against the pain and really wishing for an icepack.
"You okay?" Simon asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, taking a deep breath.
"I'm going to go get something to eat," he said as the cheerleaders came out for halftime.
"Want to come?"
"I'll stay and keep our spot," I said. "But I wouldn't mind something to drink."
"You got it," he said. "I'll be right back."
I pushed back from the railing and took a shuddering breath. Looking up, I froze. The football players were taking a breather by the bench in front of me and Malloy was staring straight at me. The look on his face was mix of anger and something that scared me: lust. I looked over, searching for Simon without luck. I turned my eyes back to Malloy, who was still looking at me. A slow predatory grin spread over his face and I felt the color drain from my face.
"Hey, you okay?" Simon said, coming up behind me. "You're almost white."
I tore my eyes away from Malloy and turned them toward Simon, who was looking at me with concern. I nodded, but I could tell he wasn't convinced. He held out a Coke and I gratefully took it. I kept my eyes down toward the ground until the game continued, at which point I breathed a sigh of relief to see Malloy heading back onto the field.
The rest of the game was an exciting mix of touchdowns and injuries. I felt like I was watching a horror movie with how brutal it was. Their players were bigger than ours and I winced every time someone was tackled. At one point, Malloy was tackled and I was ashamed to feel that he deserved it. Once in a while, my eyes would drift toward the recruiter to see how he was reacting. He seemed to be pleased with the game and I saw his eyes follow Derek.
When the game was over, I swear I almost went deaf. We had managed to win, which meant we were going to state. I admit I was cheering almost as loudly as everyone else, but Simon had me beat. I had to cover my ears just to drown him out. Packing up my camera, I felt Simon grab my hand so we wouldn't get separated as he guided us through the crowd. More than once he almost had to drag me because the mass was so thick. Once we were clear of the crowd, he released my hand.
"Did you want to stay and congratulate Derek?" I asked, knowing he probably did.
He looked back at the field and shook his head. "I'll see him tomorrow. Besides, my curfew was shortened for use of the car."
"Your dad sounds really strict," I said as we walked back to the car.
"Not really," Simon said. "Well, he never used to be. I'm just testing his limits. So far I've been grounded, had my car taken away, had a sitter to go out, and forced to chauffeur Tori around. That last one was the worst."
"And none of those are considered bad enough to stop testing him?" I asked.
"Nope," he said. "I'll know I've reached his breaking point when he takes my art supplies away."
I shook my head. "You're the reason people think again about having kids."
He grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."
I laughed. "They should use you for sex-ed classes to persuade them to use protection."
"Hey," he said. "I'm bad enough for abstinence."
We laughed all the way to the parking lot. Behind us, I could hear voices and I glanced back to see other students behind us. When they saw me looking, they turned their eyes away like they'd been caught staring.
"We're getting funny looks," I said.
He looked back and cleared his throat. "Uh, no. You're getting funny looks."
"Why?" I asked. "Do I have something on my back?"
He nodded. "Derek's name."
I looked down and noticed for the first time that I was wearing Derek's sweatshirt. Instead of worrying about what they'd say, I chose to ignore them. Word of this would get to Amber and I almost smiled imagining the look on her face. Because I actually wanted to see that look myself, I decided I was going to wear it to school on Monday.
…,,,,….
I spent the weekend hiding out in my room to avoid Aunt Lauren, who had moved into our guest room until she felt I was safe from unwanted attention. I could have argued that hers was the unwanted attention, but I kept the comment to myself. I almost accepted Mila's offer of staying at her place for the weekend, but I didn't want to risk her seeing the bruises. So, after sneaking into the kitchen and snagging a weekend worth of junk food, I squirrelled away working with my footage.
When I walked into school on Monday wearing Derek's sweatshirt, I almost searched Amber out to see her reaction, but settled for waiting until study hall. I did get peppered with questions from Mila when I walked into chemistry, but after giving her a quick run-by of my plan to piss off Amber, she hugged me and said I was growing up.
When I walked into the locker room to change, I had to find a secluded area so nobody would see the bruises. Walking out into the gym, I immediately found Simon. He smiled when he saw me coming.
"Hey," he said. "How was your weekend?"
"Long," I said.
"I know the feeling," he said. "Tori had friends staying over and I was so bored. I tried to convince Derek to come over to hang out, but he wouldn't come anywhere near the large mass of femininity."
"Can you really blame him?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I guess not, but I still would have preferred not having to hide from them all weekend."
The shrill of a whistle grabbed our attention and we turned to where the coach was standing in the middle of the room.
"What are we doing now?" I asked.
"We started indoor soccer on Thursday," Simon answered.
"Indoor soccer?" I asked.
"Yeah, a bunch of parents complained about subjecting students to the drop in temperature and Coach didn't want to change his plans so he just moved it inside," Simon explained as we followed everyone over to the middle of the room.
"Alright, everybody," Coach said. "I'm going to decide on two captains and they are going to split you into teams. Bae! Hirsch! In the middle!"
Simon gave Brady first pick. When it was Simon's turn, he smiled at me and said, "Chloe."
I walked forward and stood behind him as they continued to choose. The choices started to get low and I noticed that Amber was still waiting to be chosen. I saw Simon's eyes stop on her and when he opened his mouth, I grabbed his arm. He looked over his shoulder at me and I shook my head slightly. He seemed to get the message and chose someone else.
When the teams were finalized, we took the 'field' and started the game. The only experience I had with soccer was when I was five, so I basically spent the hour avoiding getting run over. I did manage to kick the ball once, but it didn't go far and Simon had to save it from the other team. Toward the end of the hour, I noticed that the ball kept going to the right of the net, so I moved over to cover the area. As everyone ran at the net with the ball out front, I prepared myself. I saw someone wind their foot back to kick it and looked up in time to see Amber watching me as she kicked the ball as hard as she could. It flew up and collided with my face before I had time to react. The force sent me flying back and my head cracked against the floor. I could hear the pounding on the floor as everyone rushed over to see the damage. I could feel the blood pouring from my nose and got up on my knees with one hand supporting myself. Facing away from everybody, I lifted my other hand to stop the bleeding, but there was too much to staunch. Everyone gasped when the drops starting slipping through my fingers and hit the floor beneath me.
Somebody laid there hand on my shoulder and I felt a cloth gently cover my face. I took it from them and held it to my nose. They then wrapped their arm around my waist and helped me up. I could barely register what was going on as they led me out of the gym and to the nurse's office. Once she took a look at me, she rushed forward to help me. The next few minutes were a blur as she finally got my nose to stop leaking. I could see Simon standing against the wall out of the corner of my eye and I realized for the first time that he was shirtless. Looking over at where the nurse and tossed aside the cloth Simon gave me, I realized it was his shirt and it was coated in blood.
"Well, I don't think it's broken," the nurse said. "But it might swell and you'll definitely experience some pain. I'm going to give you an icepack for the swelling. You can go to your next class, but I want you to bring your lunch here so that I can look at your nose again, okay?"
I nodded, regretting it after my head started spinning from the blood loss.
Simon grabbed my arm and helped me up. He led me into the hall and walked me to the bathroom. He waited outside the door as I went in to clean myself off. When I saw myself in the mirror, I grimaced. I looked awful. I face was red from the blood and I could already see a bruise forming on my cheek. Carefully dabbing at the blood, I winced when the paper towel hit my nose. It took me a while to wash away all the blood.
Walking out of the bathroom, I fully expected Simon to have went back to class, but he was still standing by the bathroom door in his shirtless glory.
"Thanks for waiting," I said. "And for sacrificing your shirt. And for bringing me to the nurse."
"I didn't think you'd want everybody to see you pass out on the floor," he said, walking with me back to the gym so we could change.
We received a few looks when we walked in, but Coach didn't stop us when we went to the locker rooms instead of rejoining the group. I quickly changed into my regular clothes and was pulling down my shirt just as the bell rang. As the other girls came in to change, I kept my head down and snuck past them. Simon was outside the door again when I walked out.
"Want me to walk you to class?" he asked.
"Won't you be late for yours?" I asked.
"No, I have a free," he said.
"Alright then," I said, "You can be my shield so nobody sees my face."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, holding out his arm.
When Mila saw my face, her jaw dropped momentarily before she stood up to go kill whoever did it to me. I forced her to sit down and explained what happened.
"It's probably just retaliation for wearing Derek's sweatshirt," I said.
"Are you gonna back down?" she asked.
"Not on her life," I said. "If I'm not willing to take a few bloody noses for the cause, then there's something wrong with my dedication."
I spent most of class holding the icepack to my face. When I returned to the nurse for lunch, she made me take it off while she checked me again. Now that all the blood was gone, she was certain my nose wasn't broken, but it was swelling despite the ice and there was a bruise forming. She suggested a large bandage over the top to hide most of the bruise if I was feeling self-conscious, which I wasn't until I walked into study hall.
Amber and Derek weren't there yet. I started for my usual seat, but I didn't want Amber to see her damage while it was fresh so I sat in the back of the other side of the room. As everybody came in, I leaned my chin down on my books and held a fresh icepack over my face. While I was okay with my face going numb, I had to pull my sleeves over my hands to keep them warm. I heard heels clicking and knew Amber had just entered. I also heard her laugh and knew she had seen me in the corner.
The chair next to me was pulled out and somebody sat down. When I heard the signature thump of Derek's feet, I looked over but my nose scraped against my sleeve.
"Ow," I moaned.
He glanced over and his brows knitted together slightly, but he didn't say anything. I reburied my face and closed my eyes. I was really wishing I had remembered to grab my painkillers when I left this morning. When the throbbing grew to a point where I could barely think, I took a deep breath.
"You wouldn't happen to have any aspirin, would you?" I murmured, keeping my face covered.
He didn't answer, but I heard him unzip his backpack. Something lightly clicked against the desk by my head followed by a louder thud. I looked up to see two aspirin and his water bottle. Removing the icepack, I picked up the aspirin and placed them on my tongue. Taking a swig of his water bottle, I swallowed and immediately replaced the pack.
"Thanks," I murmured.
He didn't answer, but I heard him take back the water bottle.
"Oh, and congratulations for getting to state," I said.
He still didn't answer, but a thought hit me. I peeked through my sleeve and saw that Ms. Davis had stepped out. Looking over at Derek, I bit my lip. This was one of rare moments that I wasn't stuttering while talking to Derek and he wasn't completely ignoring me.
"I'm sorry to keep bothering you," I said quietly, "But I was wondering if maybe I could get you to do something for me."
His eyes shifted to mine.
"I'm doing a project for English and I want to interview at least one member of each position on the football team," I explained. "And you're the only quarterback, well the only first string quarterback, and I wondering if maybe I could interview you. It would only take a few minutes and I can do it whenever you're free."
He stared at me for a minute until Ms. Davis walked back in and everybody instantly quieted. I looked away and brought my sleeve over my face. I took his silence as a no and closed my eyes again. At least I tried.
At the bell, I watched Derek get up and leave and didn't move until Amber had followed him out. Collecting my stuff, I hurried off to geography. As I passed by Tori, I wondered how well her 'gift' had worked. Simon said she had friends over all weekend, so if her plan expected immediate results it obviously hadn't worked.
Liz fussed over me though theatre, insisting on taking notes for me while I rested my head. I refused to tell her who smashed my face in because I didn't want to cause any kind of rift between the cheerleaders. When class was over, she tried to convince me to have Simon tape practice for me, but I refused. Simon had done way too much for me today and I was already feeling obligated to do something for him.
Walking onto the field, I was about to head up to the top of the stands when I heard Coach Stevens call my name. Walking over to where he was standing next to the benches, I waited for him to finish writing on his clipboard. He pointed at the bench next to him and said,
"Sit."
"What?" I asked.
"Sit," he said. "I'm keeping my eyes on you."
Awkwardly sitting down, I took out my camera and watched as the guys came out. If they thought it was weird for some girl to be sitting on the benches, they didn't say anything. They did however, stare when they saw the massive bruise on my face. Most of them stopped at staring and headed out onto the field, but some of them asked when the other guy looked like.
"She got socked by a soccer ball in gym," Brady said, dropping his bag next to my bench.
"Geez, that sucks," one of them said, sitting down next to me while another sat on my other side. "I got a baseball to the face last year and broke my jaw in two places. Blood everywhere."
"That sounds painful," I said, trying not to laugh at his obvious attempt at being friendly.
"That's nothing," the one on my other side said. "I got nailed with the bat and tore my face open down to my ear. Thirty-eight stiches."
I wasn't sure if they were trying to impress me or comparing war stories, but I seemed to pass whatever initiation they had. Throughout practice, they would come over to see if I needed anything and to make sure nobody was causing me any trouble. It was honestly kind of sweet and definitely appreciated considering the looks I was getting from Malloy. I kept waiting for Coach to get angry at me for distracting his players, but he kept his attention on the field.
Halfway through practice, one of the guys, Corey, took a breather and kept for company as I filmed.
"You see the game last Friday?" he asked.
I nodded, "Got it on camera."
"Why are you recording, anyway?" he asked.
"English project," I said.
"Oh, you're that girl," he said. "I heard you were doing interviews."
I nodded.
"Well, if you need any more, I always have some free time," he said.
"Thanks," I said, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he said.
"Why are you talking to me?" I asked.
"There a reason I shouldn't be?"
"Well, I don't mind if you're just being friendly," I said. "But you're trying to get in my pants, I'd rather you go practice."
He laughed. "Your pants are safe from me. I know what you're talking about, though. About you sleeping with Derek and Liam."
My eyes went wide. "Liam's the other guy?!"
He laughed again. "I'll take that one as a no. And I know you're not sleeping with Derek."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Because we talk in the locker room," he said. "And while he's not the chattiest guy, he does open his mouth once in a while. Also, I saw Liam take Derek's stuff into the girl's locker room and Derek go in to get it. He didn't have enough time."
"How are you the only one who has a brain in this school?!" I asked, exasperated. "And why didn't you say something when everybody was accusing me?"
He shrugged. "I didn't want to piss Derek off. He was in a foul mood on Monday and I didn't want to get my face looking like yours."
Coach called him back on field and he gave me an apologetic smile. I watched him run back out and focused again on filming. When practice ended, I was gathering my stuff together when I heard Simon call my name from the other end of the field.
"Hey," I said, walking to him.
"Hey yourself," he said, "You doing anything right now?"
"Nope," I said.
"Well, some of us are going out for something to eat," he said. "Care to join us?"
"That sounds great," I said.
We walked to the parking lot and stopped at a car I didn't recognize where Tori was sitting on the trunk with her phone glued to her hands.
"This isn't your car," I pointed out.
"Nope," he said.
"Tori, get off," a deep voice said behind me and I spun to see Derek walking toward us with Liz and Brady behind him.
She flipped him off and hopped off. I took a step closer to Simon as Derek opened the trunk and everybody tossed their bags inside. I did the same and he slammed it shut. As everybody filed in I awkwardly stood to the side, not knowing where to go. Simon gestured for me to get in the front seat and I did. He got in beside me and I sat in the middle. I inhaled sharply when Derek got in the driver's seat and I was suddenly near enough that his arm was against mine. I looked over at Simon who was looking anywhere but at me.
Derek put the car into reverse and when he turned to look over his shoulder, I could feel his breath on my cheek and I bit my lip. As he drove, I could barely pay attention to where we were going until he pulled up along the curb and I saw we were at the diner by my apartment. Everybody got out and I followed them inside. Tori and Brady branched off to their own table and the rest of us shared a booth. When Liz slid into one side, Simon rushed to sit next to her. Based on his continued avoidance, I knew that his attraction to her wasn't the only reason. I slid into the opposite side and Derek sat next to me.
"How's your nose?" Simon asked, finally looking at me.
"A little better now that the aspirin kicked in," I said. "I was actually bonding with a few of the player over it, I think."
"You're branching out," Simon said. "I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, Dad," I said sarcastically.
He laughed and Liz joined in the laughter. Derek remained his normal laconic self while he flipped through the menu.
"Thanks again for gym," I said to Simon. "I'll replace the shirt."
"Don't worry about it," he said. "I've got more at home. I'd just stay clear of Amber's aim next time if I was you."
"Amber?" Liz said. "You didn't tell me Amber kicked the ball."
"I didn't want to cause any problems with the squad," I said. "Really, I'm fine. It was probably just a wild kick."
"Probably had more to do with that sweatshirt you're wearing," Simon said, following Derek's example and looking at the menu.
"What sweatshirt?" Liz asked.
"Mine," Derek said, flipping the page.
"Why do you have Derek's sweatshirt?" Liz asked.
"He lent it to me and wouldn't take it back," I said, finding the menu more interesting by the second.
"Which one is it?" she asked.
"The team one," Derek said, still not looking up.
"The one with your name on it?" she said.
He grunted.
"I love that sweatshirt. You never let me wear it," she accused. To me, she said, "Is it as warm as it looks?"
I nodded, refusing to look up.
"All the sports teams get those, but never the cheerleaders," she said. "And I really want one. They look so comfortable."
"I've got one if you want it," Simon offered. "It's from last year so it's a little worn, but it's still in good condition."
"Really?" Liz said, smiling at him. "You'd let me have it?"
"Sure," he said. "As long as you don't mind that my name's on it."
"I don't mind," she said.
I gave him a pointed look and he stuck out his tongue at me when Liz wasn't looking. I'm sure he was trying to make Liz happy, but having his 'girl' wear his name probably was another motive.
One of the waitresses came over to take our order and then I no longer had a menu to stare at. Instead, I sipped at my water.
"So, Chloe," Simon said. "How're your interviews going?"
I choked on my water and looked at him sharply.
"Fine," I said, giving his another pointed look.
He smiled wickedly before saying, "Have you gotten all the positions yet?"
"Not yet," I said.
I kicked him under the table and he jumped. Liz was looking at us strangely.
"Am I missing something?" she said.
"No," I said.
"She still needs the quarterback, right Chloe?" he asked.
"Derek's the quarterback," Liz said. "I'm sure he has time, right Derek?"
I saw Liz shift and Derek grunted and I realized she had kicked him under the table.
"I'm busy," he said. "I work after practice."
"But you don't work on weekends," she said. She looked at me and smiled. "He'd love to be interviewed this weekend."
I gaped at her. Beside me, Derek sighed. "Fine."
"Great," Simon said, grinning. "We'll make a day of it."
And done. That chapter was really stressful to write. The last thirteen pages weren't uploaded to OneDrive and I almost lost most of it. Luckily I found it after five minutes of cursing at my computer.