I did a thing, shoutout to my girlfriend for tolerating my incessant late night messaging!
All feedback appreciated!
Edited 1/2/23. Edit notes at the end of the chapter.
"I'm assuming you all know why you're here?" Lara looked around the coach's office nervously from where she leaned against the wall. To her left was Lexie and Paige, both fidgeting restlessly and avoiding eye contact with anyone. To her right, sitting directly across from the coach's desk, were Catherine and Brittany, who were both doing their best to don their most innocent facade. "Do you?" The coach demanded loudly, snagging Lara's attention once more.
"Honestly coach," Catherine began, "no, I don-"
"Don't give me that bullshit!" The coach cut in sharply. Lara's eyes widened, and she exchanged a look with Lexie. They'd both seen the coach get heated before, but never once had she resorted to using profanities in front of her athletes. The severity of the situation finally seemed to register for Catherine as she pursed her lips and went quiet. "Alright, since none of you seems to have a clue, allow me to explain." She pointed directly at Lara before continuing, "one of my athletes was directly targeted and harassed, by two of my captains no less!" Lara blinked. She wasn't in trouble?
"Hold on!" Brittany protested, "you have no proof-!" The coach held a hand up to silence her and glared at both her and Catherine dangerously.
"Both Paige and Lexie have come forward to explain the situation, and several gymnasts have corroborated their stories. Nevermind the fact that they also made several other disturbing allegations…" the coach walked out from behind her desk to stand directly before Catherine and Brittany. "Never in all my years of coaching have I had something like this happen on my team. Quite frankly, I'm disgusted. I understand rights of passage-I went through those back in my day. But forcibly getting the first years drunk and blackmailing them? Threatening them with said blackmail if they don't perform a naked rendition of Lord Save The Queen on the rugby fields? Answer me something, what the hell is wrong with you two?!" She demanded, raising her voice to a hoarse shout. She took a few deep breaths before looking at Lara and speaking more calmly, "Lara, Lexie here tells me you have the blackmail photos they took. Is this true?" Lara swallowed thickly past the lump that had formed in her throat.
"Well, yes. They're actually in my-"
"Yeah, well...well she broke my nose to get those!" Catherine shrieked.
"Because you came at her!" Lexie shouted over her, "Lara just reacted! It's not like she meant to!"
"Quiet!" The coach yelled, holding the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger and taking a deep breath before continuing, "Do you have those photos with you by chance?"
"Well, yes," Lara admitted meekly, "but only because I wanted to make sure Catherine and Brittany didn't do-"
"I don't need the justifications," the coach said, her voice quaking from the effort of keeping its volume in check, "I just need to see them, please." Lara wordlessly reached into her bag and pulled the photos out before passing them over to the coach, who scowled angrily as she flipped through them. "I hope you two realize that this is enough to have you removed from the university."
"Coach, wait-" both Catherine and Brittany began.
"I said quiet, didn't I?!" The coach snapped before turning her attention back to Lara, "Lara, Paige also came forward and told me that Catherine and Brittany had planned ahead of time to put this-" she pulled out the crinkled up copy of the press article Lara had found taped to her locker and set it down on her desk, "-in your locker. Is this true?"
"I can't think of anybody else with a personal vendetta against me," Lara admitted, feeling an increasingly intense desire to sink into the wall behind her and disappear. The coach nodded and turned back to Catherine and Brittany.
"Do you two understand that Ms. Croft's father committed suicide five years ago? Do I even need to explain the ethical issues associated with putting this article in her locker?"
"It was just a joke-" Catherine started to say before the coach slammed a hand down on her desk.
"A joke my ass!" She shouted, her voice beginning to falter from overuse, "You're already in a deep hole, don't dig yourself deeper by lying to me on top of everything else!" As much as it satisfied Lara to see Catherine and Brittany finally get what they deserved, she couldn't help but have some reservations. What if Catherine and Brittany did get kicked out of the university? She couldn't shake the feeling that the press would have a field day: Two Peasant Students Wind Up Expelled After Slighting English Noble.
"Coach," Lara cut in, "with all due respect...I think that what Catherine and Brittany did was as messed up as the next person, but perhaps you could let them off easier than expulsion?" Everyone in the room stared at her in stunned, wide-eyed silence.
"Lara, think about what you're saying," Lexie pleaded with her.
"I have to agree with Lexie on this one," Paige added, "as one of the captains, I know the things that Catherine and Brittany had planned if not for your intervention. Are you seriously suggesting they get off without any sort of repercussion?"
"I'm not saying that," Lara gritted her teeth, "by all means, suspend them and kick them off the team. I just don't know if it's worth completely jeopardizing their academic and vocational career if there's a chance they can actually see the error of their ways." The coach regarded Lara for a few moments before letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"Catherine and Brittany used to be model students and athletes. I'd really like to believe that wasn't all a charade. Ultimately, however, that's not my decision to make. I can certainly plead a case for them if that's what you truly wish, Ms. Croft. But as a staff member at UCL, I can't just simply let this go. I'm honor-bound to report these incidents."
"I understand that," Lara replied, "I'm just asking that an attempt be made."
"I'll think about it," the coach stated simply, looking back to Catherine and Brittany, "pending further punishment, however, you two are hereby suspended from the gymnastics squad." Catherine and Brittany began to protest when the coach held a hand up to silence them, "No arguments, get your things out of your lockers and leave." She turned back to Lara, Paige, and Lexie with a sigh, "Lexie and Paige, you two should leave as well. I need to have a word with Lara. Alone." She waited until her office door snapped shut behind the four of them to speak, "Now then. Catherine had said something about you breaking her nose during our little meeting just now. What do you have to say about this, Lara?" Lara's shoulders and head sagged forward, and she took a deep breath before responding.
"It was after our first team meeting. Catherine and Brittany were going to make all the first years sing naked on the rugby fields, as you know. Lexie called me in a panic and I went over to stop it. When I threatened to call you, Catherine lunged at me. I honestly don't know what happened after that, just that Catherine was sprawled on the field with a bloody nose and my hand was throbbing," Lara took a seat across from the coach to take the weight off of her trembling knees. "So yeah, I'm assuming I did punch her but I am telling the complete truth when I say that I was just reacting to Catherine." The coach regarded her intently before shaking her head and picking her pen up.
"Lara, you must know that I have to do something about this even though I believe you, correct?" Lara's heart stopped, and the look on her face must have betrayed her fear as the coach quickly added, "I'm not kicking you off the team. Regardless, I am uncertain about how I want to proceed. You punched a fellow teammate, and you also nearly attacked her in the locker room the other day–which I am not unempathetic to the psychological duress you were under. Regardless, you understand that I can't leave such offenses unaddressed, correct?"
"I do," Lara responded as evenly as she could. The coach considered her for a moment or two and scratched her head pensively.
"How many gymnasts can corroborate your claim of self defense?"
"Every single first year, plus Paige." The coach pulled out a notebook and began writing.
"Here is what I'm going to do: since we have such a large amount of witnesses, I am going to file this incident as a violation of team rules. In doing so, you will only be suspended for one competition as opposed to three. You are to not say a single word about this, do you understand?" Lara bit her lip.
"Why are you doing this for me?" She blurted out, throwing her hands down to her sides and looking the coach dead in the eyes, "Why are you doing me such a huge favor?" The coach blinked reproachfully and took a few seconds to reply.
"Why do you think I'm doing this?" She countered.
"Because of my family," Lara replied almost reflexively. She flinched when the coach let out a small snort and set her pen back down.
"Do you honestly think I give a rat's ass about your family?" Lara tried to respond, but found herself at a loss for words. Instead, she sat there repeatedly opening and closing her mouth like a fish in water before she ultimately gave up and sank back into her chair. "No. I'm doing you this favor because I believe you about what happened with Catherine, given the other allegations leveled against her. Let me reiterate something since you seem to have missed it at the first team meeting: I don't play favorites. Ever." She smirked slightly before waving Lara away, "Now go. I have some phone calls to make and papers to file, what a mess…" Lara perched herself on the edge of her chair hesitantly and debated about whether or not she should thank the coach, but the coach was already intent on rummaging through her filing cabinet. Instead, Lara exited the room wordlessly. Closing the door behind her, she looked up to find herself face-to-face with Catherine, who stood there scrutinizing her uncertainly.
"What's the big idea?" She demanded.
"My big idea?!" Lara puffed up indignantly, "You two are the ones who landed yourselves in this situation in the first pl-"
"That's not what I meant, schoolgirl," Catherine spat, "why are you going easy on us?" Lara slid her bag off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground in resignation. Catherine took a few steps back at this, clearly remembering very vividly her surprise nose job from a while back.
"I've told you before: I don't care for ruining other peoples' lives," Lara said, "and you know what? Yeah, I'm a posh schoolgirl. So what? At least there's one thing I'll never be: you." She stepped forward, her arms outstretched at her sides, "go ahead, Catherine. Throw a punch at me. Hurl whatever insults you want. I'm not going to stop you. If that's what it takes for you to finally leave everybody alone, I'll gladly take it. That's all I've wanted this entire time: for myself and everyone else to be left alone. Why is that so hard for you to do? You have created this entire mess for yourself and Brittany by refusing to do so." Catherine narrowed her eyes at her viciously. "Well? You going to sit there and stare or are you going to say something? I'm waiting." Catherine didn't say or do anything, however. She simply turned on the spot and stormed off to the locker room, leaving Lara alone where she stood.
"I thought she was actually going to hit you for a moment there," Paige remarked from down the hallway to the left, causing Lara to start.
"You're still here?" Lara asked incredulously, turning to find that Lexie had waited for her as well. "I've told you before, Catherine doesn't have the guts to do anything to me. That's how people like her work: when other people stop being afraid of her, she becomes a sad, bitter little girl. That's precisely why I've been telling everyone to not give in and participate in any of her absurd rights of passage."
"Not everyone's as brave as you are though, Lara," Lexie said. Lara merely shook her head in response.
"I'm not brave," she remarked dryly, "just tired of taking shit from people like her...not that it's done me any favors, I'm banned from competing in the first competition."
"What?!" Lexie and Paige both shouted in unison. Lara raised her hands up placatingly.
"I'm not happy about it either, but I understand the reason why. I broke Catherine's nose. I could have killed her the other day, I was so angry."
"But we're facing Birmingham!" Paige protested, "It's bad enough we lost Cat and Brit, but we have no shot of winning without you on all-around!"
"I'm sure you guys will manage," Lara said indifferently, "I don't know what you expect me to do about it. I'm lucky that I didn't get suspended for longer. I. Broke. Her. Nose."
"Whatever you say," Lexie sighed, "that's still bullshit in my opinion… So what're you going to do now?" She asked as Lara stooped down to retrieve her bag.
"My roommate wanted to hang out today, so I'll probably just do that and try to forget about today. You two are more than welcome to join us, if you'd like."
"Sure, I have nothing else to do today," Lexie said.
"Well, Cat and Brit probably hate me now so it's not like we're going to be doing anything anymore," Paige admitted. Lara winced and slung her bag over one shoulder.
"Sorry…"
"For what?" Paige asked confusedly, "It was a matter of time before something like this happened. I just wish I'd reported them to the coach sooner...anyways, enough about that. Where's your dorm at?"
"It's a short walk from here," Lara responded as they began to exit the building, "you know where Connaught Hall is?"
"Maybe?" Paige answered hesitantly, "I'm sure I'll know it once we get closer."
"Alright," Lara said as they pushed the doors open to let themselves out of the building.
"You sure your roommate will be cool with us tagging along?" Lexie asked as they walked through the lush campus grounds. Lara smiled softly to herself.
"Positive. You two'll like her, she's very relaxed and down-to-earth. She's also pretty outgoing, so she'd probably be thrilled at the thought of meeting new people."
"Can't wait to meet her, then," Paige grinned.
"Somebody's having a jam session," Lexie remarked as guitar music echoed down Lara's hall, followed by a familiar voice belting out the lyrics to Feel Good Inc.:
"Windmill, windmill for the land
Turn forever hand in hand
Take it all in on your stride
It is ticking, falling down…"
"That would be my roommate," Lara said, coming to a stop in front of her door and pushing the handle down slightly to see if Sam had left it unlocked. Putting a finger to her mouth to warn Lexie and Paige to be quiet, she slammed the handle down and burst into the room to join in at the top of her lungs, "Laughin' gas these hazmats, fast cats, linin' 'em up like ass cracks! Play these ponies at the track, it's my chocolate attack!" Sam stared at her in shock and stopped playing for a moment or two before laughing and resuming her strumming where she left off.
"Shit I'm steppin' in the heart of this here," Sam joined in, "Care Bear rappin' in harder this year-"
"Watch me as I gravitate, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Lara finished.
"So you know this song but you never watched Mean Girls until I lent it to you?!" Lexie demanded over Lara and Sam's fits of laughter.
"Being sheltered doesn't mean you can't listen to good music," Lara guffawed, wiping tears from her eyes, "by the way Sam, this is Lexie and Paige, they're on my gymnastics team. Paige is one of my captains, actually. Or...I guess the only captain now?"
"Hi!" Sam said brightly, setting her guitar down on her bed and standing up, "I'm Sam, Lara's roommate, obviously."
"Nah, she's just some homeless squatter I took in," Lara quipped.
"Rude," Sam said, feigning offense and putting a hand up to her mouth. "In all seriousness though, what's this about her being the only captain or whatsit now? Something happen?" Everybody, excluding Sam, started laughing as if on a cue.
"How much do you know?" Paige asked, making for Sam's desk chair, "you don't mind if I take a seat?"
"Not at all. And what do you mean 'how much do I know?'" Sam asked as Paige sat down. Paige, meanwhile, glared at Lara.
"You didn't tell her anything?"
"Never really felt compelled to-"
"Damnit, Lara," Lexie groaned, "gossip like this is too good to waste!"
"Alright, alright," Lara huffed exasperatedly, "everybody sit down and we'll have tea."
"How're we going to make it?" Sam asked innocently. Lara had to resist the urge to bring a palm to her face.
"Oh, Sam...it's an expression. For instance, 'the tea is good today.' Tea can sometimes be used to refer to gossip." Sam looked at her with a blank expression on her face before flopping back onto her bed in frustration.
"Why can't British people speak normally?!" Sam shouted desperately into the void. Lara snorted and took a seat on her bed.
"Because that would make things too easy...alright, where do I start?"
"Oh! Oh! Can I start?" Lexie asked eagerly, raising her hand and bouncing in her seat like a young schoolgirl.
"By all means."
"Okay! So the short version is this: we had these two psycho captains who tried to haze us, and Lara was a total badass and stood up to them and actually ended up breaking Catherine's nose-"
"Okay, hold up!" Sam exclaimed, bolting upright from where she lay, "I already have, like, a hundred questions. First of all, Lara? Break somebody's nose? There's no way." Lara rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
"Remember the first night we met…?" Sam's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped as she pointed up at Lara in sudden understanding.
"Oh my god, your hand!" She squeaked breathlessly, "It all makes sense now!"
"You should've seen the look on Catherine's face," Lexie laughed jubilantly.
"Can we not?" Lara murmured.
"Can we continue with the story now?" Paige asked from her corner of the room.
"Wait!" Sam raised a hand, "One more question. Does this Catherine chick have red hair? Resting bitch face?"
"Sounds like her," Paige drawled with a yawn. The corners of Sam's mouth curled up in pure delight.
"Lara. I think Catherine might be my stupid lab partner who started a trashcan fire. Oh my god, this is all starting to make so much sense-her face was purple for over a week!"
"Yes, yes, I gave her a facial reconstruction surgery and messed her face up," Lara cut in brusquely, waving a hand in front of her impatiently, "now can we please get off this topic? I'd rather not think about it."
"Right, sorry," Lexie said, "so where was I? Oh, right. So after Lara broke her nose, Catherine kind of went quiet for a while and then after a while she taped something on the back Lara's locker that I guess was really fucked up-"
"Something that I will not go into details about," Lara added loudly.
"And today we told the coach all about Catherine's hazing and bullshit and we got her and Brittany, the other captain, kicked off the team until further notice!" Lexie finished brightly.
"Mind you, I'm banned from competing in the first match," Lara mumbled.
"What?" Sam asked, "Shit Lara, I'm sorry. That sucks." Lara pursed her lips before exhaling forcefully through her nose.
"There's nothing I can do about it now, and there's no point in agonizing over it. So what were we going to do today?" Sam chewed the inside of her mouth contemplatively.
"How's that bar you work at?"
"Nine Bells? Sam, I'm undera-"
"Shush, shush," Sam hissed, "you don't think I've thought of that? We'll just order food with your drink and since I'm eighteen you'll be fine. Trust me, I looked this stuff up." Lara sighed.
"This is my place of work we're talking abou-"
"Which is why I suggested it because if your boss actually cared, he wouldn't have hired a seventeen-year-old barmaid now would he?" Lara supposed she had a point. Wilson had caught her taking shots that patrons had bought her without saying anything in the past, probably because he frequently followed the same practice. Not that Sam needed to know. "It's at least worth a shot. Pun intended."
"Alright, alright," Lara finally caved, "let's go to the Nine Bells. I know the way, come on," she made for the door, beckoning everyone along.
"Wait!" Sam exclaimed, scrambling to get a pair of shoes from a tote under her bed, "Hold up!"
"You'll catch up," Lara replied lightheartedly, dramatically waving goodbye as she made a show of opening the door and walking out with Lexie and Paige.
"Lara!" Sam bellowed after her, her voice being muffled halfway through when the door swung shut behind them.
"Isn't she going to be mad you left her?" Paige asked as they descended the steps together. Lara laughed quietly.
"Nah. Sam knows I'm just messing with her. Besides, I was planning to wait at the front door anyways, I wouldn't actually leave her behind." Lara slid her hands into her pockets as they emerged into the lobby. She made a beeline for the double doors that led outside and leaned against the wall right next to them to wait for Sam. It didn't take long for her slightly-disheveled roommate to rush into the lobby after them, stopping and scowling at Lara when she caught sight of the three of them.
"You're such a little shit," she spat, smoothing her hair out and straightening her shirt, "Oh-ho-ho, I'm gonna get you back for that later on when you least expect it."
"I'm terrified," Lara faked a yawn. Sam's jaw dropped, and she shoved Lara back into the wall she had just been leaning on. "Worth it," Lara snickered, leading the way outside and to the Nine Bells. Along the way, they gossiped about regular day-to-day occurrences, classes, the revelation that Catherine was Sam's lab partner-
"Wait, so you weren't kidding about the trash can fire?" Paige asked while Lexie giggled in the background.
"No, I'm being completely deadass right now!" Sam motioned very animatedly with her hands while she spoke, "I did the entire lab for us because she literally had no clue what she was doing and I didn't wanna have my head blown off. But I figured she'd at least be able to handle cleaning up afterwards, y'know? Nope. Apparently she just doesn't listen to anyone, I mean the professor emphasized to us that powdered zinc is highly reactive."
"That sounds like Catherine though," Lexie chimed in, "good riddance."
"Amen," Lara said absentmindedly as she carefully scanned their side of the street for the Nine Bells's sign, "there," she declared, pointing at a worn wooden sign some twenty odd meters away that bore the insignia of the Nine Bells. Just moments after they walked in and took a seat together, Lara felt a hand roughly clap her on the shoulder.
"Excuse me miss, do you have identification?" Came Wilson's rough growl from behind. Lara turned to face the grizzled pub owner, who winked slyly at her. Resisting the urge to smirk, she pulled her ID out of her wallet and handed it over to him. "Hmmm...everything looks to be in order here. You ladies have a good time, Angela will be over shortly." He handed Lara's ID back to her and left to resume his previously abandoned post behind the bar.
"That was your boss I'm guessing?" Sam asked from across the table as Lara slid her wallet back into her back pocket.
"Wilson? Yeah, I guess he doesn't care after all. It helps that I'm a good employee, I suppose."
"I bet they serve underages in here all the time," Paige mused, "I mean, look at it." Being that Lara worked there, she knew what exactly Paige was referring to. She had found the dim, rustic wooden pub to have a shifty atmosphere about it on her first visit as well, but beneath the sketchy decor was a very reputable establishment. With a few exceptions.
"You'd be surprised, all of the people I serve are legal."
"They could have really good fake IDs," Sam pointed out. Lara raised and lowered one shoulder impassively.
"Hi guys," said a waitress that Lara didn't recognize, "my name is Angela and I'll be taking care of you this evening. What can I get for you?"
"Um…" Lara began, looking around at the others until she was interrupted by Sam's phone ringing.
"Sorry," Sam squeaked, looking down at the caller ID, "I gotta take this." She clambered to her feet and rushed outside as she hit the answer button.
"Would you like me to give you guys a moment or two?" Angela asked tentatively.
"Yeah, just until she gets back. Sorry!" Lara turned in her seat to look after where Sam had gone, but her roommate was nowhere to be seen.
"I hope everything's okay," Lexie said, concern evident in her voice, "seemed like it was important."
"I'm sure she's fine," Lara assured her, "Sam's very social. It's probably just one of her friends- look! See? She's coming back right now," she motioned to the doorway, where Sam plodded along back inside. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around, as if looking for something. "Sam!" Lara called out to her. Sam's head snapped to where they still sat, and a brief look of recognition flashed across her face before she ambled over to where they were and reclaimed her seat.
"Sorry about that guys," Sam said, "it was just my friend asking me about some stuff- oh look! Our waitress is coming back!"
"So are we ready to order, then," Angela asked, her pen poised above her notepad.
"Yes," Sam declared, pointing down to her menu, "can we get two orders of scotch eggs for the table? And I'll have a vodka cranberry." Angela's pen scratched vigorously across the surface of the paper.
"Alright, and for you?" Angela asked, shifting her gaze to Lara.
"I'll just have a Guinness, thanks," Lara replied, smiling somewhat awkwardly back at Angela.
"What's in the Bells and Whistles?" Lexie asked from beside Lara.
"Vodka, curacao, passion fruit, and coconut palm sugar," Angela said as she wrote down Lara's order.
"Ohhh can I have that?" Lexie asked.
"Me too," Paige added. Angela nodded as she wrote a "x2" next to Lexie's order.
"Alright, I'll be right back with those," with that, Angela left them alone.
"So what should we do after-?" Lexie began.
"You know what we should do?" Sam boomed, "shots. I'll be right back." Lara raised a brow but didn't question Sam as she got up and went to the bar.
"She gets right down to business. I like it," Paige remarked.
"She's definitely straightforward for sure," Lara said in an undertone, watching the bartender pour a tray of shots for Sam. She wasn't positive, but it seemed as though the bartender was pouring quite a bit more than four shots should have necessitated. Surely Sam wasn't going to get them all completely wasted before the sun set? Lara continued to watch intently, waiting for the moment when the pouring would finally stop. Paige and Lexie also seem to have caught on to what Lara was doing as they also regarded Sam's turned back with bated breath. Finally, the bartender set the bottle down, and Sam picked the tray of shots up to make the trek back to their table.
Twelve. Sam had gotten twelve shots for them. Lara suppressed a groan and leaned back in her chair, shuddering at the thought of the monstrous hangover that would invariably plague her the next day. She made a mental note to order a water the next time Angela came around.
"Alright, down the hatch!" Sam said in a mock pirate voice as she set the tray of shots down and picked one up for herself. Lara, Lexie, and Paige followed suit, eyeing the clear substance suspiciously as Sam counted down from three, "three, two, one…" Lara closed her eyes and let the liquid slide down her gullet. It actually went down more smoothly than she thought it would, and she remembered that Sam had money that she had no reservations about throwing around. Knowing her, she probably got something off the top shelf.
"That was actually pretty good," Paige remarked with an expression that was equal parts relieved and impressed.
"Another one for good luck?" Sam asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Why not?" Lara relented, reaching for another one and initiating the countdown herself this time around, "three, two, one…" Angela arrived with their drinks shortly after their empty shot glasses smacked down onto the table.
"Looks like you guys are having fun," Angela observed as she distributed their drinks and the scotch eggs.
"It's been a long week," Sam joked.
"Thank you!" Lara called after Angela as she walked away. She was already beginning to feel more relaxed and at ease as a pleasant warmth spread throughout her body.
"So your boss is completely cool with this?" Paige asked incredulously in between sips of her drink.
"I guess so," Lara laughed, "he didn't say anything, so…"
"Mmm! Lara, you have to try this drink," Lexie said, roughly sliding her Bells and Whistles into Lara's hands.
"I appreciate the offer, really, but I don't really like drinking anything too sweet," Lara said, sliding Lexie's drink back over to her.
"You at least need to get some of these scotch eggs," Paige said, holding one out for Lara.
"Alright, alright," Lara took an egg from Paige to appease her and took a bite. It was delicious; the sausage and bread crumbs coating the exterior were fried to perfection, and the yolk on the inside was gently relenting. Her eyes must have lit up the moment her taste buds came in contact with the delicacy, because Paige grinned back at her.
"Right?" She asked with a laugh, "They're absurdly good."
"They are," Lara conceded, "Sam have you tried th-?" She stopped mid-sentence and her eyes widened in shock when she looked over at Sam.
Sam was slumped in her seat and mumbling incoherently while she looked down at her phone screen with a forlorn expression on her face. Without warning, she slid off the edge of her seat and smacked her head on the tabletop before falling to the ground. Her glass was completely empty, and the remaining four shots were nowhere to be seen.
Edit notes: modified the conversation in the coach's office to fit in with the addition of Lara nearly ripping off Catherine's head in chapter 11.
You find me on the following sites:
Tumblr: whattheschmuck
Twitter: whatthe_schmuck
**Love S.S. Endurance? You should join this discord server that I admin using the following invite: dG4PZf4