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I consider telling them that Lily and Vivian have done something to me, but I don’t know if it’s any use. Sure, they may not be official Elite status anymore, but I imagine they still have more sway in this school than I do. My mom and stepdad are poor, and my bio dad is hated by the entire town. Trying to speak too much makes my stomach turn again, so I just slink down in my chair and hope the feeling continues dissipating fast enough for me to catch up in the conversation.
“Do you know why you’re here?” Principal Brown asks with his unrelenting stare. I look to Coach Granger, who is exchanging knowing nods with the principal. “It has been brought to our attention that you may have been using illegal substances.”
I brace myself against the chair and push forward, swallowing down another surge of vomit. “No,” I protest weakly, my voice cracking. “No, I’m not. Vivian and Lily. They…they…”
“They came to us and said they were worried about you,” he continues. “They’re good friends.”
I eye his trashcan and think I might have to lunge for it at the sound of the words. “No...” I continue trying to speak against it with everything I have, but my words won’t match the feeling in my chest. Nothing circling through my brain will come out. “I haven’t done anything. They did something to me.”
“We searched your locker, Ophelia,” Coach Granger chimes in, flicking away a piece of dandruff from his pants, not seeming to want to look me in the eye.
The principal pulls a plastic bag from behind his desk and sets it in front of me. I can make out several syringes and a rubber tie inside. I know exactly what it looks like and want to scream bullshit.
“That’s not mine,” I say gingerly, knowing how ridiculous that sounds.
The room closes in around me again, but I can make out enough of what they’re saying to know they believe I’ve been using heroin. Suspension. Kicked off the track team. The words fall from their lips and hang heavy all around me as I rock in my chair.
“I don’t use drugs,” I persist through a shaky, cracking voice. I continue trying to argue against the accusation to no avail. “You have to…I couldn’t…I’m telling you…Lily and Vivian…”
“You’re high right now, aren’t you?” he accuses, his voice hammering too loudly into my skull.
“No…I don’t know…I…I didn’t…They did this to me,” I babble on, knowing I’m only making it worse.
“If we were to drug test you right now, Ophelia…” Principal Brown suggests accusingly. “Do you honestly expect us to believe you’d pass??
?? His eyes move over my disheveled appearance with waves of judgment. I caught my reflection as I was leaving the bathroom. I know exactly how I look right now and it’s not good.
When I don’t bother trying to defend myself any further, he finally stands to approach my chair. He pushes back the sleeves of my sweater, confusing me at first. But as the marks left from Vivian and Lily’s attack are revealed, it all clicks into place.
It wouldn’t have been enough for them to leave track marks and plant needles in my locker. They needed the actual drug in my system, so I’d have no leg to stand on. No chance at passing a drug test to prove my innocence.
“We’re going to give you a chance to talk to your parents about this yourself,” Coach Granger tells me, as I sense the meeting coming to a close. “But I’m calling them tomorrow night, so you only have until then to tell them.” The two nod at each other with disappointed looks before Coach finally stands to escort me out of the room.
A rush of clarity finally starts to return as he walks me to my locker to gather my things before leading me out of the building. A few straggling students remain in the halls as I am marched out with his hand firmly gripped around my arm, just as last period is beginning. Judging by the way they’re gaping at me with snickers and whispers, I expect the entire school will know what’s happened by the end of the day. That’s if Lily and Vivian hadn’t started spreading the rumors before I even got pulled into the office. His long legs are moving so fast I almost trip, but I know he still has some heart for me. He’s only trying to move fast so more kids don’t see me being escorted from the building.
The moment the fresh outside air hits me, I feel almost back to normal. My hands are shaking, but my stomach has calmed down. My head feels groggy, but my thoughts are growing clearer. My brain finally feels connected to my mouth again.
“Please, Coach,” I start pleading more coherently. “You have to believe me. I would never use drugs. Track means too much to me. You know that!”
He scrunches his face in my direction, squinting from the sun and from anger. “Well then, how do you explain the things we found in your locker?” His voice booms with accusing fury and disappointment. “And the marks on your arm. The way you’re acting. Don’t bullshit me, Lopez. Is it Emmett Jameson? Did he get you started on this stuff?”
“You’ve seen me in practice!” I cry back. “You know I haven’t been messed up like this before today.” His face softens as he considers what I’m saying. “It was Vivian and Lily! They cornered me in the bathroom this afternoon and injected something into me. I was stuck in there feeling out of it until I finally came out and you dragged me into the office.”
I look to him with wide eyes, praying he can see the truth in my words. I know how it sounds. Every kid tries to plead innocent when they’re accused of something like this. My heart stings with the betrayal of Lily being involved in this. When the Elites turned on her, they planted drugs on her, too, and also got her suspended. I can’t believe that she’d pull something like this after going through it herself and knowing what it feels like.
I remember her sitting across from me at her parents’ restaurant, explaining their history with the Elites. She seemed hurt, but so nice and kind. So human. I am baffled that she could turn so quickly and so completely. Maybe that’s what this school does to people. Hits them over and over until all the corrupt ugliness finally starts seeping in through the cracks. After all, I had just begged Emmett to treat Vivian the same way I had once been treated. I guess we all cave under the brutality of Jameson. Eat or be eaten.
Coach Granger blows a big breath out from his cheeks and pushes his fists into his hips as he turns and looks aimlessly across the schoolyard. I want to think he’s struggling to believe me, but that doesn’t seem right. Something more than that seems to be troubling him.
I know he’s thinking about whatever happened when he disappeared from school. His mysterious troubles at home. I don’t know what they have to do with this, but I can see that same gloomy look on his face now that he gets every time he’s looked at me since he came back to school. I wish he could just tell me everything, but for whatever reason, he is keeping it to himself for now.
“You believe me, don’t you?” I press desperately. I can deal with whatever else is going through his mind as long as I know he believes me.
He shakes his head and murmurs something I can’t make out. “Dammit, Lopez,” he finally blurts more clearly. “They cornered you this afternoon, you say?”
“Yes! You can ask my teacher,” I explain. “I left for the bathroom and never came back. I knew they’d drugged me, but you know how people are with them at this school. I was all messed up and didn’t think anyone would believe me if I’d told them what happened.” He studies my face in silence, taking everything in. “You told me I could always come to you about anything. You said that because you knew what the Elites were doing to me, didn’t you? You’re the only one who doesn’t bend to them! And I’m telling you this now: they’re not done with me, even after everything that’s happened. Vivian and Lily drugged me and set me up. Please tell me you believe me!”
His eyes grow dark with something unspoken before he finally straightens and speaks more calmly. “I believe you,” he states. My heart swells with relief and adrenaline all at once, forcing me to steady my still-shaky body against the brick wall. “I have to go,” he blurts suddenly. “I’ll work with you privately for practice until I can get you back onto the team.”
