Chapter Ten
Somethingwas up. It was obvious when everything went quiet when I walked into the locker room. The whole team turned toward me like they were auditioning for an exorcist remake.
The different facial expressions made everything even more curious. Some of the girls wore looks of pity, while others were confused. Yet the majority were downright mean.
Claire smiled widely, showing off her perfectly aligned teeth, and my muscles tensed. Whatever was going on was bad.
“So I guess we know why Raine’s getting so much playing time.” Claire’s sharp words caused most of the team to snicker.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, already done with her little production.
“Like you don’t know. Did you have to get on your knees or spread your legs to overthrow me for starter?”
My mouth unhinged. I glanced around the locker room, hoping to get some idea as to what was going on. It clearly involved Trip, but other than that I had no other context clues to pull from.
“Can you just tell me what you think you know? I still need to get my cleats on and I really don’t have time for this.”
To prove my point I sat down on the bench in the middle of the lockers and pulled off my shoes. I noticed some of the team was moving away from Claire while a couple of her lackeys moved in closer to show their support.
My phone binged next to me. Needing a distraction, I reached for it desperately. Renee texted me a link and my stomach dropped as the first image pulled up. A picture of Trip pulling grass out of my hair while we both grinned at each other was damning enough.
The headline just amped up the intensity.
Trip’s mysterious new love interest.
Is this the reason he has been MIA?
Under the headline was another picture of Trip pulling the hat he gave me down on my head. His eyes were focused on me as if I were the only thing in the world that mattered.
I closed the article, refusing to see any more of the rude comments about how I wasn’t pretty enough for Trip, or who he should really be with.
“I never thought you were a suck your way to the top girl. You pretend to be such a goodie-two-shoes. Hell, you even had me fooled.” Claire shrugged her shoulders. “I wonder if Coach Butler would let me get my position back if I—”
“Enough,” Coach Mae yelled, stopping Claire from finishing her thought.
“Coach, did you see the article?” Claire held her phone out in front of Coach Mae’s face as if the headline itself would allow her to continue to make lewd accusations.
“Yes, Hoffer, I saw the article. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was your number that texted me the link this morning.”
“It’s unfair. I was the starter until Raine started hooking up with Trip.”
“It’s Coach Butler, Hoffer.” Trip’s southern drawl was low and menacing as he stepped next to Coach Mae.
“Are you going to stand there and let him protect her?” Claire yelled. The three girls standing behind her nodded quickly.
“I’m not protecting her. There’s nothing to protect. Raine and I are friends. She was at my nephew’s t-ball game and the pictures were completely taken out of context. Raine hasn’t done anything wrong, and neither have I.” Trip’s face was void of emotion and he refused to look at me.
“What about my starting position? My team overseas wants to know why I’m not pitching. I don’t want to lose my spot.” Claire’s voice was desperate, but her body language remained calm as she crossed her arms under her boobs so they rose up.
“Your starting position is there whenever you want it.” Trip put up his hand when Claire opened her mouth. “As soon as I see you pitching like a starter, that is. Don’t disrespect your team and your players by accusing one of them of sleeping to get to the top.
“Raine deserves her pitching position and she proves it every time she gets on the mound. And if any of you doubt I’d be more than happy to go over the last few game films where Raine brought the whole team to victory. As for your place on your overseas team, that’s on you to start showing your worth.”
Coach Mae nodded and stared the team down. She made eye contact with every one of them until they relented and nodded in agreement. Coach Mae’s silence made it abundantly clear she only worked with the team as a whole. There were no individuals, and she was ensuring the team was united.
“Coach Butler’s right. Raine has done nothing but pitch her heart out every time she’s on the mound. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“What about hanging out with Coach Butler? Isn’t that against the rules?” Lisa, the team’s second string catcher and one of Claire’s biggest supporters, chimed in.
