“We need to know that Maggie is safe,” I said. “Wherever she is, we just need to know she’s good with Ayira. If she’s not, then our priority is to find her first.”
“Agreed,” Isis nodded.
“How is it that this girl comes out of nowhere. None of you know who she is and now she and Maggie are missing?” Harvey asked as my mouth opened to speak but closed at the thought. Asha’s brows came together while Quan shook his head.
“I’ve been saying this about this so-called princess…Danielle isn’t really Danielle…it’s Ayira…pretending to be Danielle? Who the fuck is this lady and where did she come from?”
“Aye…I didn’t wanna be the one to say it,” Asha said. “But I always said something was off about her and yall are just so ready to accept anybody in the group.”
“Like this mothafucka,” Quan muttered towards Harvey who tilted his head to the side.
“I thought you enjoyed watching me having sex with Souxie?”
Quan’s whiskers twitched before he dropped back into the tote bag, annoyed.
“I don’t think Ayira is a danger to Maggie. If anything, I get the sense she was meant to be with her…” I said.
“Yeah nah…Ayira got in her head. What if Maggie did turn violent and it’s because of being around Ayira. We don’t know this broad! I can’t believe we were even thinking about taking her out to a club!”
“I don’t think Ayira would take advantage of Maggie,” Isis said with a worried tone before looking at me. “Right?”
“I can’t say but I don’t think so either.”
“Okay so how do we know she’s okay?” Asha asked. “If we don’t know where she is, how do we know anything at this point?”
“Who is the one person that knows her better than we probably ever will?” I asked dryly.
Coach Namir
“Alright, this meeting is going to be brief,” I said as I tossed the stack of papers on the desk. “It’s about the games and the program that Drew Collins will be hosting. Uhh…” looking down at the papers for my talking points, “it’s going to be a little different this summer.”
I looked at the coaching staff and assistants that sat in the student desk with a hard sigh. My mind was scattered with other shit going on but here I am. Trying to hold it together because I know I’m being watched for my reaction about the woman I’m dating being accused of not only attacking a student but kidnapping another. Fucking Maggie. I told her to just stay low until shit gets sorted out.
“Yeah,” I sighed as I leaned on the corner of the desk. “Anybody have any questions about it before I begin?” When I was met with silence and dead expressions I nodded. “Alright so we’ll be hosting the following schools and their students…Montclair and Monroe University. Belmont, Sycamore, Society Hill, Yasuke…of course Drew Collins and the newest university in London’s black mythical society, Ellesmere College is currently trying to meet the deadlines and qualifications. Each school will bring their top 4 best, including our very own,” I said as I held up a sheet with names listed. “I expect everyone to have some sort of input on who they believe should be competing for Drew Collins but so far we have a little over 50 students interested.”
I could hear the coaches begin to stir with anticipation of choosing their own athletes. Rubbing my prickly chin I sat the paper down with another heavy sigh.
“The games this year will be based on the original elements and although it's not finalized by the council, I’m assuming they will be competing in arenas based on these elements. Do with that what you will… There will be an open ceremony, the band will welcome everyone in. This will be broadcast live for everyone to see and the arena this year will be here at Drew Collins, not the big city. We managed to secure the funding and successful deal to have the stadium built specifically for this event so that our students may attend. It will be good press for our school.” I flipped through the stack of papers, looking for any last-minute notes and reminders I needed to say. “All of this is going to move pretty fast so let’s narrow our students down to 20 by next week so we can prepare. I expect nothing but wins from our Trojan warriors.”
“Damn right,” someone said with a pound of their fist on the desk.
“I’ve done the games and it’s nothing like it. There is no sport, no job, nothing that can compare to what this will put your body through. When we choose our athletes, we need them to be there mind, body, and soul because this will definitely fuck with your head,” I said as I tapped the side of mine. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door before it barged open as a group of…
“We need to talk about Maggie,” Asha demanded. “You remember her, the woman you supposedly love or whatever and is now fucking missing.” I stared at her as she slowly looked around at the rest of the teachers. Her mouth fell open just as Souxie gently grabbed her arm to pull her back. I can see othersstanding in the hallway waiting to come in before Souxie gave a silent wave.
“We’ll be outside,” she said before nodding towards the teachers. The door closed shut as they began to fuss at one another.
“We got it from here, Namir,” Moore said as he stood up with his things. He was smirking while the rest began to collect their belongings to leave. When he came up to me, he clamped a hand down on my shoulder and stared directly into my eyes. “You won’t be good to anyone, not her, not us, not anybody if you don’t take care of yourself first,” he said in a low voice. “When was the last time you slept?”
I scratched at my brow with another hard sigh.
“I sleep when I can,” was all I said. “Comes and goes. Usually in my office.”
“Take the rest of the night off and get yourself together. Come back ready to start fresh and focused. Nobody here, anyway, believes she did anything to that bitch ass man.” I smirked as Moore gave a firm nod and another pat on my shoulder. “You have our full backing. I already see what this is about to turn into, and I don’t like it so be on your best toes.”
I scratched at my head with a hard sigh.
“I told this woman that I was supposed to propose to, that I blame her for…everything. The death of my brother…my family… It’s the last thing I told her.”
