Page 35 of Crew Girl

Which sucked. He always gave a hundred percent at practice and was almost as strong as Baloo. In other words, they needed him on the team.

“You’re running out of lives, Quaid,” Coach warned. “I pled your case, but Principal Cabrera, understandably, isn’t having it. You have one more life. You waste it on doing something as stupid as turning Ethan’s car into a loaded fries container again? You’re out.”

Quaid’s head shot up. “What? Expelled?”

“Yes.”

All of them felt the shock waves of the response. Answers didn’t get blunter than that.

“What possessed you to prank Principal Cabrera’s grandson?” Coach asked.

A couple of the guys sniggered.

Bad idea. Coach reeled on them. “You think it’s funny? Sitting in here writing apology essays when you’re meant to be on the water getting ready for a regatta? A regatta I can tell you right now you won’t win.”

From that angle? No. They did not think it was funny.

Coach wasn’t done with them, though. “Teagan, here, has been working her butt off.”

Crap. She didn’t need the crew thinking she was Coach’s pet. She inched herself behind him as his tirade continued.

“She had a fantastic set of drills all lined up for today and you let her down. Let yourselves down. I never thought I’d have to remind you that a team shows up for one another.”

Quaid started to protest, but Teagan poked her head out and ran a finger along her neck. Not worth it.

“It’s like you don’t care,” Coach Hayden continued. “I know you’re capable of winning, but I’m beginning to wonder if you’re more interested in destroying things than building something together.”

Josh and Ryder exchanged looks. They knew a callout when they heard one.

“Not one of you has shown me your best today. Apart from Teagan, who, for one, bothered to show up.”

A smattering of feeble protests filled the room, dying out when Coach’s anger shifted to disappointment. Which was much, much worse.

“I pull every string I can for you boys. But between actively courting expulsion, fist fights, and bullying—”

“I wasn’t bullying—” Quaid started.

“Write your essays,” Coach said, then left the room.

“I wasn’t bullying,” Quaid said again, once the door had clicked shut.

Teagan had no idea if it was true, but the one thing she did know? It was down to her to keep him on the straight and narrow from here on out. Yet another Mission Impossible to add to her list.

CAM

Anyone who walked into the library would not think this was a group of guys who’d just had their asses handed to them. They were chatting as they wrote their essays.

Baloo was getting Perry’s advice on how to take an Alpha selfie that didn’t scream toxic masculinity.

Ryder was assuring Crabcatcher that, with him in the eight seat, they’d still crush Westvale.

Noah was explaining to Quaid what contrition meant.

Josh made a sound like a trumpet heralding great news. “Here’s how we’re celebrating my birthday,” he announced.

Maybe it was Josh’s way of trying to cheer everyone up after Coach’s tirade. Or, more realistically, maybe the idea that everything wasn’t revolving around him was too much to handle.

Teagan, who’d sat next to Cam, rolled her eyes and whispered, “It’s like he thinks his birthday is a national holiday.”