Page 41 of Crew Girl

“We’re in a room full of old people.”

He pressed another pill into the slice of cake.

She sunk into a chair across from him. Cam was right. As ever. She’d thought finishing the Iron Crucible had secured the respect of the team. But respect, it turned out, only took you so far.

“Quaid,” she started. “You know doing this is going to get you expelled.”

He dropped his head, put on his hangdog expression. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I won’t do it again.”

She laughed. They locked eyes, each as surprised as the other at her reaction. She pointed at the cake. “What are you doing?”

“Spiking it with laxatives.”

“Yeah, I got that part. I meant, why are you doing it?”

He looked at her, surprised she didn’t already know. “You have to stop them. Before it’s too late.”

“Them?” She thought it was Ethan he was gunning for.

He sat back in his chair, thought a minute, then started talking. “The first prep school I went to was Laurelwood. It was nice. Then a dick like Ethan showed up. A shove here. Some stolen lunch money there. A kid stuffed in a locker overnight.”

His expression told her who the victim of the last prank was.

“No one did anything because it was just one jerk. But when someone else sees that idiot getting away with being a bully, they think they might try it, too. Next thing you know? Everyone’s a bully.”

“So Ethan’s a bully.”

“Yup. He’s been shaking down one of the freshmen on the junior rowing team. Making him buy him loaded fries every day. Supersized.”

Which was why they’d poured loaded fries ingredients into Ethan’s car.

Now that she had the final piece of the puzzle, Teagan understood why the guys had all helped him, knowing if they got caught, they’d all end up in detention, or worse.

Quaid was looking out for the little guy. Kids who weren’t strong enough or connected enough to take on whoever was making their life miserable. “I respect that.” She did. “But… you know you’re on your last strike. Cabrera’s going to kick you off the team. Out of school. Is that what you want?”

“What other choice do I have?”

“Quaid,” she said, resolved to keep him out of trouble. “You cannot afford to do this.”

He looked down at the cake, then back at her. “I know.”

“But I can.”

The rest of the team found her and Quaid at the top of a flight of portable stairs attached to one of the planes.

They didn’t hide their surprise at seeing the pair of them giggling together as they watched Ethan Cabrera eating his cake as he flirted with a girl around the same age.

“Shhh,” Quaid instructed, nodding in Ethan’s direction. “Wait for it… wait for it…”

Teagan didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until, at long last, Ethan went ramrod straight, started looking around in a panic, then bolted for the restrooms. Quaid whooped and gave her a high five. “Nice one, Coxie. You got him good.”

They explained what they’d done on the way to the restrooms. They weren’t done just yet.

Quaid opened the main door to the men’s room. Groans were coming from the closest stall.

“That was for the freshman, Cabrera,” Quaid declared triumphantly.

“Quaid!” Ethan squawked. “When my grandmother finds out what you did, it’s over!”