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“What was that?” Ashleigh laced her arm through mine.
“Just how much do you know about when our parents were in high school?”
“I know that Uncle Jason and Lewis Thatcher had some kind of beef, but that’s all. Why?”
“Erm, you might want to talk to your mom about that.”
“My mom? What does my mom have to do with it?”
“I—”
“Holy shit, that was intense.” Peyton bounded over to us. “Did you see Kaiden’s face? He looked mortified.”
“Yeah, well, I would have been too,” Poppy replied. “His dad was drunk. How embarrassing.”
My chest squeezed as I pictured the look of disappointment on Kaiden’s face.
“I’m going to speak to Principal Kiln,” I heard Mr. Monroe say to Jenson. “Drunken violence is not the way… the team does not need tarnishing with that kind of thing.”
“I heard Kaiden is a chip off the old block,” Jenson said. “There was an incident last season.”
“That boy spells trouble, just like his father. I’ll make some enquiries, Son. I won’t have one bad egg ruining your final season with the Raiders.”
Jenson caught my eye and I quickly averted my gaze. No one expected the assimilation of the Rixon Eagles into the Raiders team to be smooth, but this seemed unfair. Kaiden wasn’t his father, he shouldn’t be persecuted for Mr. Thatcher’s mistakes.
I glanced at the door again, wishing I could go after him. But I was the last person he would want to see. I got it now. Why he’d been so cold when he realized who I was. Mr. Thatcher hated my father. It had oozed from him like sticky tar, infecting the air around him.
“Girls,” Uncle Cameron beckoned over. “Are you all okay?”
“Yeah,” Ashleigh said. “But what was that just now?”
“Just a little history rearing its ugly head. Don’t worry about it. Enjoy the party. But not too much.” He winked before rejoining my dad and the rest of the adults.
Poppy shot me a knowing look and I shook my head. Now was not the time to fess up that she’d found the article online and the truth behind what had happened with Kaiden’s dad.
* * *
The party dragged on.After Kaiden left, I couldn’t shake the dread balled in my stomach. I spent the night burrowed into Ashleigh or Poppy’s side, wishing I could leave. Everything was too noisy and busy. The adults got louder, laughing at their own jokes and patting themselves on the back for their achievements and successes over the years. Then Mr. Monroe ushered the crowd into silence.
“Friends, family, and donors. On behalf of the Rixon Raider booster fund,” he said, “thank you for joining us here tonight to celebrate what I’m sure will be another successful season of football.”
Applause exploded all around me, and I shrank into my hoodie. The familiar tingle broke over my scalp, my heart racing in my chest. I focused on my breathing, trying to calm down. I was safe here, amongst family and friends.
Poppy glanced at me and smiled. “Okay?” she mouthed, and I pressed my lips together, nodding.
I would be, as soon as we got home, and I could retreat to my bedroom.
“Now a few words from the man of the hour, Coach Jason Ford.”
“Thanks, Jack.” He shook Mr. Monroe’s hand.
“Thank you all for coming tonight and showing your support for the team. I know some of you have concerns over recent events and the assimilation of some of Rixon East’s players into the team, but I want to personally reassure you that I will always do what is best for my team. And we will do everything to make sure we bring home that championship this season.”
Everyone applauded again, the noise rattling my bones. I was proud of my dad, but sometimes I couldn’t understand the level of worship bestowed upon him. But that was Rixon. A town where football meant more than life itself.
Dad thanked everyone for coming and promptly gave the spotlight back to Mr. Monroe who proceeded to blow smoke up his son’s ass for the next ten minutes. Jenson was good, but he wasn’t great. Not like my dad had been back in the day. Jenson’s dad was a friend of the team though, and a big donor. If he wanted his son to get game time, he probably had enough pull to make it happen. My dad was a fair man, I knew that. But I couldn’t help thinking that where Kaiden was concerned, he was being swayed by his history with Kaiden’s dad, and Mr. Monroe’s intimate relationship with the team.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Ashleigh asked me.
