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“Noted.” Not that it’s hard to figure out, but I really should find somewhere she can’t send her minions after me. There’s one place she won’t look for me, but the thought of it is too painful. And not exactly accessible for hiding out at lunchtime.
When I stand and walk towards the door, Topher moves into my path a few feet in front of me. “It’s about Neil.”
That stops me. Every muscle in my body freezes in place except my fist. That particular appendage clenches at my side. “What about him?”
Topher’s eyes drop to my fist as he shakes his head. “I had nothing to do with it. I swear. I just found out what happened. I’m so sorry.”
“Doesn’t changed that it happened.”
His chin drops to his chest as his hand moves over his face. “No, it doesn’t.”
I don’t know if he’s a good actor or actually sincere, but he looks like he feels bad for Neil when he finally lifts his face to me. “I would’ve stopped them. I know I’ve done some shit in the past to him, but I meant what I said. He’s one of us.”
“Even if he wasn’t, that doesn’t make it okay to fuck with him.”
“You’re right.” Topher sits in the seat nearest to him, elbows on the desk. “And I’m sorry for what I did to Neil. He’s actually a pretty funny dude.” Topher lets out a chuckle, but it just rubs me the wrong way.
“Yeah. And he’s better than this bullshit.”
When I go to leave, Topher asks, “What’re you gonna do?”
“Nothing.” The word is one of the most painful I’ve ever spoken. Every time I see Lenny and the other fuckers it gets worse. Keeping my promise to Neil means keeping my mouth closed, and that’s the only thing keeping me on track. But how long can I manage it? They have a recording of his humiliation. They’re threatening to release it if he doesn’t walk around and pretend like nothing’s transpired. How canhewhenIcan’t even do that, and it didn’t happen to me?
Topher still looks concerned as he asks, “What about ball?”
It’s my turn to chuckle. That’s all he’s worried about, if I’m gonna stay on my leash and keep on playing. “I don’t know.” And that’s the honest truth. Because every time I think of stepping on the field with my teammates, my rage amplifies. I’d give up every single win for the rest of the season just to kick their asses. But instead, I have to play alongside them for the rest of the season. They’re notmyteam and never will be.
“They won’t touch him again. I made sure of it.” Topher sounds certain, but I’m not convinced, and he figures that out and adds, “I have some shit on every one of them that they don’t want to get out. Like prison-with-no-yard-time shit, so they know to stay away from Neil.”
Blackmail. That’s how everyone gets things done around here. But I’m thankful there’s at least a chance they’ll leave Neil alone. “That’s great. But it doesn’t change what they did to him.” And what I want to do to them. Prison time doesn’t sound so bad right now. At least there’d be no blonde vixen lingering nearby.
“Agreed.”
“What do you have on them?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t out them. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let them keep being dicks.”
He doesn’t trust me, and I don’t trust him. And he’s still protecting his buddies, including Morgan. “I’ll handle it.”
Topher follows me out of the classroom. “Let me help. I want to.”
But it’s the bitch propped against the lockers that has my undivided attention right now. She’s everywhere. Everything revolves around her. I hold my hand up, signaling Topher to stop talking. “Thanks, but I got it,” I say, leaving him to stand behind me before continuing down the hallway.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I can’t trust anyone who steps out on that field with me or anyone connected to her.
6
MORGAN
“Can you please talk to him, Morgan? I swear I didn’t know,” Topher begs, which isn’t something he does often, so now I’m really intrigued.
“Know about what?”
He shifts awkwardly, breaking eye contact as he moves next to me and places his back against the locker. He doesn’t trust me. He’s one of the smart ones. But he’ll give me what I want like they all do. “Fine. But I can’t help if I don’t know what the fucking problem is.”
As soon as I turn away from him, he starts to spill the information. “Lenny. He’s the fucking problem.”
I look back to him, my hand on my hip as I agree with the obvious. “Yeah. Now tell me something I don’t know.”
