AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I gasp, covering my mouth with my hands.
“No one makes her cry.” His voice seethes with disgust.
Coach’s face is bright red as he adjusts his jaw. “You’re off the team. Done. OVER! Get your shit and get the fuck out of here, Landon.”
Landon does something out of character and curtsies before saying, “Gladly.” Then spits at Coach's feet before walking out. My eyes move to Hudson. He doesn’t speak immediately, “Him and Raiden. We need him! What is wrong with you?” He questions in disbelief.
“Your brother ended his time on the team the minute he stepped up to me, and his fist connected with my face. He is done. You don’t assault your coach and get away with it!”
“What about school? He needs to finish his degree.” Hudson argues. I can tell when the idea has formed in his mind. With a smirk, he looks at his coach. “You know what? He isn’t off the team. He isn’t risking his schooling. And do you know why? Because you won’t say shit about this to anyone, or I will tell them what you did to Ms. Lewis. Coming on to her. Touching her inappropriately. Yeah, we saw that before Christmas. Making her feel uncomfortable. Yelling and slapping her when she rejected you. You will be done. OVER! You don’t put your hands on her, do you fucking understand me?” He is vibrating with anger. Coach just stands there, speechless. But Hudson isn’t done.
“Did I mention that we have friends in high places? We can easily make it look like you're a major drug distributor on campus. Venom, have you heard of it? Kick my brother off the team, and I will make sure you hear that name every day of your miserable fucking life. They will raid your house and office, and you’ll sit in jail for the rest of your fucking life. We’d make sure you are labeled as a woman beater. You wouldn’t last twenty fucking minutes in there. ” Hudson threatens his coach, knowinghe can get away with it. “Now, I’ll go let Landon know he isn’t gone. You leave her alone, understand?” Hudson points at me.
Coach doesn’t respond, his face is pale. He nods once and leaves the room.
I break down, my knees buckle, and my body falls on the ground. I cover my face with my hands as I kneel on the cold, cement floor rocking back and forth. I feel Hudson join me.
“Let it out. Let it all out now and then move forward. You are stronger than this, Banks. I know you are. We know you are,” he whispers and moves a piece of my hair behind my ear, then moves one of my hands off my face with his, and kisses a tear falling down my cheek with his soft lips.
“You survived us. You can survive anything, Banksy.”
My body shivers. He’s right. I am strong.
Removing my other hand, my cheek feels like it has its own pulse, still throbbing from Coach’s brutal slap. I wipe my tears away and try to compose myself. Taking deep breaths in and out help, focusing on that clears my mind.
“Good girl, Banksy. It doesn’t look like it will leave a mark, but it’s still a bit red. Keep breathing.” He praises me. It makes me feel good and a smile forms on my face, so he knows it too.
“I am going to find Landon now. Let him know what I said to coach so he is still on the team. You do what you have to do this week, Banksy. Keep being my good girl, ok? Then text me when it’s done.”
Hudson leans in closer and kisses my cheek, not letting it linger. It’s quick but it still sends shocks throughout my body.
“Yeah, go find Landon. Thank you, Hudson. Thank your brother for me too, please. He didn’t have to do that, but he did. I appreciate that more than you will ever know.” I whisper back.
“We know,” is all he says before adding a wink. It melts me internally. He stands up and walks out of my office, leaving me alone.
You can fucking do this, Banks. You are stronger than this. We will get through it. I reassure myself as I walk back to my desk, drying my face with the sleeves of my sweater.
I grab my computer and decide to call it a day. We don’t have a game tonight, just a practice, so I am heading home and saying fuck off to this day with a bottle of wine.
30
LANDON
Exams are over. We are waiting for a message from Banks confirming she completed her part of our agreement. She has been radio silent all week. We have been keeping an eye on her from afar, not wanting to make our connection to her obvious. Last thing we need is rumors to start. They wouldn’t be wrong, I did fuck her, but that’s no one’s fucking business.
I don’t regret punching Coach. Hudson would have if I didn’t. The guy is already on probation with the team. He doesn’t need an assault charge and being kicked off added to his resume of accomplishments this year. So I did it. He made her fucking cry. Only Hudson and I can make her cry, and she is so pretty when she does, but not when Coach did it.
It shocked me too. Coach can be a dick to us, but being one to her crosses the goddamn line. Anyone on the team would have done the same if they were in our shoes. She is sweet, not so innocent, Banks Lewis.
But they don’t know that. They don’t know her like we do. Her ticks, her breathing patterns when she sleeps, the way she crinkles her nose when she is thinking really hard on something. How her body moves under Hudson as he marks her, as I markher. I felt instant, murderous rage hit me hard when I saw her crying. She is ours to do with as we fucking please, not for him.
After being told I was kicked off the team, I immediately went to my locker and started packing it up, that is, until Hudson walked in with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face, telling me how he’d blackmailed the bastard and I was staying. Fuck yes, let the games begin, motherfucker.
I’m in my room, starting to work on my piece that I will put over my newest scar compliments of our father. I have to wait a few months before I can ink over it, scars take fucking forever to heal, but no better time to sketch like the present.
The details of the piece I am working on are straight from my memory. I’m still debating if I will add color or keep it black and gray. Either way, it will be stunning.
Checking my phone for the eight hundredth time, still nothing from Banks. It’s Saturday night, spring break is full on, and there’s no faculty or students left on campus. What the fuck is the hold up here?
