AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And the way she said it, it wasn’t…a lie? It wasn’t the whole truth. But it wasn’t a lie. My mouth was dry. My heart thumped in my chest.
Was she just saying all of that for Coach Lawson?
I thought about the game my high school coach used to make me play. What did Piper gain from telling Coach Lawson all of that? It was simple. She got us out of trouble. But she could’ve stopped at the explanation. She didn’t have to give details.
Why did she?
I just stared. I didn’t know.
Coach Lawson and Piper talked for long minutes about the conference, and all too soon, Coach Lawson was speaking to me again. “You’re staying, Russell.”
I glanced over to see Piper collecting her things. She gave me a little wave before she departed, hands shoved in my hoodie pockets. I didn’t even realize he dismissed us. I wasn’t paying attention.
“Huh.” Coach Lawson rubbed his beard. “Your weekend went better than I expected.”
I trashed some asshole’s car and had Piper, naked, in the shower.
“Me too,” I admitted.
“You would say this process has been successful?”
“Uh…” I paused. “Yeah, I guess so.”
He shifted back in his chair, watching me carefully. “I want to…apologize, Russell. I have some personal things going on and I think I took it out on you.”
The day was full of surprises.
I hesitated. “What do you mean, coach?”
“It’s a family affair.”
Gazing at him for a moment, I remembered that his stepdaughter was supposed to transfer here this semester. Was that why he’d been walking out of practice with his phone so often?
“Your…stepdaughter?” I guessed.
Shit, why did I ask? He’s not going to tell me.
“Yeah.” He nodded slowly.
I tried to hide my surprise. I couldn’t remember the last time Coach Lawson told me anything personal.
“She declined coming for the semester and I’d—it’s my problem to deal with.” He sighed, rubbing his temple. “I don’t have any kids of my own. My experience is with my teams, and you can’t exactly—I don’t want to bring that into the job. You’re a great player, Russell. We couldn’t have won the Birchwood Bowl without you.”
Any other time, I would’ve been smug about the compliments. But I stiffened in the chair, feeling an inevitable turn in the conversation.
“And…?” I said slowly.
“You obviously put in the work,” Coach Lawson finished. “You proved yourself on this trip. We don’t need to go ahead with this anymore.”
45
Piper
All Truth, No Details
Going in felt like the principal’s office. Heading out was freedom, but I couldn’t leave Adam behind.
I pulled up a chair and waited by the door. There wasn’t much else I could do. Whatever Adam and Coach Lawson were talking about, all business, definitely had to do with our situation. Even if the pool wasn’t as bad as pulverizing the Clemenza, it wasn’t good for us.
