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“Shit,” Jason said. “I’d forgotten about that. We all got so fuckin’ plastered. It was a great fuckin’ party. Epic.”
“Yeah,” someone else agreed. “Coke and cock, what’s not to love.”
“Cockaine,” Jason blurted with glee. “You know, cock and cocaine smashed together.”
Everyone started laughing, even Matty. “It has a certain ring, Jason.”
“Please tell me you’re going to host another Cockaine Party,” Jason pleaded. “I’ll absolutely forgive you for being a complete dickhead for the rest of the season if you do.”
Were they…becoming friends over cockaine? The evening was getting weird.
“I’m really feeling the love, Jason.” Matty snickered. “Thanks, but you’ll change your mind here in a second. The thing is, Coach recorded the entire thing. A few days later, he pulled me into his office, showed me the video, and threatened to release it if I didn’t do what he asked.”
No one spoke for a long moment.
“Okay, that’s fucked up,” someone said.
I looked around the room. A few faces turned ghastly white, including Jason’s. If my suspicions were correct, I’d say at least two or three others might have fallen victim to Coach Anderson’s antics.
One of the guys called out, “What did Coach ask you to do?”
“All in all, it wasn’t too terrible a deal for me,” Matty said. “He asked me to date his daughter, Zoey, to give her extra exposure and access to Hollywood functions, like premieres.”
“Doesn’t sound like a horrible arrangement if you ask me,” one of Matty’s teammates said. Conner was his name, I thought. “I mean, she’s beautiful. So what if you take her out on a few dates and have the paps snap photos of the two of you together? Not like that’s a big deal.”
Matty nodded. “And I’ve been going along with it, but it came to my attention that Coach may have other videos on his phone. Videos he may be using to blackmail other swimmers.” Matty paused. “Maybe even of some of you.”
More silence. No one was eating anymore, either. I didn’t blame them.
“Have you seen these videos?”
Matty shook his head. “No, Shaun, I haven’t.”
“What the fuck are you asking us to do?” Jason said through gritted teeth.
“I’m not asking anyone to come forward,” Matty said quickly. “And I certainly don’t want any videos to surface.”
“Are you going to the authorities?”
“No. If it gets out, then the other videos may come to light in the investigation, and I know that’s not ideal for swimmers who have a lot on the line. Nationals are coming up and the team as a whole doesn’t need the distraction.”
“Matty, hold up,” one guy in the back said. “You sure this isn’t just about the Nationals and Coach benching you? If your video gets leaked, you’ll get banned by USA Swimming for the drug use alone.” There were grumbles of agreement. “Tell me this isn’t just about self-preservation?”
“I won’t lie, Marcus. I want to compete in the trials as a solo swimmer, but don’t forget I’m also on the relay team for USC. If I’m cut, it affects Nate’s, Brian’s, and Glenn’s chances at Nationals too.”
I heard the sharp intake from two men, though I wasn’t sure who was who.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” one of the two men said.
“Exactly, Brian. I really don’t want to screw up the team. Coach is bad for our team. Like I said, if he’s doing this to me, he might be doing it to some of you.”
Matty suddenly stopped talking. His eyes flew to the opening to the kitchen.
Zoey was standing there.
Others took notice and soon all eyes were on her.
By the murderous expression on her face, Zoey was not happy.
