Page 91 of Game Plan

I was just an innocent bystander earlier, and I’d been trying to erase the images from my brain ever since. Why did he have to recognize me?

“Calm down.” I firmed my back to project confidence. “I’m not gonna snitch on you if that’s what you’re afraid of. I’m not five anymore. I don’t care about you or your friend or who sucks who.”

Our first encounter replayed in my mind. The rude words he used, trying to look cool in front of his teammates. Was it all a ruse to pretend he was some sort of womanizer when, in fact, he wasn’t? Or maybe he was trying to be just to prove a point to himself—or someone else.

And then our second encounter, when I had told him he was gay in not so many words, just to get him off my back. Shit. Shit. Shit.

He punched the wall on his right, making a dent in the drywall. “I don’t believe you. You’re Pierce’s bitch, and he’s the most stuck-up guy I know. I’m sure you’ve already babbled everything to him by now, and in case you haven’t, I’m here to make sure you won’t. That you will keep this little secret between you and me.”

“Are you sure threatening me is the right thing to do at the moment? I didn’t even recognize you earlier. I thought you were someone else. You just snitched on yourself, Nichols. Congrats. Anyway, it’s not like the rumors about you weren’t true, so relax, it’s no big deal. Can I go now?” The expression on his face made me feel queasy. I needed to get away from him. And fast.

He growled and bunched his biceps, looking broader by the second. “I’m not a fucking homo, and what you saw wasn’t what you thought you saw. Do I make myself clear enough for your stupid ears? You saw nothing. It was all a big misunderstanding. A moment of insanity where your brain conjured things that weren’t real.”

“Don’t try to intimidate me.” I thanked Jayden in my head for teaching me how to talk back to bullies. Whenever he was pissed at other people, he looked lethal, and they usually scurried away with their tails between their legs—literally. “You should probably go back to where you came from. I’m not interested in your whereabouts or talking about you since you’re wasting too much oxygen just by breathing near me.”

He gripped my wrist, his hold tight, and pushed me against the wall. The back of my head throbbed with pain. “You think you’re a smartass, aren’t you, ma jolie? If I were you, I wouldn’t mess with me. I have friends in high places in this town. It would be fucking impossible to swim with broken ribs, no?”

I tried to say something, but the words froze in my throat.

“And that roommate of yours wouldn’t be much of a barista with a few missing fingers. Better to continue asking Pierce to walk you to the dorms at night. You never know what could go down when it’s dark outside. Just ask that swim buddy of yours. The one lacking testosterone. Ask him how it felt getting cornered at the gym earlier.”

How did this guy know so much about me? I didn’t wanna take his threats seriously, but it was hard not to when he had taken the time to learn stuff about me and my friends in just a few hours. Or maybe I had been on his radar for much longer. Chills skated up my back at the thought.

I swallowed the bile rising at the back of my throat, keeping my chin up, praying I wasn’t showing any sign of fear.

Nichols pushed a finger into my chest, speaking so close to my face I could see his nose hair every time his nostrils flared. “Let me repeat it in case you didn’t get it the first time. Keep your fucking mouth shut. You saw nothing. You heard nothing. And I wasn’t here tonight. If you care about Pierce and your friends, you’ll do exactly as I say.”

I bobbed my head twice, and he tapped me on the cheek. “Good girl. I see why Pierce keeps you. He trained you well. What an obedient bitch.”

The words Fuck you were on the tip of my tongue, but I remained quiet, refusing to give him more ammunition against me.

Nichols released me and disappeared through the back emergency door at the end of the hallway. For what felt like forever, I stood there, immobile, not sure what had happened or if I should have called his bluff.

My legs felt weak. With my free hand, I rubbed my bruised wrist.

“Oh, here you are,” Chelsea, one of the bartenders, said. “Table five was looking for you.” She searched my face. “Are you okay? You look jumpy.”

I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes. “All good. I was just about to get back out there.” I passed her. “Thanks.” I hurried toward the main bar area, not wanting her to question me further.

For the last three hours of my shift, I kept glancing over my shoulder, just in case Nichols was back and had decided intimidating me was his new favorite hobby.

When I was done at eleven, it was too late for me to call Donovan to check on him. It would have to wait till the morning.

Outside Lola’s, a bunch of Mason’s teammates were standing in front of Pizzazz. “Hey, Mason’s friend,” Bailey called when I came face-to-face with him on the sidewalk.

“Hi. Late snack?” I searched for Evan Nichols but couldn’t see him. I breathed a little easier at the thought he had left.

He nodded. “Yeah. We watched game tapes for hours to get ready for Saturday, and now we’re hungry.”

“Is Mase or Craig with you?” I didn’t wanna walk home after the day I had and their teammate’s threats.

“Nah. Craig went back to his home in Elk River for the night, and Mase dropped Rutherford at Amber’s a little over an hour ago. He said he’d join us later because he had somewhere to be first.”

“Oh, okay.” I scanned the deserted street around me quickly. “I-I should go, then. See you around.”

“Sure.” He turned to leave, and I wished I knew him better so I could ask him to walk me back to the dorms. I was being stupid. Paranoia wasn’t my friend. Nichols was scary earlier, but it wasn’t the first time he’d acted like an asshole and said mean things to me even though it was uncalled for. The thing was that I didn’t care who he slept with or what junk he put in his body. I had no intention of ratting him out about his sexual preferences or his drug use. I just hoped he’d realize that soon enough and leave me alone.

With all my senses on high alert, I looked around me like I was being pursued and increased the pace. Every voice, every revving engine, every noise sent my heart racing and made me jump out of my skin. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to convince myself I was just on edge and everything was fine.