Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 194(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
I stepped out of the bathroom as one of Ryan and Cris’ roommates stuck his head inside. The others were right behind him. He saw me, his eyes flicking behind me. “We’re supposed to be at practice, but called Coach and told him some shit’s going down. Was I right to do that? He wants to know what’s going on because it’s a big fucking deal that we’re all missing.”
I hesitated before stepping more out and shutting the bathroom door behind me. “I—yeah, some shit’s going down, but I think most of you guys could go to practice.”
His eyes went back to studying the closed bathroom door. “Right, so here’s the real situation. I’m coming to you because I’m about to go see your boy downstairs and we need to know how to handle both Chavez and Jensen?”
He was asking, but also not asking at the same time. I got him.
When Ryan needed to be my emotional foundation, he was perfect. Steady. Stable. Calm. And loving. But I was fine now, and when that happened, that meant Ryan didn’t have to be, and well, Ryan had another side to him where he wasn’t a guy to mess with. His roommates and his teammates were well aware of that Ryan, and that’s what he was actually asking, was more trying to gauge how deep this shit was going to be, and how much I’d be affected because that would then affect Ryan.
I shook my head. “It’s a little hiccup with me and Ryan. Most of it’s about Maren and Cris.”
That’s all he needed to know. He clipped his head in a nod, already withdrawing from the room. “Got it. We’ll get orders from Jensen downstairs.” The other guys heard and were moving away, but he paused, once, looking back at the bathroom. “Whatever’s going on, let her know she’s not alone. Okay? We’re not just a team on the court, you get me?” His eyes flashed. “That means our girls too.”
“Thanks. I’ll—” The door started to open, so I turned around, saying as I did, “—tell her.”
The door opened all the way and Maren stood there, but she wasn’t in shock anymore. She was pissed.
“He’s not going to do anything about her.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I know what she did to him. You know what she did to him, but he’s not going to say it. He won’t use that word, but we know. That ain’t right. And he’s a guy. He’s not going to tell anyone. He won’t go to any authority to get her in trouble, but she’s not going to get away with this.”
I was catching up, seeing a wrathful side of my friend and liking it.
Willow, I’m thinking you would get along with Maren.
“What are you saying?” I asked.
She raised her chin up. “I don’t want to just hurt her. I want to ruin her.”
A sensation synced inside of me, a feeling of something clicking into place. In these situations, I wasn’t the friend who appealed to rationality. Reason. Nope. I tended to enjoy leaning into where we were a little unhinged. It was more cathartic and a lot more fun.
I smiled. “I’m in.”
And I swear that I heard Willow laugh beside me, No joke, Mac. If I ever killed someone, you’re the one I’d call because you’d help bury the body.
I frowned at that idea, then shrugged. There was some truth in that statement.
My phone began ringing after we were in the car.
Maren said, “It’s Ryan, again.”
I shook my head. I was the one driving because I was the more stable one at the moment, and we were on our way to pick up Lauren. Maren hadn’t wanted to include her, but I was adamant. I said as we were leaving the house and going to my car, “We don’t have to involve her where she’s helping us do anything, but she has this tendency to know people. She might know someone who could help us out, so I want to just ask her about Rispins, see if she knows her or knows someone who knows her.”
Maren had been doubtful, but after a quick call, it turned out that I was right.
Lauren did know Kellie and she did not have a high opinion of her. Hence, we were on our way to find Lauren, because from my internet search earlier today, we had enough to blast Kellie on social media. We could put out there what she’d done in the past and what she tried to do, and maybe it might hurt her, but it wasn’t enough. If we put out details, it could backfire and get her more attention, so I wanted to find more dirt on her, dirt that we couldn’t find online.
We just hung up with Lauren when Ryan’s first call came through.