Songs For Cricket

by Terri E. Laine

  I gave her a thumbs-up and left, unsure if she was on my side or if she hadn’t yet heard about Lacey’s accusations.

  After a second of waiting at the locker room door, I pushed inside. A few guys stopped talking when I appeared, but no one said anything directly to me.

  Though the guys seemed either oblivious or uncaring about what had happened that morning, I knew the worst was yet to come.

  The idea that girls on campus would shun me or, worse, walk the other direction out of misplaced fear was something I might face in the days to come.

  If not for Finley and finally being able to call her mine, I might not have anything to look forward to.

  25

  finley

  The ache between my legs was never more apparent than when I walked. I’d tried to hide it from Shepard because he’d already felt bad about inflicting unavoidable pain.

  Alone in the locker room something else rivaled the pain between my legs. When I looked in the mirror prodding at my face, I realized that the cause was the smile that hadn’t left my face. I don’t think I’d ever been this happy. I would have skipped my way to the main locker room if I hadn’t run smack into Tori who’d been waiting for me in front of the pool area exit.

  “Jeez, you scared me,” I said, clutching at my chest.

  “Sorry,” she said. “I’m sure you caught the local news reporter from channel five.”

  I hadn’t paid attention to what station they were from, only that it wasn’t the best time for their arrival.

  “How did they find out about me?” I asked.

  I wondered if the President of the University was planning to use me for some marketing campaign to prove that we were a school of inclusion and equal rights for all.

  Tori jaw unhinged. “You don’t know.”

  Worry for Shepard and the anonymity from being linked to his father filled my chest. I shook my head.

  “That mini game you had last Friday was taped and uploaded to YouTube. You’ve gone viral, my friend.”

  I rubbed my head, finding a new pain that overtook everything else.

  “Don’t worry. My mom was a local congresswoman before she died. I’ve had a crash course on how to handle the press.”

  I had no desire for fame, which I knew was odd given my choice of sports. Still, I wanted to play for the love of the game and knowing I could do it, not because of the potential to be a minor celebrity of sorts.

  “Can we do this after or even postpone it until never?”

  She laughed at me. “This is only the beginning. But I think I can persuade them to wait until after practice.”

  “Good because I’m already late.”

  “Okay, give me a minute before heading upstairs. I’ll distract them so you won’t be too late.”

  I agreed, and she trotted off. I counted off the seconds in my head and then hustled upstairs and into the locker room.

  “Farrow, good you could make it.”

  My checks burned as all eyes turned to me. Coach continued.

  “As I was saying, this is the last week to prove yourselves worthy to play on Saturday. Disappoint me now, and you’ll be keeping the bench warm for the starters.”

  Not long after, we left the locker room and jogged down the stairs that were between the up and down escalators, warming up our muscles for what was going to be a grueling practice.

  As we reached the bottom, someone from the crew spoke loud enough for me to hear over the steady chatter.

  “That’s her.”

  I listened intently, wanting to hear her response.

  “Just footage,” she warned. “We have an exclusive after.”

  “What about him?” the same guy asked. “The guy from this morning.”

  “There’s nothing there. They said he hadn’t been under arrest. He was just being questioned about a reported crime. She’s the bigger story for now.”

  As I came to a stop, a familiar hand nudged me at the base of my back. I wanted to correct the reporter and bargain for them to stay away from Shepard if they wanted an interview from me.

  “Just go,” Shepard whispered.

  I did as he asked, not wanting to create a scene. I felt some relief outside. The heat from the July sun and how to survive the next few hours in it in full pads eclipsed my other thoughts until I saw her.

  The cheerleaders lined the entrance to the field, chanting something I couldn’t focus on with her in my sight. She hadn’t spotted me. I was beneath her. But I caught the moment she saw Shepard. Her lip curled in a sneer, but the joke was on her. She must not have been told yet that her little ploy hadn’t worked.

  Hands caught hold of me when I drifted in her direction. Wiping that ugly smile off her face had been my subconscious goal.

  “Let it be. She’ll get hers.”

  But it wasn’t Shepard talking to me this time. I nodded to Cooper and continued onto the field. Shepard hadn’t stopped but had moved faster instead. I wasn’t mad at him. Her kind of poison was deadly, and knowing him, he didn’t want to put a target on my back if she saw us together.

  I caught sight of August talking to Emily. She looked distressed, and my brother was being very animated. Though I hadn’t quite forgiven him for his overprotectiveness, he was my brother, and Emily was close to becoming a good friend. Plus, I needed August on my side when Shepard and I told him we were together.

  Once practice began, I forgot about everything. Coach had told us to show him what we were made of. Bryant would be gunning for me and my position. I had to continue to prove that I was the better choice.

  When it was over, sweat ran like a raging river over me. I hoped the TV crew would give me time to shower before I was forced in front of the camera.

  I ran up to the guys. “You don’t have to wait for me.”

  August seemed distracted. “Yeah, I have a thing.”

  I wondered if that thing was Emily.

  “I’ll meet you at the café,” August said.

  “I’m not hungry. I’ll walk home,” Shepard said.

  “I can run you there,” Cooper offered, “and come back.”

  “No, I’m good. Go ahead. I need time to clear my head anyway.”

  August and Cooper nodded and went off. August was clearly distracted, or he would have insisted on being there for the interview.

  “I’m staying with you,” Shepard whispered.

  I stepped in front of him. “No, you won’t. If you’re there, it will just give them a reason to look into your background.”

  He looked as if I’d stabbed him in the chest. “You shouldn’t go alone.”

  Alone was so much better. Having August or Cooper there would have pissed my dad off. He would think I was creating a media circus and dragging them into it.

  “Tori is going to be there. She’s good at the press thing,” I said. “It will be fine. Don’t worry. I’ll see you later.”

  He looked like he wanted to say more, but I gave him a little shove forward, and he kept going.

  I glanced around, hoping the cheerleaders were around but found none in sight. I wasn’t done with Lacey. After all these years of my brothers and Shep watching over me, it was time for me to do a little protecting of my own.

  As I worked up a plan in my head, my mood began to lift. I ignored the crew when they surged forward at my arrival and disappeared into the locker room. I showered and changed, grateful the TV woman hadn’t followed me. Though Tori had been there probably warning them off.

  I walked out into the main foyer of the facility in clean practice gear including pads. I had a feeling they wanted to see me in uniform.

  Tori gave me some pointers as I trudged over to where they were set up in a corner that had excellent lighting from tall windows.

  “Just stick to the basics. Only tell them what you’re comfortable with. Don’t let them trip you up into saying more. If they ask you something you don’t want to answer, say next question. I
f they persist, I’ll step in. Don’t lose your cool. You will be fine.”

  She also cautioned me about saying anything negative about the school.

  The TV lady stepped forward, hand extended as we approached.

  “Hi, I’m Glenda Hightower. It’s nice to meet you.”

  She had a warm smile and was dressed in a conservative blouse and skirt. Though in heels, she barely reached my height.

  “Finley Farrow,” I said, deciding to give the woman a pass for her zealousness from that morning.

  “It’s so great meeting you. I’m hoping this piece will be another example about how we as women can do anything. I know you’re not the first, but you’re still a member of a very small club.”

  I nodded.

  “This should be relatively painless, and we are grateful for your time.”

  Things didn’t start immediately. So much went into production from light and sound checks and other conversations between the crew. When it finally began, a small crowd of onlookers had formed.

  Great. I wasn’t exactly the poster child for public speaking.

  But it went relatively smoothly. She asked me my name and where I was from, then she asked about my history with football. I gave her concise, honest answers I hoped couldn’t be twisted later.

  She was surprised to learn I hadn’t played competitively before, and I explained about my background in soccer. She wondered how that played into me making the football team as a kicker. I tried to stick to the facts and not speculate on why I was chosen over Bryant, whom I hadn’t named.

  Just when I thought we were done, she asked, “What are the rules of dating fellow teammates?”

  A coating of ice constricted my vocal cords despite the heat. How could I possibly answer that?

  When I said nothing, Tori stepped in for me. “Next question.”

  “Does that mean the boy taken in for questioning in regards to a rape isn’t your boyfriend?”

  My tongue became cotton, and it took effort to mutter, “Next question.”

  “That’s not her boyfriend.”

  I looked up into dark eyes. Billy slung an arm around my shoulder.

  “You are?” Glenda asked him.

  Tori stepped in front of me. “I think that’s enough for today.”

  She turned around and removed the mic pinned to my jersey. I vibrated with fury. So much for trusting the woman. She’d waited until the end to blindside me.

  Tori hustled me down the hallway away from the crew and the onlookers. Billy followed and offered to take my gear to the locker room. I gratefully handed him my jersey still hanging on my pads.

  After he left, I said, “Can you please take me home?”

  Tori nodded.

  26

  shepard

  If not for Finley, I might have sworn off women for good after seeing Lacey’s sneer. The crazy bitch had it out of me for reasons unknown. I still couldn’t equate how turning her down when no one else was around to hear could make her want to ruin my life in the worst possible way.

  But she wasn’t the reason I’d passed up going to the café for dinner. I’d remembered the condition I’d left my room and didn’t want August and Cooper to find out about Finley and me that way.

  I’d walked home playing with words, trying to find the best way for August to accept that I loved his sister with every fiber of my being. Cooper was less of the problem. I wasn’t sure he would accept it, but he wouldn’t be as vocal about his feelings. August, on the other hand, would call me out for betrayal.

  During that walk, I decided if I had to choose between my best friend and the love of my life, I would choose her. We may have only been official for a very short time, but I’d had years to fall in love with her smile, the way her mind worked, her determination, and every inch of her lean body. She was the one I saw myself spending my life with. I wanted her and everything the Farrow household symbolized, from the house to the family inside. Though I would hate to lose my best friend.

  After I’d arrived, I’d taken a shower just in case Finley showed up and we had a little more alone time before her brothers arrived. I’d opened the windows in my room and stripped my bed of the sheets. When the doorbell rang, I tossed them in my closet and had made it to the top of the stairs when another stiff knock sounded.

  Damn reporters, I thought as I tore open the door, furious from the day’s events, causing me to act without thinking. As I realized my mistake, I hoped that maybe August or Finley had forgotten their key.

  But it wasn’t either of those possibilities.

  Hastings stood at the door, grim expression at the ready.

  “What is this about?” I asked.

  Miller’s scoff matched Lacey’s from earlier, and my stomach dropped as he lifted a folded paper, so I could see the heading.

  “We have a search warrant,” he said, glee glowing on his face.

  I held up my hands palm up as I was shoved aside. Miller went directly for the stairs, followed by two uniformed cops. Hastings waited after closing the door.

  “Where’s your room?” When I didn’t answer, he added, “If we don’t know which is yours, we’ll be forced to search them all.”

  No way would I let my friends’ personal space be invaded.

  “Top of the stairs to the right.”

  Hastings yelled the coordinates to Miller.

  “What’s this about?” I asked again, feeling baffled they were still after me.

  “Lacey amended her story. She said she’d come back, having remembered why she’d given you a ride in the first place.”

  “Of course she did,” I muttered.

  “So you admit she came back?”

  “No,” I said with fortified steel in my tone. “She didn’t.”

  But even as I said it, I knew I had no way to prove it.

  “Well, she says she did while looking for her grandmother’s ring, and that’s when you attacked her. She said your room had changed since the first time. You had trophies on display.”

  How in the hell had she figured that out? She hadn’t been to my room since I unpacked. When I stood there shell-shocked, he asked, “Is it true?”

  “It is, but I didn’t finish unpacking until Sunday. What are you here to find anyway?”

  He opened the warrant and pointed to the words ring, notebook, and anything relating to the crime.

  “My notebook?”

  “She says you wrote about stalking her.”

  My patience vanished. “I never wrote a word about her.”

  He held up a hand to stop my rant.

  “Hastings,” someone shouted from upstairs. “You need to see this.”

  He climbed the stairs and I followed.

  One uniform held out a ring in glove-covered hands. In his other he held up the box of condoms. “It looks like the same brand, and one’s missing.”

  Miller stopped riffling through my drawers. “Well, well, well. The cocksucker lied. Then again, I never believed he hadn’t had sex after all this time.”

  As I thought of a way to explain without mentioning Finley, everyone seemed to focus on the bed.

  “Where are the sheets?” Miller asked.

  “I was going to wash them,” I said in my defense.

  The other uniform spotted my half-open closet door and pulled out the bundle. As he shook them out, the small rust colored stain was revealed for all to see.

  I scrubbed a hand down my face knowing how it looked.

  “What is that?” Miller proclaimed like tada, not really looking for an answer to his question.

  Hastings pursed his lips and spoke softly to me.

  “Before you answer, think about what you’re going to say. We are going to test it. So if you tell me you cut yourself and it is proven not to be your blood, I’m going to have a hard time believing anything you’ve told me thus far.”

  I wanted to roar that my story had been proven without a shadow
of a doubt based on the video Finn had shown them. Lacey had been the one to conveniently change her tune.

  “Who’s blood is it?” Hastings gently prodded.

  “Just tell him.”

  I snapped my head in the direction of the door and spotted August and Cooper looking on. They weren’t supposed to be there. With everyone’s eyes on me, I caved some.

  “Cricket,” I murmured, knowing there was no way in hell I would say Finley’s name.

  What we’d done was private between her and me. And this wasn’t how I planned for her brothers to find out about us.

  “So you admit in your notebook, you’re writing about a real person?” Hastings asked before his partner could try to railroad me.

  “Found it.” The officer who’d bagged the ring and condom box held up my notebook in the air.

  I hated that my lyrics would be scrutinized and picked apart, meanings they wouldn’t understand.

  “I called Sawyer. He wants to talk to you.”

  August thrust his phone at me. He’d been there long enough to know I was up shit’s creek for the second time that day.

  “Hey,” I said, reeling from the turn of events but still remembering Lacey’s sneer.

  She’d screwed me big time. For the briefest of seconds, I wondered if banging her would have saved me this trouble. But the answer to that was a definitive no.

  Sawyer sounded all business. “Look, I have my girl Shelly here. She’s going to walk you through what to do.”

  There was a second before a feminine voice sounded on the other end.

  “Shepard.”

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “I’m Shelly, Sawyer’s fiancée. You didn’t do this, right?”

  I got that she had to ask and held back a curse.

  “No.” It came off more as a growl.

  “Then don’t say anything else. We’re arranging a lawyer for you.”

  “I can’t afford one,” I said.

  Because I had a full scholarship, I wasn’t allowed to work under any circumstances. The little money I’d earned from my summer job had to last me all year.

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure something out. Now is my brother there?”