“Coach Dean.”
I was flattered Coach thought highly of me. He had asked for my opinion on occasion when he needed a teenager’s advice about something. “I see.”
“He told me to ask you.” Trevor said.
Great! The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint Coach. After all, he was Daddy’s best bud and Maiken’s former coach. “My boyfriend used to play for Coach Dean.”
“I heard. I guess Sloane has the hots for your boy’s sophomore brother. I don’t get it.”
I did. Marcus might be an ass, but he was handsome. “Have you met Marcus?” I didn’t know when he would have, since Marcus was at the academy with Maiken. Sure, he could’ve come home, but if Marcus did, then Maiken would too. Unless Marcus was skipping school, which was more of a possibility than anything.
“I have. Kind of a tool if you ask me.”
I giggled. Then realized I was laughing with him. Shame on me. I didn’t exactly get along with Marcus, but I shouldn’t be laughing at Maiken’s brother.
“That’s a pretty sound,” Trevor said. “You should laugh more.”
I came to an abrupt stop outside the library. “Did you just compliment me?” I asked for nothing more than to convince myself a bully was capable of being nice.
His features pinched. “Why? You don’t like compliments?”
I sighed. “In one breath, you’re a bully, and in the next, you’re nice. I guess I’m not sure if you want me to help you or if you have something else in mind.”
His lips curled slightly at the edges. “Something else sounds good, wild one.”
I shuddered. His pet name for me made the hairs on my arm stand at attention. “Why are you calling me wild one? It’s awful. Don’t you have a better pickup line?” Maybe I should give him lessons on manners. “Don’t answer that. Why are you behind in your classes?”
He paled and tensed. “Not up for discussion.”
“Sorry, Trevor. I don’t have time.” I pulled open the door and went into the library.
Lo and behold, Trevor followed. When I commandeered a table in the back corner where it was quiet, Trevor joined me, but his body was seemingly too big for the chair.
I huffed. “Can I be honest?”
He snatched his phone out of the front pocket of his jeans. “I love a girl who speaks her mind.”
“I literally don’t have time. I’m slammed with my own studies and chores on my farm. If I want to keep my valedictorian status, I need to tutor myself.”
He slid his phone across the table.
I sat back as though the phone were a weapon. “What are you doing?”
“You want to know why I keep calling you wild one.” He pointed at the phone. “Take a look. If I were you, I would turn the sound down.”
I studied him, unsure of my next move. Whatever was on his phone couldn’t be good, and I’d learned long ago that phones and teenagers spelled all kinds of trouble.
“Go ahead,” he said again. “Don’t be afraid.”
My stomach knotted, and the voice in my head said not to look, but my hands didn’t listen. I picked up the phone slowly, holding my breath. When my eyes landed on the screen, nausea shot up and settled in my throat.
“What in the world?” The picture was dark and grainy, but it looked like Maiken and me. I was greedily fumbling with Maiken’s belt like I was a hungry animal desperate to eat. “Did you take this video?”
Trevor deadpanned as he crossed bulky arms over his white Henley. Suddenly, that creepy vibe I had about him was stronger than ever.
My pulse banged like a drum solo in a rock concert as I lowered the volume before hitting play. Heat rose like a fast-moving wildfire and gripped my cheeks. I couldn’t move. My mouth was bone dry. I couldn’t even breathe. I watched in horror as the video unfolded before me. Maiken and I were the stars of the show. Holy cow!
Nausea swirled violently in my stomach. If Trevor was speaking, I couldn’t hear him over the loud thump, thump, thump of my pulse.
The library walls closed in. Nightmares were in my future, and so was hell, or a convent, especially if Daddy found out or saw the video. If this went around school, I couldn’t show my face ever again. The words slut, hussy, and whore came to mind. More importantly, something like this could ruin my future employment.
Motherpucker.
Maiken was right. Someone had been watching us the night of my party. He’d thought the person was my dad. I believed Trevor was much more lethal. He could send this video out to the world. I could handle Daddy. Sure, I might be grounded for an eternity, but if Trevor shared the video, I wouldn’t be able to attend school without leers, jeers, catcalls, and derogatory name calling. Then again, disappointing Daddy would drive a stake through my heart, and that was way worse than the peer pressure.
Tears were on the brim, ready to spill, but I wasn’t about to give Trevor the satisfaction. I stopped the video, tempted to throw his phone at the wall or crush it. That would get rid of any chance he had to send that video to anyone.
Stupid, stupid, stupid girl. Note to self: don’t ever drink again.
“Who else has this?” My voice was surprisingly steady when my insides were nothing but.
He leaned forward, showing no expression and no feelings. He was just a clean sheet of paper. “Just me. It’s quite sexy. Don’t you think?”
He was a pervert.
I gritted my teeth. “Why would you do this?”
His large hands crept across the table before he snagged his phone. “I liked what I saw.”
“You’re a perv and a bully.” My bottom lip wobbled. I was ready to choke and cry and scream. Where was my brother Carter when I needed him? Or Maiken for that matter?
“I haven’t shown it to anyone but you,” he said as a matter of fact. “I don’t plan to either. I’m not like that. Some things should be kept private.”
I finally choked. “Private.” I hunched over the table. “If you think that, you would’ve never taken this freaking video.” I kept my voice low but hard. Mentally, I was kicking myself in the ass over and over again for my actions. It would’ve been one thing if a slew of kids hadn’t been feet away from Maiken and me that night, although if I hadn’t had the party, then I wouldn’t have gotten drunk in the first place.
Trevor jutted out his angular jaw. “I was bored and exploring new territory.”
Unbelievable.
“Are you using this to bribe me now?” I couldn’t wrap my mind around any other reason he would be showing it to me. I didn’t want to tutor him, so he had the video to use against me.
Oh my God! If Sloane got ahold of this, I would definitely die.
“Truth, wild one?”
I clenched my fists in my lap, puffing out my cheeks. “Stop calling me that.”
“I’m trying to make friends, not enemies.” His tone didn’t have one threat or an ounce of sarcasm in it. He sounded serious, which was odd since he’d given off the bully vibe.
I laughed loudly, mainly from nerves. The librarian gave me the evil eye from her desk in the distance.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Well, a tiny part of me did, but I needed more convincing.
“Quinn,” he said in a sweet, husky tone. “I like you. I like you even better since you punched Sloane at your party. I have no ulterior motives here. I’m a guy, and I like porn.”
The word “porn” scraped across my arm, and I shivered. Nevertheless, I studied him hard as he held my gaze, steady, unwavering, wanting me to believe him.
Maybe he was an expert liar. There was only one way to test the waters and find out how truthful he was.
I crossed my arms over my chest, willing the contents of my stomach to stay put. “So you’ll delete the video, then.”
He handed me his phone. “You delete it. That way, you know it’s gone, and we start with trusting one another. I’ve seen better porn anyway.”
My jaw hit the table. Maybe I had him pegged all wrong. Still, I wasted no time
in wiping that baby off his phone. I deleted it from the trash as well. Once I did, I sighed so darn heavily that the building probably shook.
“Now that we got that out of the way, will you tutor me?” he asked. “Or do I have to tell Coach Dean you said no?”
I shook my head. “Fine. But on one condition.”
“Name it.”
“We never speak of that video ever again.” I couldn’t even tell Maiken. Not that I was embarrassed with Maiken, but he might do something stupid as in beat Trevor to a pulp. Then he might ruin his chances of a scholarship or get kicked out of the academy. He might not be as rebellious Marcus, but all the Maxwells had that protective nature when it came to their loved ones.
“What video?” Trevor asked playfully.
That knot in my stomach loosened. I dodged a bullet. Maybe my senior year was looking up after all.
I had been having Quinn withdrawals for weeks. We’d FaceTimed a few nights ago. That had been the best day ever. I kept touching the screen, hoping by some miracle I could actually put my hand through it and feel her soft skin or kiss her sweet lips.
“What are you doing?” she’d asked.
“Trying to touch you,” I’d responded.
Then she would giggle.
We’d spent two hours talking and staring at each other. In the end, we’d kissed the screen. That was sort of weird, but I didn’t care.
The team had filed out a minute ago while I took a breath and laced up my basketball shoes. My stomach was flipping like a well-practiced gymnast performing her floor routine. The scrimmage game was turning out to be more than practice. The stands were packed. Electricity was in the air, and I felt like I was about to play my first game ever. In part, I was. It would be my first game at the academy. It would also be one where I had to do more than my very best.
Coach Green had invited his good friend Richard Patrick, a scout from Boston College, to the game. He’d sprung that news on the team an hour ago. Between my excitement to see Quinn and now the scout, I was ready to lose my lunch, literally.
Boston College wasn’t my first choice, but it was a Division I school. Plus, it was in the NCAA and the ACC conferences, which meant that if I did play for BC, I would go up against Liam at NC State. It would be weird since Liam and I were practically best buds, but it would be fun and cool just the same.
Once my shoes were tied, I opened and closed my fists, trying to keep my hands from shaking. The scout wasn’t just in the stands to watch me. Our point guard, Wade, was a great player and graduating with me. He too was interested in a full ride to a Division I school.
I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer, when the door to the locker room squeaked open.
“Maxwell, are you in here?” Coach Green asked before he emerged from behind a bank of lockers. “How come you’re not out on the court?” He was dressed in a blue suit and maroon shirt. His suit jacket had the Greenridge Academy’s gold insignia stitched on the upper left breast. “Is there a problem?”
I pushed to my feet, tossed my bag in my locker, and closed it. “Not really. Just taking a moment to quiet my nerves.”
“Get out there and warm up,” he ordered. “That’s the best way to shake things off.”
“Yes, sir.” I headed for the door.
“Maiken, play just like you have been in practice. And remember, this is just a scrimmage.”
Scrimmage or not, the game was still the game. I still wanted to win. I still wanted to be perfect whether the scout was in the stands or not.
Coach and I walked out, not saying a word until just before we reached the doorway into the gym. Then he swung out his arm and looked me right in the eye. His dark gaze was resolute. “Get in your zone. Tune everything out but the game. Focus on shooting, rebounds, and passing, exactly like we’ve been practicing for weeks.”
I got the feeling he was trying to calm himself down rather than me. Nevertheless, the buzz of the crowd only enhanced the swirling tornado in my stomach. “I hear Lennox Prep plays dirty. Is that true?” Wade had mentioned that to me earlier.
“They’re aggressive,” he said. “They have a good defense, as I pointed out in our meeting earlier. We’ll be using a man-to-man defense to start the game. They did lose two of their best players last year, so we’ll see. But what you need to do is play your game.”
I nodded then jogged out and joined my teammates at the other end of the gym, hoping I made him proud.
An hour and twenty minutes later, I was soaked with sweat as the clock ticked down to thirty seconds left in the game. So far, I’d played my game. I’d made Coach proud. Greenridge was in sync. We played like a well-oiled machine, but so did Lennox Prep.
We were down by one point with possession of the ball when Coach Green called a time-out.
The ref blew his whistle.
We huddled around Coach as he started to draw the last play on his clipboard. Up until now, I hadn’t had much time to find Quinn in the stands, or the scout for that matter. However, I didn’t know what Richard Patrick looked like.
Ian, our power forward, who had been at basketball camp, nudged me. “Hey, there’s Noah. Remember the dude at camp?”
Noah? He had called right before I’d moved up to Greenridge that day I was with Quinn at the farm.
I glanced out at the stands across from us. Up until that point, I hadn’t dared look at the crowd, mainly to keep my focus on the game. “Where?” I’d returned Noah’s call that day, but he hadn’t answered, and since then, we hadn’t connected.
“Third row up. Left side at the end. He’s sitting with a pretty girl.”
My gaze shifted in that direction until Coach Green said my name. “Wade, pass to Maiken. Maxwell, we just need a two-pointer to win the game. But use the clock. Understood?”
All of us nodded.
Once we were in position, waiting on the red, I tossed a quick look over my shoulder and froze.
Quinn and Noah were sitting together, bumping shoulders, and laughing. I must’ve missed a memo somewhere. I’d never told Quinn about Noah. He knew I had a girlfriend, but I hadn’t mentioned her name. He hadn’t told me much about him, so I hadn’t shared much of my history except that I lived in Ashford, had gone to Kensington, and had a girl.
The whistle blew, but I couldn’t turn my head.
Wade ran up to me and shouted in my ear. “Dude! Play!”
Fuck.
I shook my head, kicked my legs into gear, and headed down the court.
Coach Green was yelling at the top of his lungs with my name dropping from his angry lips.
I checked the score. We were still down by one. Ian had the ball and passed it to Wade, who, in turn, passed it back to Ian.
I lit a fire under my ass and positioned myself at the side of the key.
“You only need two points,” Coach had said.
My pulse soared off the charts. I was so getting my ass reamed.
Wade lined up at the top as I waited for him to look at me. But he didn’t. He bounced the ball once and, as if in slow motion, shot the ball.
I held my breath as the ball soared through the air, the seconds ticking by. When the ball hit the backboard, I was sure it wasn’t going in. But just as the buzzer went off, the ball fell through the net.
Air punched from my lungs.
The crowd shouted and clapped, and the noise level was off the charts. I swore the building shook. If this was just a scrimmage, I couldn’t imagine how the fans would react when we won during the season.
But maybe I wouldn’t be there after today to see it. I hung my head as I jogged up to my teammates. “I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?” Wade asked, throwing his arms around me.
“I’ll tell you later.” Right now we had to exchange pleasantries with the other team, and then I had to apologize to Coach.
My stomach was one big knot, because I knew he was going to spit fire over how I’d messed up. Goodbye to any potential I had with Boston College.
/> As I shook the hand of my last opponent, I stole a look at Quinn. She was studying me hard, and I couldn’t quite figure out her expression. It was a cross between confusion and worry.
She smiled tentatively at me, and I returned her gesture. I didn’t believe she would dump me for Noah. However, my mind was working overtime, wondering how they knew each other.
They probably just met while sitting in the stands. What I couldn’t figure out was why Noah was even at one of my games. Maybe he was enrolling in Greenridge, or he already had, and I just didn’t know about it.
What chafed my insides, though, was that Noah and Quinn seemed chummy, as though they knew each other well.
“Maxwell,” Coach Green called. “Meet me in my office in five.”
I nodded as I joined Wade, who was heading to the locker room.
“What gives?” Wade asked. “You froze, man. Seconds left in the game, and you checked out. Not cool at all.”
I hung my head. “It won’t happen again.” I would make darn sure I didn’t even glance at the crowd during the next game, even if Quinn wasn’t in the stands. “I saw my girl with someone who I wasn’t expecting to see.”
“You got to leave the personal shit in the locker room. It has no place on the court.” Spoken like a true captain. “You get a pass since this is your first game, and it doesn’t count. But when the season starts, your mind better be on the fucking game.” He hurried off to catch up with Ian.
I slowed my pace, running my hands through my hair and taking in a deep breath. Now to talk to Coach. Instead of showering, I took a left down the hall to Coach’s office, where I waited outside.
Within less than a minute, Coach strutted down the hall with his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit pants. He wore a look of pure disappointment. “What happened?” His voice boomed in the empty hall.
I swallowed an elephant, afraid to tell him what I’d just told Wade. But I wasn’t one to lie. “I saw my girl. That’s all.”
He pointed at me, and it was the first time I’d seen him angry. “If you pull something like that again, I will bench you for five games.” His tone brooked no argument. “Do I make myself clear?”
My Heart to Keep: A Maxwell Family Saga - Book Four Page 11