Brittany shook her head from side to side, but not because she didn’t know the rules. She knew what happened when a girl got caught in a guy’s hotel room on the road. “Janna, nothing happened. I swear.”
“Save it. You’re suspended.”
“Wait!” Matthew jumped out of bed wearing only his boxers. “She’s telling the truth. Nothing happened. At least, not what you think happened. You can’t suspend her.”
“It’s not up to you.” Janna tugged on Brittany’s arm.
“Kind of blows your image, huh?” Coach Ryan chuckled at his perverse joke.
Matthew’s face got red-hot with anger. He clenched his fist and Brittany thought he might hit the coach. “This has got to be a nightmare,” she whined, in an effort to divert Matthew’s attention.
“What about me?” Matthew asked Coach Ryan. “You going to suspend me too?”
“Rules are different for the players. But I can tell you Coach Fairchild won’t be happy about this.”
Matthew pointed at Brittany. “She’s getting suspended, but I just get a time-out and have to sit in the corner? In what universe is that fair?”
“Life’s not fair and I didn’t make the rules,” Ryan grunted. “You should be grateful.”
“We’re always held to a different standard.” Brittany didn’t mean to whine, but that’s how her comment came out.
“Yes we are!” Janna’s tone was far sharper than it needed to be, Brittany thought. She had actually considered Janna a friend—until now. “And it’s a standard you agreed to when you joined the squad and signed our code of conduct.”
Brittany looked at her boyfriend with mournful eyes. He took a step toward Janna and gripped her arm. “You can’t do this to her.”
Janna looked at her arm and then back at Matthew. “You threatening me?”
“Matthew, it’s okay. Just leave it,” Brittany begged. “Let’s not make this worse.”
He let go of Janna but said, “It’s not okay, not at all.”
She wanted to say something else, but the words choked in her throat and she gave Matthew a weak wave before letting Janna lead her down the hall toward the elevators. He stepped into the hallway and watched Brittany being led away like she was some kind of criminal. “We’ll get through this,” he called to her. “I promise.”
»»•««
The morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows across from the bleachers in the empty gymnasium. Brittany sat in the first row with her elbows on her knees and her chin on her fists. The squad was out practicing on the field in advance of the noon start time. They were practicing without her and without Sofia. Sofia got suspended, too, after Janna found her with Derek when they got back to Brittany’s hotel room. Brittany wished there had been a way to warn Sofia, but she didn’t have her phone on her at the time. It was in the same room Sofia was in. By now, every girl on the squad probably knew what happened. The players, too. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if it was all over campus back at EFU. Juicy gossip traveled fast.
Matthew texted her several times, telling her how sorry he was, asking if she was okay, if there was anything he could do. She stared at her phone screen and hit reply, but she couldn’t bring herself to type a response. She was out of words. As sorry as she felt for herself, she felt worse for Matthew. He may not have liked people knowing about his vow, but it was who he was. Now this incident made it seem like he was a complete fraud and a hypocrite, and he was anything but. If there was anyone who knew that for sure, it was her. They’d fooled around a little and kissed plenty, but they never crossed the line. They never went all the way, and he never broke his vow.
She couldn’t help wondering how the coaches found out she was in Matthew’s room. It was as if someone blew the whistle on them. But who? Who would do that?
“I been looking for you.”
Brittany’s head popped up and her eyes widened when she saw Bennie heading in her direction. Suddenly, it all became clear. She stood up defiantly. “Why the hell did you do it?” Her voice echoed through the empty gymnasium.
“Do what, babe?” He got closer until he was practically chest to chest with her.
She refused to back down. “How the hell did you find out?”
“Heh. My room’s across the hall from Warner’s. Always is. Different city. Same setup.”
Brittany scrunched her face and squinted. “Did it give you some kind of perverse pleasure to get us in trouble?”
“Yeah, kinda,” he smirked. “But there are plenty other perverse ways I’d like to get in trouble with you.”
She climbed a step backward to put a little space between her and Bennie’s bad breath. “You’re disgusting.”
Bennie breathed through his nose and she could see she’d struck a nerve. An uneasiness grew in the pit of her stomach and she started to feel nervous. Her eyes darted around the deserted gymnasium.
“So, did you deflower Virgin Mary? Ha! I mean Matthew? Bet you had a lot to teach him.”
“Shut up.” She climbed another step, but so did Bennie.
“What’s Warner got that I don’t?”
Brittany felt the phone in her hand and she pressed the power key. “Why did you follow me into the gym, Bennie?” she asked, intentionally saying his name and her location aloud.
“Really? I figured you’d need comforting after what happened, sweetheart, and I’m just the man to do it.”
She continued to climb to a higher level and realized that she was backing herself into a corner. That wasn’t good. “Stay away from me. Go away. Leave me alone.”
“Not on your life, babe. We got some unfinished business. A lot of unfinished business, if you know what I mean. I’m gonna teach you that you can’t hit me and get away with it. It don’t work that way.” When he reached for her, she ran through the row to avoid his grasp. But he caught up to her. She tried to push him away, and before she knew what was happening, he forced her to the ground between two rows of bleachers. She flailed her arms like a mad woman. Her left arm kept hitting the wooden bench. She reached for his fat, ugly face and pushed it away. Before she could gouge his eyes, he grabbed her by her elbows and spread her legs apart with his knees.
“Help!” She screamed as loudly as she could. “Hel—” He backhanded her across the face and she tried not to notice how badly her cheek stung. This isn’t happening, she kept repeating to herself. This can’t be happening again.
She pressed her hands against his chest and struggled as hard as she could to push him off her. He was three times her size, but she was sure she had more adrenaline flowing than he did, and she was certain she wanted him off her more than he wanted to be on her. She grunted and pushed again and by some miracle, he lifted off her. But it wasn’t a miracle. It was Matthew pulling Bennie off using a wrestling hold from behind. “Get your freaking hands off her!”
Bennie grabbed Matthew’s hands and shook Matthew off, sending him tumbling down the bleacher steps.
“No!” Brittany screamed and got to her feet.
Pointing at her, Bennie said, “I’ll deal with you later.”
He bounded down the bleachers and pulled on Matthew’s jersey, lifting him to his feet. He punched Matthew in the jaw. Matthew appeared wobbly, but then he sucker-punched Bennie in the nose, which only made Bennie angrier. He turned Matthew around and bent his arm back.
Brittany could see the pain on Matthew’s face. She ran down the steps, her legs shaking badly, and she tried to grab Bennie from behind and pull him away. He shrugged her off and she landed on her butt. Matthew’s eyes widened when he saw her on the floor. He turned around, trying to land another punch, but Bennie put a wrestling hold on him.
Brittany caught her breath, scrambled to her feet, and ran for the exit. “Help. Help. We need help in here,” she screamed as she looked for someone, anyone, who could break up the fight.
»»•««
Brittany sat next to Matthew in the first bleacher row, stroking his hair while he
held an ice pack to his jaw. After giving their statement to campus security, Bennie had been taken away. “I hope they lock him up forever,” she said.
Matthew briefly removed the ice pack. “How’s it look?”
“Not bad, really. Better than Bennie’s nose looked.”
“I think I broke his nose. I heard this horrible crunching noise when I punched him.”
“Good. He’ll be even uglier than he already is.”
Matthew looked at her. “What about you? You okay?”
“I think so. Thank God you got my message. I don’t even want to think about what might of happened if you didn’t get here when you did.”
“I was about to suit up for practice when I got your call. I got here as fast as I could. I guess I should have brought the cavalry with me.” Matthew lifted his arm to put it around Brittany. “Ow.”
She leaned away. “What? What’s wrong?”
He set the icepack on his lap to rub his shoulder and blew some air through his lips. “Oh man. I think my shoulder is dislocated.” He went pale. A look of terror washed over his face as he looked at her. “It’s my throwing arm.”
“Oh God. Oh God. I’ll get the team doctor,” she said as she stood up. “Don’t move.”
»»•««
She watched from the doorway as the doctors and sports trainers assessed Matthew’s shoulder in the university’s onsite clinic. She could hear them speculating about a possible rotator cuff injury or a dislocated shoulder. X-rays would be needed, they said, or an MRI, depending on what the X-rays revealed. Matthew winced with pain and even screamed at one point, sending an ache through Brittany’s entire body. She wanted to hold his hand and stroke his hair and tell him it was going to be okay. Instead, she got shooed away.
When she left the clinic, she wandered out to the corridor near the arena’s tunnels and was nearly run over by the entire team heading for the lockers after the game. She’d completely forgotten that a game was even being played. “Who won?” she asked as the players streamed by her.
Tony had a big smile on his face as he answered on the run. “Us. Nineteen to fourteen. We’re in the playoffs!”
Brittany nodded, but the team’s perkiest cheerleader couldn’t bring herself to smile. The team and the game were the last things on her mind. All she cared about was Matthew.
A little while later, Janna approached her in the tunnels. “Brittany, hey.” For a nanosecond, she sounded like a friend again. “I heard what happened with Bennie. He’s going to be suspended, probably kicked out of school entirely. Why the hell didn’t you tell me he’d been harassing you?”
Brittany shook her head. “I couldn’t. It’s a long story.”
Sighing, Janna said, “Well, unfortunately none of that changes your status with the squad. You’re still suspended. But you’re still my responsibility and as such, you’re still traveling with the team. Get your things. We’re going to be leaving for the airport in an hour.”
“But I need to wait for Matthew.”
“You’ll see him on the plane.”
She looked down the hall in the direction of the clinic. “I can’t leave him like this.”
“Did you hear me, Brittany? I said you can talk to him on the plane.”
Tears rolled down Brittany’s cheeks. She was too spent to argue anymore, so she lethargically nodded. After the squad changed clothes, they caught the bus back to the hotel where she retrieved her overnight bag.
She was in a zombie-like state until she got to the airport. Her fellow cheerleaders had heard what happened and were kinder than she might have expected, considering how jealous and snooty some of the girls were. She guessed it was easier to pity someone when they were down and out than to support them in good times. It let them feel superior.
The squad boarded the plane first and even though she hadn’t seen Matthew on the tarmac, she was assured he’d be there. It was at that moment she realized she didn’t have her phone. It was probably on the gymnasium floor in one of the bleacher rows. Could today possibly get any worse?
Before the plane took off, she got out of her seat and found Maureen, the cheer squad’s travel coordinator. “Mo, I lost my phone.”
Maureen clicked some keys on her own phone. “I’m emailing you the lost item form.”
“But I lost my phone.” She could hear the desperation in her own voice turning to anger. “I can’t get to my email so I won’t get the form you’re sending.”
Without looking at Brittany, she said, “You can use a computer in the school library when we get back to campus.”
“You don’t understand. I’m leaving for New York tomorrow morning. I don’t have time to fill out a freaking form. I don’t need this bullshit bureaucracy. I need my phone!”
Maureen raised an eyebrow and gave Brittany a withering look that told her the travel coordinator was done with the conversation. Note to self. Cursing is counterproductive.
The flight attendant made an announcement that the plane was ready for takeoff and advised everyone to buckle up. “Damn it,” Brittany uttered before turning around and heading back to her seat. She slid into the aisle seat next to Sofia. “Can I borrow your phone?” she sniffled.
“Sure, hon.”
Brittany stared at the phone. “Oh God. I don’t know his number.”
“Matthew?” Sofia said. “How can you not know his number?”
She turned her head and looked at her friend. “I had him on speed dial. He was number two, right after my mom.”
“Look, he’s on the plane, isn’t he? Once they let us move around the cabin, you can go talk to him.”
Brittany put her hand on her forehead and choked back tears. “This has been the second worst day of my entire life. It may even tie for first.” Sofia put her arm around Brittany, and she rested her head on Sofia’s shoulder.
As soon as the seatbelt sign was turned off, Brittany headed to the front of the plane. She turned around and slowly walked back up the aisle scanning all the faces. No Matthew. “Coach Ryan, where’s Matthew?”
He looked up long enough to say, “Back in Nashville,” and then he lowered his head to continue doing whatever he was doing on his tablet.
“Nashville? But—Lookit, I need to talk to him. I need to know if he’s okay.” She was sure she sounded like a crazy stalker, but she didn’t care. “Could you at least give me his phone number? Please?” Coach Ryan lifted only his eyes. He grunted and turned back to his tablet.
A few rows back, the team doctor waved at her to catch her attention. She hurried up the aisle. “Dr. Garino. Where’s Matthew?”
“He was taken to a local hospital for assessment.”
“What?”
He held up his hand as a signal to stay calm. “Jerry, our team trainer, stayed behind with him. We didn’t want him to travel until he had an MRI.”
“An MRI? Did he dislocate his shoulder? That’s what he was thinking happened.”
“I’m afraid I can’t give you that information since you’re not a family member.”
“But I’m his girlfriend. We’re closer than family.”
“I understand, and I sympathize. All I can tell you is we thought it would be prudent for him to stay behind so he could be properly treated and his arm could be iced to reduce the swelling. Airplane travel is inadvisable. Depending on how he’s feeling, he may be cleared for travel as soon as tomorrow.”
Brittany felt her face flush. “But I’m flying home to New York tomorrow. I can’t leave without seeing him.”
The doctor merely looked at her but didn’t say anything more. She was about to lose it, or maybe faint. This was a nightmare of epic proportions, and it was only getting worse by the minute. She held on to the seats as she made her way up the long aisle until she reached her own seat. She plopped into it and covered her face with her hands.
“Brit, what’s wrong?” Sofia asked with fear in her voice.
“They kept him in Nashville for observation.” She removed her ha
nds from her face to look at Sofia. “Oh God, Sofia. This is his career. His career may be over and it’s all my fault.”
“Not yours, sweetie. It’s that jackass Bennie’s fault.”
“No, it’s mine. It’s my fault for not being able to take care of myself. I’m the one who sent a message to Matthew that I was in trouble. He knew I expected him to come save me. And now look. I wrecked his whole future.”
“Oh Brittany, don’t think that way.”
“What else can I think? Everything’s ruined. I’m the worst thing that ever happened to him. Oh God.” She broke down and sobbed as Sofia comforted her.
Sofia took her phone out and sent a text. A response came back a second later. “Damn. Derek doesn’t know Matthew’s phone number either. They never added his name to the contacts list. How stupid is that?” She held her phone out. “Here. You can email Matthew from my phone. You know his email address, right?”
Brittany nodded and took the phone. She hovered her thumbs over the virtual keyboard. “Oh God. I can’t remember my password. I can’t log into my email without it. What’s my password?”
“Deep breaths, sweetie. Calm yourself. Look, just use my personal email to send him a message. Okay?”
Brittany nodded. “I think I remember his email. I texted him more than anything. Um, [email protected]. I hope that’s right.” Tears streaked down her cheeks as she typed. I’m so sorry about what happened. I’m sorry about everything. It was all my fault. You deserve a better girlfriend than me. I love you, but you’re better off without me. I know it and so do you. Brit
She clicked send before she could change her mind. “Thanks,” she told Sofia, handing her back the phone. “I’m finished.”
»»•««
Sofia was browsing the web on the bus ride back from the airport. “Uh oh.” Brittany wasn’t really interested in whatever Sofia was looking at, but she felt compelled to pretend she was. “What’s wrong?”
Holding her phone to her chest, Sofia wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure if I should show you this or not, but I guess you’ll find out sooner or later.”
Brittany sat up straighter in her seat. Her mind immediately went to Matthew. Was his injury even worse than she feared? Panic began to set in. “Find out what?”
Pass Protection (Quarterback Sneak Book 3) Page 15