Angel panicked when he saw the tears line the sides of her cheeks. This was the last thing he’d imagined would happen. He could think of nothing else to do but shake his head. “I’m sorry” was all that he managed to get out.
She stared at him incredulously and then leaned on her crutch to wipe the tears. In an instant, she went from weepy to resolute. “Well, I’m sorry too.”
She looked at Sofia. “I’ll see you Monday.”
Coach Rudy had backed away but was still close.
“Does that offer still stand?”
“Of course.” The coach smiled. “You’re on my way home.”
Angel clenched his jaw but didn’t go after her. The coach turned casually to look at Angel one last time. There was something about the way he smiled then reached out and put his hand on Sarah’s shoulder as they walked away. Angel was sure of it this time. Rudy was challenging him.
***
Sarah didn’t think there was any part of her heart left to break. She was so angry at herself for crying. Why did he still have so much power over her? It was pathetic the way her entire body went into a frenzy from just seeing him.
Being that close to him had such an overwhelming effect on her. She couldn’t hold in what she was feeling, but his obvious contempt for her now was undeniable. He didn’t even care why she was still here.
She tried desperately to shake it off on the ride home. Talking to Coach Rudy about her mom was one thing, but telling him about Angel would be quite another. Sydney would be the first to point that out.
She was quiet most of the way, and he finally asked, “Are you okay?”
Sarah nodded but didn’t offer anything.
“You don’t have to tell me about it,” he said. “Just hope you know, even though it feels like you won’t right now, you’ll get over him eventually. I promise.”
He always knew exactly what to say. Sarah had always thought it was just a coach thing. On the field whenever she questioned herself, he always knew just when to say something that would make her feel better. But now even off the field, his words were so comforting.
“I’m gonna go see my mom again.”
They pulled in her driveway, and he turned the engine off. “Really, when?”
“On Sunday, but I leave tomorrow.”
“Did you tell anyone?” He smiled.
“Well, I’m telling you.”
“Really? No one else knows?”
He leaned against the door, and for a moment, he seemed much younger than how she usually perceived him. The way he was looking at her reminded Sarah of Angel when they used to park in their place and talk. Sydney’s words came to her. The rumors started from something valid.
“Something wrong?”
Sarah shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. My mind was somewhere else. What did you say?”
She felt stupid. Just because he was so young looking didn’t mean anything.
“I asked if I’m the only one who knows you’re going?”
Sarah chuckled. “No, everyone knows, even my mom this time.”
“You taking the bus again?”
“Yeah, and my friend is meeting me there.”
He frowned. “That’s a long ride to take all on your own. Can’t your aunt or cousin go with you?”
There was something about Coach Rudy. Maybe it was because she’d never had a father figure or any older siblings, but his kind words and his worrying warmed her. She liked it.
“Valerie gets car sick on long trips, especially in a bus. And my aunt has to work.” She smiled. “But I’ll be okay. I slept most of the way last time.”
“I’d offer to take you, if I didn’t have to work. It’s a beautiful drive. And,” he emphasized, “I’ve never been to the Grand Canyon.”
Sarah scrunched up her nose. “You work on the weekends?”
“Not every weekend. I ref youth soccer.”
“Really?” He was so big she never imagined him as a soccer player. “So, you play also, right?”
“Well, I used to, back in the day.” He laughed. “Now, I just ref. Too old to play. But it’s still fun.”
“You’re not that old.” Sarah regretted saying it the moment it came out of her mouth. It seemed inappropriate.
“I could’ve still been playing in college, but I rushed the books to graduate early. Couldn’t wait to start teaching.”
He smiled and again Sarah got that feeling that she wasn’t sitting there with a coach or teacher. She felt so comfortable—like talking to Sydney.
“So, any particular reason you’re going to see your mom? Or just because?”
Sarah nodded. “Yeah, after seeing her last time, I realized I should’ve been doing it a lot more often. Only reason I hadn’t was because she’d made it a point to tell me she didn’t want me to when she first went in.”
“Well, maybe next time you go, I can take you.”
Sarah knew that would sound weird to others. Maybe it was her long history with Sydney that made her believe you could actually care about someone with no ulterior motives. She decided Coach Rudy was a good guy. He showed genuine concern for her, and she trusted him.
Before she could respond, he sat up a little. “Hey, ever been running at the Canyon?”
“Yeah, the trails are awesome. I loved the work out.” Sarah smiled, remembering all the times she’d raced Sydney there.
“Ever been to Mount Soledad?”
Sarah felt her stomach hollow as the memories of the picnic she’d had with Angel there assaulted her. They’d gone back many times later, supposedly to hike but always ending up sprawled out on a blanket somewhere. She managed a nod.
“The trails are spectacular there also. I take a few of my students up there every now and then. Talk about a work out. Maybe when your ankle is better, you can join us.”
“Yeah.” Sarah bit her lip. “That sounds good.” It really did. Going back to the park would be bittersweet, but she could see herself getting lost in a run in the beautiful trails.
When she spoke to Sydney that night, he surprised her again. She thought he’d be furious about Angel. Instead, he played devil’s advocate. “So, he didn’t like that The Perv was gonna drive you home? He’s Angel. Did his reaction really surprise you?”
“Okay, Sydney, first of all, can you please stop calling him The Perv?” Sarah walked around her room cautiously. Her ankle was feeling a lot better. “And second, that’s not the point. The point is he expected me to just drop everything and jump in his car without so much as a hello or how’ve you been. Does he really think he has me that wrapped?”
She pondered on that thought for a moment. Who was she kidding? She could hardly believe even now that she’d passed up the chance to go home with him.
“Lynni, how many times have you seen Angel being über male? He’s all nerves and will.” Sydney chuckled. “The last thing on his mind would be formalities. I’m sure he would’ve asked you how you’ve been in the car.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Sydney laughed. “I know. I know. I’m teasing. All right, so he handled it wrong. But isn’t that what he’s always done—react? Bottom line is his intentions were honorable, no? He put all his feelings about everything else that’s happened away to get you out of a possibly dangerous situation.”
“Dangerous? That’s so ridiculous. Coach Rudy is harmless.”
“So, what did Coach Rudy have to say about the whole thing?”
Sarah knew Sydney wasn’t going to like how long the coach had hung around again when he was supposed to just be dropping her off. But she’d learned her lesson about half-truths. She was never going to lie for the sake of not arguing again.
“He didn’t ask, and I didn’t tell him. He just said I’d get over Angel.”
“Why did he say that?”
“I dunno. I guess he saw how sad I was and thought it would make me feel better.” Sarah sat down on her bed and moved her ankle around in the air. It was definitely better. “I
told him about going to see my mom again.”
“Let me guess. He offered to take you.” Sydney chuckled.
Sarah gulped, unable to believe he’d hit it on the nose. She didn’t respond.
“Lynni?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“He just said he thought it was a long drive for me to go alone, and that—”
“Oh, my God, this guy is too much!” Sydney’s tone changed from playful to exasperated. “Please tell me you see it, Lynn.”
“No,” she insisted. “Because it’s not what you’re thinking. He asked if my aunt could go with me. He thinks it’s a long trip to take alone. All he said was, if he didn’t have to work, he would’ve offered to take me. But he is, so he can’t.”
“Lynni.”
“What?”
“Promise me something.”
“What?” Sarah was so frustrated. Coach Rudy had gotten her through today, and now Sydney was turning it all around.
“You know that voice that tells you not to read too much into anything?”
“Yeah?”
“Ignore it. From here on, anything you think is kind of funny about this guy, question it. Okay?”
Sarah was so exhausted she didn’t want to argue with Sydney. She agreed, even though she knew she had nothing to worry about.
Chapter 27
Playing pool with the guys always helped Angel relax. This was the first time Eric had come over since New Year’s. Alex and Sofia were both working at the restaurant but would be home soon. Angel wasn’t too sure if having Eric there was a good idea. He had talked to Alex briefly about Eric not being to blame, but Alex was dead set against having him around Sofia when no one was around. Angel hoped that didn’t mean he’d make a scene even if everyone was around.
It had been another slow, bitter weekend for Angel. His mind was on the usual, and it was getting real irritating. Being that close to Sarah on Friday made him realize he wasn’t even close to being over her. Her resentment toward him had confused him. He was the one that had gotten duped. Did she really expect him to just accept another guy in her life? That wasn’t happening. Though being that close to her for the first time in so long made it tempting to accept anything just to be with her.
He knew better though. Having to deal with her being out of state would be hard enough. But knowing she’d be with Sydney would make it impossible. There was no way it would work.
As if things weren’t bad enough already, the tension had been raised full throttle with this coach thing. He hoped Sarah knew better than to fall for that guy’s shit. The smug look on the coach’s face was the new image imprinted in Angel’s head, and he welcomed the challenge. Teacher or not, Angel had no qualms about taking him down.
Eric racked up the balls. “Your break, Angel.”
Angel leaned over and took a shot. The balls scattered violently, and one flew off the table. Romero laughed. “Easy, killer.”
“Dude.” Eric bent over and picked up the ball from where it had rolled. “What are you doing?”
Angel ignored them and bent over to shoot again. Sofia and Alex walked in from the side gate. Angel noticed Eric stiffen. The ball he hit went in, and he took a moment to chalk his pool stick.
Sofia walked toward them instead of the kitchen door, and Alex followed behind her. She smiled brightly without a care in the world.
Alex sat on the barstool between Eric and Sofia. To Angel’s relief, he acknowledged Eric but just barely with a nod.
“Sarah texted me.” Sofia focused on Angel but kept glancing at Eric.
Angel feigned disinterest and walked around the pool table for a better angle. “Yeah, so?”
“She was worried I might be upset about Friday.”
Angel closed his eyes for a second. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in front of the guys. They’d have a field day. But he did want to know if she’d said anything else. He continued shooting without responding to Sofia. He’d manage to go all this time without asking Sofia anything about Sarah; he wasn’t going to start now.
Sofia put her hand on her hip, obviously annoyed that Angel wasn’t biting. “She said she wanted to but couldn’t and added a sad face.”
Angel glanced up at her and finally gave in. “Couldn’t? What the hell does that mean?”
“I don’t know. That’s all she said. I didn’t respond ’cause she said she had to go.” Sofia started back toward the kitchen door. “Her ankle’s better in case you care.”
Angel glanced at the guys and stopped on Alex when he saw him grinning from ear to ear. “What?”
Alex looked over to make sure Sofia was in the house. “I heard about Friday.”
Angel rolled his eyes. “So.”
“So things are getting pretty heavy with Sarah and Coach Perv. I told you he was slick.”
“Sarah and Coach Rudy?” Romero asked. “No shit?”
“He just gave her a ride home.” Angel gripped the pool stick a little harder. “Your turn.”
“Twice.” Alex chuckled. “And he doesn’t just drop her off either. Valerie said they sit out in the driveway, talking for a while. Friday night he was there longer than the first time.”
Angel glared at Alex. New tension cramped his muscles. “So what did Sarah have to say about it?”
Alex still had the stupid grin on his face. “Valerie told her she thought it was kind of creepy, but Sarah doesn’t think so. She says she feels real comfortable around him.” He shook his head. “I’m telling you. He’s working her.”
Something burned through Angel’s entire body. Suddenly, Sarah in Arizona with Sydney and his girlfriend sounded ideal. Why the hell wasn’t she there already?
“Does she know about him, Angel?” Leave it to Eric to be the only one to show any concern.
Angel nodded but frowned when he thought of how Sarah just humored him whenever he’d gone off about what a pervert the guy was. She had her own preconceptions of the guy, and he knew they were favorable ones. Like Sofia, she didn’t buy into all the rumors.
“I heard he left the last school he was teaching at because someone accused him of rape,” Eric said.
“What?” Angel felt the hair on the back of his neck stand. “I thought he was a new teacher. Straight outta college?”
Alex grimaced. “Nah, he’s not as young as he looks either.”
“How old is he?”
“About twenty-six or twenty-seven.” Alex grabbed a bottle of water out of the small fridge and headed back to the kitchen.
“I heard that rape story too,” Romero said, bending over to take a shot. Then he added with a shrug, “But I’ve heard so much shit about him, who knows what really happened?”
Angel sat on one of the bar stools, for once interested in what Romero had to say. “So, what’s the story?”
Romero glanced at Eric then stood up holding the pool stick straight up in front of him. “It’s different every time I hear it, but basically someone actually pressed charges on his ass for either rape or attempted rape.” He set himself up for an awkward shot. “There wasn’t enough evidence, so the charges were dropped. But I guess everyone was so pissed about it, he had to transfer outta there. And lucky La Jolla, we got him.”
Angel wondered why he’d never heard the story, or maybe he had. He’d just never paid attention to any of the details. All he knew for sure was the guy had a reputation for being overly friendly with the girls. And from what Angel had seen Friday, there was no doubt in his mind anymore he was working Sarah.
***
Sarah’s trip to see her mom went smoothly. Seeing her was still as emotional as the first visit. But things felt brighter. Her mom still hadn’t been to court, but the lawyers were even more optimistic about her chances of getting out early, and Sarah could see the change in her mom’s appearance. The dark circles and deep eyes were still there but not as pronounced as before. And there was a sparkle in her eyes that made Sarah feel very hopeful.<
br />
Her mom gave her something to really think about just before she left.
“Sarah, I want you to know that I think you’ve been through enough. When I get out of here, it’s up to you where you wanna stay. I don’t have a job here in Flagstaff anymore, but if this is where you want to be, I’ll find a way to make it work. Otherwise, if you’d rather stay in California, your aunt has offered to let us stay there until I get back on my feet. You think about it and let me know.”
The choice seemed obvious. The only reason she’d want to stay in La Jolla didn’t want anything to do with her. In Flagstaff, at least she had Sydney.
She’d spent the whole day Saturday with Syd and his family. Carina hadn’t made an appearance. Sydney said she was busy, and Sarah left it alone. Sunday after her visit with her mom, Sydney drove her to the bus station and dropped her off. Each time she came back to Arizona, she worried things would be different with her and Sydney, but as usual, it was as if she’d never left.
*
Maybe it was the trip over the weekend or the fact that she hadn’t run in over a week, but Sarah felt off during her first run in practice. Coach Rudy had stressed the importance of taking it easy and had wrapped her ankle pretty tight before letting her run—possibly a little too tight. It was beginning to feel numb. She slowed to a walk and looked around for the coach but didn’t see him. He’d been adamant about her wearing it, so she didn’t want to take it off. But it was really bugging her, so she went into the gym to find him.
She didn’t see him anywhere, so she walked towards his office where he’d wrapped her ankle. The door to his office flew open just as she reached it, and a girl in her cheer warm-ups almost collided with her.
“Sorry,” the girl said with a nervous smile.
“That’s okay.”
The girl hurried away quickly. Sarah watched her as she rushed off, fixing her skirt. She opened the door to the office. Coach Rudy had a clipboard in one hand and tucked his shirt in with the other.
“Hey, Sarah, how’d the run go?”
His fly was half zipped, and Sarah flushed, hoping he hadn’t noticed she was even looking there. “I, uh, think the wrap is too tight. It’s making my foot numb.”
[Moreno Brothers 01.0] Forever Mine Page 24