He looked down at her ankle. “All right, have a seat.”
Sarah sat down on the chair next to his desk, and he put the clipboard down and leaned against the edge of the desk.
“Bring it up here.”
She brought her leg up, and he caught it against his front thighs. Sarah suddenly felt very vulnerable. He unlaced her shoe and smiled as he pulled it off. “Did you get around the track at all?”
“One time.” Sarah gulped. “But I walked at the end.”
Once unwrapped, he massaged the ankle a little and worked his way up to her calf. “Feel better?”
Sarah nodded. She had to admit it did feel a lot better. He moved her ankle in a circular motion and then back and forth. She glanced up from her foot and saw how engaged he was in working it. He began wrapping it again meticulously. And she felt silly about her unnecessary angst. She was letting Sydney and all the stupid rumors get to her.
“Tell me if it’s too tight.”
When he was done wrapping it, he put her sock and shoe back on tying the laces himself. “Stand up.”
Sarah did. The area between the chair and the desk was extremely cramped. When she stood, her thighs touched his, and her face was close enough to smell the gum on his breath. Sarah flinched back and almost lost her balance. Her eyes locked with the coach for a second.
“Careful now.” He grinned.
Sarah smiled, feeling her face redden. The second wrap was much better, and Sarah managed to get in a few laps before practice was over. She was feeling really stupid about the way she’d reacted in the coach’s office. Even her thoughts about the girl that had walked out of his office had been unreasonable.
Sydney had told her to read into everything, but that was so unfair to jump to such ugly conclusions. Coach Rudy was good-looking and a very nice person as far she was concerned. What need would he have to get involved with high school girls?
She saw Angel waiting by his car as she walked back to the locker room, and her body reacted in the usual way. She concentrated on staying cool, but her heart raced, and she knew it had nothing to do with the laps she’d just taken. She’d already accepted that, as long as she was here in California, she’d never get over him—not by a long shot. She would just have to do her best to avoid him until she went back to Flagstaff. But it was annoying how just seeing him still affected her so much.
Sarah was almost to the locker room when she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Coach Rudy walking toward her.
“Hey, you looked real good out there. Anything hurting?”
Sarah shook her head and smiled. “Nope, nothing at all. Good as new, Coach.”
The coach glanced down at her foot, and then his eyes were on hers again. “Listen. We’re going up to Mount Soledad this Saturday. You wanna come?” His lips went up in a crooked grin. “I promise I’ll give you a good workout.”
Sarah’s mind raced to remember if she had any plans for that weekend. But running in the mountain trails overlooking the ocean sounded exactly like what she needed.
“That actually sounds really good.”
“Great, I’ll pick you up at ten. Bring water.” He tapped her behind with his clipboard and winked before walking away.
Sarah stood still for a moment and then shook it off. Lots of coaches patted the players on the behind, even guys. She saw it all the time. She was done jumping to conclusions.
Chapter 28
Friday morning Angel sat in the kitchen, going over last night’s Spanish homework. After switching his schedule around to get out of his Physics class, he got stuck with the same Spanish teacher as the previous semester. At the time he hadn’t cared. All he could think of was getting out of seeing Sarah every day. Now he was seriously regretting it. The amount of homework this lady packed on was unreal.
Alex was fixing himself a protein drink when Sofia walked in. “So, Dad said, if one of you can come into the restaurant for me tomorrow morning, I can take the morning off.”
“I’ll go in,” Angel said, without looking up from his homework.
“Where you gonna be?” Alex asked.
Sofia stuck her head in the refrigerator and said something Angel couldn’t make out.
“Where?” Alex asked again.
“Running with the team.” She poured herself a glass of orange juice.
Angel looked up. Sofia avoided looking at him. “On a Saturday?”
“Ah huh.” She pulled out the toaster and plugged it in.
Angel frowned. She was being weird. Ever since she’d told him about her feelings for Eric and had been so brazen about going through Dad to get her way, he’d wondered how long it would be before she’d start to get sneaky.
“Why on a Saturday, Sof?”
Alex poured himself his drink from the blender and leaned against the counter. “Yeah, your track meets don’t start yet, do they?”
“It’s not a track meet. We’re just going to go run the trails at Mount Soledad.”
“So, it’s a field trip?” Angel asked, feeling the tension release.
“Well, no.” Sofia buttered her toast and spoke with her back to them.
“Well, what the hell is it?” Alex asked.
Sofia exhaled but didn’t turn around to face them. “The coach is taking a bunch of us to run the trails. That’s all.”
Angel’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re going in his car?”
“Oh, hell no!” Alex scowled in Sofia’s direction, but she still hadn’t turned around.
“Sofie, what did I tell you about watching out for this guy?” Angel stood up.
Sofia finally turned around. “You said not to be alone with him. I won’t be. There’s going to be other people from the team there. Sarah will be there.”
That only soured Angel’s mood further. “So, he’s taking a bunch of girls up to the mountains with him?”
“I don’t know. Sarah’s the one that told me about it. I figured if she would be there, it would be okay. We’re just running.”
“Forget about it.” Alex’s tone was final.
“But why?” Sofia looked up at the ceiling, frustrated. “You guys are so unreasonable. Dad said it was okay.”
“Does Dad know he’s a pervert, Sof?” Angel demanded.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll agree with us when I’m done talking to him,” Alex said on his way out of the kitchen. “You’re not going, Sof.”
Sofia looked at Angel, exasperated. “Don’t bother going into the restaurant tomorrow. I’ll be there.” She threw her toast in the trash and walked out.
Angel was fuming. What the hell was Sarah thinking? He thought about what Eric had said. Maybe his warnings hadn’t been enough. If he hadn’t heard the rumors about the perv being accused of rape and he’d been at this school a lot longer, maybe she hadn’t either.
His only consolation was that she wouldn’t be alone with him. Sofia said there were a bunch of them going. The guy wouldn’t risk doing something stupid after being chased from one school already, and not with a bunch of kids around. Sarah should be okay.
***
Sarah woke up late Saturday morning. She had waited until yesterday to tell Sydney about going to Mount Soledad with the coach. And as expected, he wasn’t thrilled. They stayed up pretty late talking. He gave her the usual warnings, but in the end was glad she was finally getting out with friends, even if the coach would be there also.
The coach had texted her late last night to let her know three of the others going had cancelled but that it would still be four of them all together. Sarah was fine with that but was kind of uneasy when Sofia told her there was no way she was going. Knowing that Angel was dead set against it made her speculate about what he must be thinking of her going. She’d seen the way he looked at the coach the day he showed up at her practice.
She’d just gotten out of the shower and was drying up in her room when her phone rang. It was the coach. Sarah glanced out the window as she answered.
“
Are you guys here already? I didn’t realize I was running that late.”
He chuckled. “No, actually I was calling to ask if you still wanted to go or if we should try this another time.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Nobody called you?”
Sarah looked at her phone. She had no missed calls. “No, nobody called.”
He was quiet for a moment then spoke again. “Yeah, looks like it’s just you and me. The other two flaked out at the last minute. But if you’re not okay with that, we can totally do this some other time when everyone else can go.”
Sarah’s stomach stirred. She knew what Sydney would want her to say, but she felt bad. “I, um . . .”
“It’s okay, Sarah. We can try again next week with the whole team if that would be more comfortable for you.”
Sarah felt silly. He could’ve just picked her up without telling her and not given her a choice. And she’d looked forward to it all week. “No, I’m fine. If you’re still up for it, I am.”
“Are you sure?”
Sarah smiled, feeling more relieved. “Yeah, totally. Just give me fifteen minutes.”
Sarah went over all the possibilities while she dressed. She knew Coach Rudy was harmless, but something still gnawed at her gut. She was glad Valerie and her aunt had taken off early for a day of shopping. Valerie would’ve probably made her feel bad about going.
Last night’s conversation came crashing in her mind again. One of the only reasons Sydney had finally been okay with her going on this run was that it was a group trip. She felt like a liar now somehow.
Maybe that’s what was bothering her so much. If she didn’t tell him now, it would bug her all day. She picked up her phone and called him. She’d learned a huge lesson about coming clean. Her motto now was, no matter how bad it is, it’s best to come out with it sooner not later.
“Hey, Lynni.”
“Sydney, I don’t have time to talk. The coach will be here any minute. Just wanted to let you know it’s gonna be just me and him today.”
Sydney didn’t say anything; then she heard the unmistakable censure in his tone. “What?”
“Everyone flaked out. He called to ask if I wanted to just reschedule for another time when everyone could go.”
“So why didn’t you say okay?” Sarah could almost picture his eyebrows furrowed.
“Because I looked forward to this all week, and it would be silly not to go. We’re going to be in broad daylight at a park. What’s there to worry about?”
“Lynn.” He uncharacteristically raised his voice. “Isn’t this the same park you said has a lot of abandoned trails and you could walk for miles without ever seeing anyone?”
Sarah sighed. “I’m sure we won’t be running on those, Syd. I just called to tell you because I didn’t want you to be mad later—not to worry you. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“How did it just so happen that everyone else flaked out?” Sydney paused and then in an even louder tone said, “Are you sure he didn’t plan it like this in the first place?”
“Will you stop?” Sarah saw the coach’s car pull in the driveway. “Why would he plan it then call and ask if I would rather reschedule?”
“Maybe that was part of the plan?”
“He’s here, Syd. I gotta go.”
“I don’t think you should, Lynni. Seriously, I got a bad feeling about this.”
“Sydney, please stop worrying.” She blew a couple of kisses in the phone and hung up.
Coach Rudy waited for Sarah without getting out of his car. Sarah leaned in the open passenger window. “Morning, Coach.”
“You look good.”
Sarah looked down at her sweat suit and shrugged. “You know me, Coach. I got all fancy for the occasion.” She got in and put her seatbelt on.
“Sarah, if you don’t mind, I don’t have a problem with you calling me Rudy.” He pulled out of the driveway. “Up to you though. I’m just saying I’d be cool with it if you did.”
He stared straight ahead as he drove, and Sarah took it into consideration. That wasn’t so unreasonable. It would feel a little weird at first, but it was no big deal. She could get used to it.
“Okay, Rudy.”
He turned to her and smiled. “I like that.”
The ride to the park was cold. The clouds were really swallowing up the mountain. All the times she’d come here with Angel had been in the fall with beautiful blue skies and rays of sun shining up every angle of the park. Now it seemed so dark and ominous: a tribute to how she’d been feeling lately.
“Didn’t figure on the weather being so bad. Coach Rudy peered out the front windshield at the sky. “Forecast is calling for rain later, but we should be out of here by then.”
Sarah stared out her window. She focused on relaxing. She couldn’t shake the unease she felt after hanging up with Syd. Everything about the day seemed wrong. Her gut feeling was telling her she should’ve listened to Sydney, but a huge part of her still wanted to believe that Coach Rudy was a good person.
They parked in an open area. Only a handful of cars were in the parking lot. She didn’t really remember this part of the park, but it was so huge she was sure there was plenty she still hadn’t seen. They got out, and he opened the hatch in the back. It was much colder up here than it had been when they left her house. He grabbed a small backpack and their water. He handed her a bottle, and Sarah flinched when his finger caressed her hand.
Their eyes met. “You okay?”
Sarah’s face flushed. She felt like a goof. “Yeah.”
“Is it too cold for you?” His words were gentle, and there was earnest concern in his eyes.
Sarah took a deep breath and smiled. “A little, but I like it. It’s so crisp and clean.”
They walked over to the grassy area near one of the trails. Coach Rudy put the backpack and water down and began stretching. He reminded Sarah to make sure she moved her ankle around enough.
After loosening up for a few minutes, Sarah felt more relaxed and cursed herself for being so damn jumpy. This was supposed to be a day to relax and forget about all her worries, and she was ruining it with her anxiety. She jumped in place a little more and shook her hands.
She glanced up, and Coach Rudy had a smirk on his face. “I’ve never seen you warm up that way.”
“I’m trying to shake the cold.” She smiled silly.
“You sure it’s not gonna be too cold for you?”
Sarah shook her head and continued to jump in place a few more times. The coach finished stretching and picked up the backpack. He threw both water bottles in there and put it on his back. He stood and watched Sarah for a moment. His eyes moved up and down her very slowly, making Sarah feel a bit invaded. She stopped jumping, and he smiled. “You ready?”
“Sure am.”
***
Angel was supposed to just drop Sofia off at the restaurant but ended up hanging out and helping out. That happened a lot lately. He had nothing better to do, and the last thing he wanted was to sit around the house dredging up painful memories.
Eric and Romero stopped by to grab breakfast. They sat in the bar area that normally wasn’t open that early in the morning, but the restaurant was pretty busy, and Alex told them he didn’t want them taking up space in the dining room. Romero had snorted that he was a paying customer but shut up when Alex told him to pay his tab.
After showing a few more patrons to their tables, Angel walked over to where Romero and Eric ate. They were talking about going to watch some extreme fighting later that evening. Romero’s dad’s friend was promoting it, and he could get free tickets. Angel considered it. He hadn’t gone out since he’d broken up with Sarah.
He was trying to snap out of the nasty mood he’d been in lately, but knowing Sarah was spending more time with the perv as they spoke did nothing to help.
Alex slipped his head out the office door. “Hey, Angel, some guy named Sydney is on line one for you. Isn’t that Sarah’s friend?”
<
br /> Romero chuckled, and his voice went high pitched. “Whoa, drama!”
Eyes closed, Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath,“What now?”
He ignored Romero and didn’t respond to Alex’s question. Instead just walked over to the bar phone. “I got it.”
“This is Angel.” Both Romero and Eric were staring at him with stupid curiosity, so he turned his back to them. Through the mirror on the back wall of the bar, he could see they were still gawking, and he flipped them off.
“Sorry to call you at the restaurant, but I didn’t know how else to get a hold of you.” Angel couldn’t be sure, but he sensed panic in his tone, and it unnerved him.
“What’s up?”
“Not sure how much you know about this coach of hers, but, from what Sarah’s told me, he sounds like a real prick.”
“She said that?” Angel almost smiled.
“Well, no, she told me about the things people say about him, but she’s convinced he’s a good guy.”
Angel frowned, not sure what Sydney was getting at but immediately lost his patience. “Yeah, so?”
“I personally don’t think it’s a good idea for her to be around him so much, especially alone.” Sydney paused. Angel thought he heard him grunt. “He convinced her to go running with him today on some isolated trails up in the mountains. I don’t like it. I think he’s up to no good.”
Angel gripped the edge of the bar and gritted his teeth. “I heard about the run. But they’re in a group.”
“That’s why I’m calling you.” Angel definitely heard a door slam that time. “She called me this morning. Conveniently, everyone else cancelled at the last moment. So she’s up there with him now—alone. I don’t think he ever intended for there to be anyone else. I think he planned it this way.”
Everything after the word alone was muddled. Angel hadn’t heard a word of it. The tension he’d been feeling for the past weeks peaked, and he felt ready to explode. Every muscle in his body was on edge. He spoke through his teeth. “Did she say where?”
“No, only that it was the same park you took her to in the fall.”
[Moreno Brothers 01.0] Forever Mine Page 25