Breaking Even

by E A Schreiber

  She picked up a pen and started writing out potential drills to incorporate for specific objectives. That always helped her get a feel for where she wanted a practice to go. Inevitably she would end up cutting drills on the fly based on what she was seeing and how the girls were doing, but having a solid plan made things run smoothly. Conference championships were right around the corner, which meant she only had the girls for another week. Once JV practices were over, Chloe would be serving as Taylor’s assistant.

  As she tucked her notes into the bag holding her practice gear, Chloe realized her sneakers were missing. She distinctly remembered putting them in her duffel. They must have fallen out of the bag on the drive in this morning. She decided she might as well go get them now.

  She was turning for the door when it burst open and Madeleine strode powerfully over the threshold, closing the door firmly behind her. Her expression was hungry as she walked confidently across the room. She did not slow down as she reached Chloe, instead maneuvering them both backward, pinning Chloe to the wall and claiming her with a ferocity unlike any Chloe had ever known. Sensations erupted, her skin drinking in every inch of contact.

  Chloe began kissing back, exploring every inch Madeleine offered. Madeleine’s lithe body moved in waves, lean muscle pressing her harder against the wall. Madeleine’s hand snuck under Chloe’s shirt, blazing a path to her ribcage, setting Chloe on fire.

  Pushing off from the wall, locked in an embrace, Chloe steered them into her office. Madeleine bumped into the desk, and Chloe lifted her onto it, inserting herself between Madeleine’s legs. Gradually, remembering where they were, Chloe slowed the pace. Their urgency turned to languid exploration. Chloe tangled her hand in Madeleine’s hair as she kissed her deeply. Madeleine’s hips pressed forward in response. Her chest was soft beneath Chloe’s, her breathing labored as Chloe purposefully gripped her hair, determined to make this the kiss Madeleine had always wanted.

  Madeleine’s mouth shifted to Chloe’s neck, and Chloe’s mind emptied of everything but the feeling of Madeleine on her skin. She was everywhere and it was still not enough.

  Returning to Chloe’s mouth, Madeleine brought both hands to Chloe’s face, resting them there. Chloe finally ended the kiss, resting her forehead on Madeleine’s, her eyes still closed.

  “You make me want to trust you.” Madeleine’s voice was husky, sending a chill down Chloe’s spine. “But I’m not sure I remember how to.”

  Chloe swallowed, regaining her voice. “I know how hard it was for you to open up to me, Madeleine. I’m going to make it worth the risk you took. I promise.”

  Madeleine’s face was open with want and something more. She was scared, Chloe could see, but ready at last to move forward.

  “Do you think you could start by doing dinner tonight?” Madeleine asked.

  Chloe nodded. Wrapping her arms around her, she silently thanked the universe for this moment. Unending moments of pleasure later, Chloe remembered that she had a practice to run and grudgingly broke their kiss.

  “I would love to make you dinner, and I would love to cancel practice to do it. But I have to walk outside and get my shoes right now or I won’t ever leave for practice.”

  Groaning, Madeleine squeezed Chloe quickly, running her hands up her back, then down the sides of her ribcage. Chloe moaned and pulled away, bumping into the back wall of the office. Madeleine crushed what little willpower she still had.

  “You are not helping my resolve.”

  “Neither are you, standing there like that.” Chloe’s pulse skyrocketed at Madeleine’s words. They had opened Pandora’s Box. She never wanted to shut it.

  “Okay. We are going to make a plan so that I can keep my job and also feed you. Practice is in twenty minutes. I’m going to get my shoes and try to coach. Try and fail, because I’ll be focused on you.”

  Chloe snaked her hand out and pulled Madeleine flush to her again, torturing herself as much as Madeleine. She placed a searing kiss in the soft hollow between her jaw and ear. She whispered, “As soon as I’m done with my kids, I’m going to meet you at my place. We can do dinner, talk, and do whatever else comes to mind.”

  The chills that she saw rippling across Madeleine’s skin gave Chloe a heady rush of pleasure. God damn, she didn’t want to go to practice. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she straightened and released Madeleine.

  “Seriously, we have to walk out now, because I’m thirty seconds from canceling the rest of the season.”

  Madeleine’s blush was as unexpected as it was adorable.

  “What time should I meet you?”

  Without hesitation, Chloe responded, “Seven twenty-four. Not a minute later.” She squeezed Madeleine’s hand, then let go and watched her walk out of the classroom. Elated, she returned to her office to gather her things. Now ready to head to practice, she scooped up her phone from the table at the front of the room. Glancing at the screen, she smiled again, rereading her last text.

  I am yours, if you want me.

  Chloe hadn’t realized how much emotional energy she had been expending every day on the yo-yoing between her and Madeleine. As she walked through the school to her car, the memory of Madeleine’s lips on hers, enfolding her body in her arms, played over and over in her mind. Her heart swelled when she thought of Madeleine coming back to her, of them taking a real step toward something, together.

  First, though, she had to get through this practice and that meant running to her Jeep in the biting wind to get her shoes. What a cruel world this was. Chloe laughed as she swung open the door to the outside. There were still a surprising number of cars in the lot.

  “I don’t understand how you think what you’re doing is acceptable.”

  The deep voice came from behind her. Chloe turned to see a visibly agitated Landon closing the distance between them. This was definitely not an encounter she wanted to have, not after the way he had treated Madeleine.

  “What am I doing?” Chloe asked. “I don’t know what you mean by that, Landon,” she responded coolly, seeking to defuse the situation. She kept walking.

  “Listen, your act isn’t going to fly here.” His brow was furrowed, and his face teemed with a dark cloud of emotions. Something had set him off. A flicker of panic crossed her mind. Had he seen them in the classroom just now? She hadn’t exactly been paying attention to anything except Madeleine. But no, the door had been shut. Regardless of the trigger, it was obvious that right now he was dangerous. She answered as calmly as she could.

  “Landon, I really have no idea what act you’re talking about.” The indignant laugh he let out was tinged with determination and anger. She was becoming frightened. With him following her to the cars, she was running out of space to get away should things escalate. His voice was raised and she hadn’t the faintest clue how to calm him down.

  “I saw you and Madeleine snowboarding, then near the gym. I know you took her home after that gay ass wedding. You just can’t keep it in your fucking pants. Just because you’re a dyke bitch doesn’t mean any girl you want is.”

  “Landon, I don’t want to fight with you. There isn’t anything going on.” She hated having to deny her relationship with Madeleine, but this wasn’t the time or place. He was ready to snap. If he hadn’t done so already.

  “Don’t fucking patronize me, you whore!” Landon gritted out, his voice raspy and dangerous. In one breath he closed the gap between them and pinned Chloe to her Jeep. They were confined now to the space between it and someone else’s SUV. Landon was livid, the vein in his forehead pounding, his face flushing. The hatred in his eyes made Chloe shudder.

  “I tried to tell you I wouldn’t put up with you. I knew you would pull this. I just didn’t think you would be stupid enough to try it at school. I saw what you did to her in there, you freak.” He spit the words out.

  “Landon, I don’t know what’s going on. I certainly didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sure we can work this out. Obviously there has been a misunderstanding.” H
er voice never wavered, though it took all of her composure not to let her temper or her fear show.

  “No, now you misunderstand me. What I’m going to do now is teach you something about men. Maybe give you a real reason to hate us before you go back to screwing girls.”

  The words crackled in the air, his spite a venom directed at her. The harsh whisper took forever to register in Chloe’s mind. She realized his intent a second too late.

  He brought his hands roughly up to Chloe’s chest, squeezing her with all of his strength, leaning into her with the length of his body. Shocked, she reacted on instinct, bringing her knee up directly into his crotch. She connected full force, knocking the wind out of him as he stumbled backward. She barely had time to move, though, before he recovered enough to slam a giant fist into her face, connecting with a nasty crunching sound.

  The force of the punch jarred her senses, shooting blinding pain through her nose and cheekbone. She was blinking furiously, trying to regain her bearings, when another fist sent a blow to her ribcage. The momentum of the swing sent her crashing back into her car.

  Thankful for something to keep her upright, Chloe struggled to stop the onslaught. Everything was a blur, though the pain coursing through her was undeniable. As she turned to face him again, he landed another punch, his knuckles cracking against her skull. She staggered back into the side of the Jeep once more, reeling and desperately trying to bring three blurry Landons into focus.

  Knowing she would not be able to stop him with a punch, Chloe desperately kicked out with all of her strength, aiming for the leg all of his weight was planted on. Mercifully her foot connected with her target. At the contact his knee buckled, hyperextending completely. A sickening popping noise coupled with his scream let her know she’d momentarily stopped him. She had to act fast. As he fell to his knees, she seized the opportunity to strike. She stepped into her next swing, crashing her fist into his throat and feeling him choke. His hands immediately went to his windpipe, the rage on his face mixing with panic as he struggled to pull in his next breath. Unwilling to take the chance that he’d recover, she grabbed the back of his head and slammed it with all her might face first into the side door of the Jeep.

  Letting go of him, she stumbled backward into the car, pausing only long enough to study Landon’s limp form and make sure he was unconscious. Moving to distance herself from him, she took three slow steps backward and took several deep breaths.

  Reality came in fragmented sensations. The wind was bitterly cold. That thought was the one that registered first. As the seconds dragged out into minutes, she began to feel the pain. Her face was on fire. Throbbing, stinging, aching, and pains she had never felt before were barraging her senses. And when she took a deeper breath to gather some semblance of control, a stabbing pain from her ribs sent her reeling for support.

  She leaned against the Jeep, adrenaline coursing through her. Most likely it was the only thing keeping her standing. Finally, the haze in her brain lifted, she remembered her cell phone, and everything lurched into hyperspeed. With shaking hands she fished the phone out of her pocket, noticing in the process that her right knuckles were beginning to swell.

  Her hand should be hurting, but she felt disconnected from her body. She didn’t want to see her face or her ribs, which were continuing to smart noticeably with each breath.

  Slowly she unlocked the phone screen and dialed 911. Her body was still operating on high alert when she spoke with the dispatcher. They responded immediately to the dazed sound of her voice, dispatching a car to the school even before they heard her whole story.

  Chloe waited, somehow remaining standing, until a uniformed officer arrived. That was the exact moment when she lost consciousness.

  * * *

  Chloe drew a breath, confused about why the air in her nose felt so cold and also so clean. Taking another slow breath, she realized that there was a two-pronged intrusion in her nostrils. The kind of thing they gave to people in the hospital to help them breathe. Fighting off her fear and her confusion, she opened her eyes to take stock of her surroundings.

  The room was dark, but three people were talking quietly in the chairs to her left, lit by light from the hallway. She blinked two times in rapid succession, assessing the level of damage to her face, which felt six sizes too big for her skin. There wasn’t a lot of pain. No doubt she’d been given some medicine, which had taken the edge off.

  She wiggled her fingers and toes, determining that her extremities were fine. Breathing deeply, however, was limited by the searing pain in her ribs. It was time to find out what happened.

  “How long was I out?” she croaked.

  Madeleine reacted the most visibly, nearly jumping out of her chair, covering the two feet to her bedside in what had to be record time. Chloe’s heart broke. Madeleine’s features were drawn, and she had prominent dark splotches under her eyes. She hated to see her so upset.

  Madeleine brought her hands toward Chloe’s face but hesitated, apparently unsure of where to touch. Chloe flipped her left hand, palm up, and waited expectantly for her to take it. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long to feel the warmth of her hand in hers. Grounded by the contact, she relaxed more deeply.

  Anne’s voice broke into Chloe’s awareness.

  “You were out for about four hours. You have a fractured orbital, seriously bruised ribs, and some pretty nasty bruising on your face. You have a Grade Three concussion, but your intracranial pressure has stabilized so you’re going to be okay.”

  Chloe nodded, thankful for the candid report from Anne.

  “You had us pretty worried. We got a hold of your mom and dad. They’re on their way now. Taylor stepped out to call and let them know you’re awake.” Anne’s tone softened even more, allowing her emotions to seep into her professional demeanor. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m assuming they gave me some meds, because I can kind of feel the things you talked about, but it’s not terrible. My head hurts now that you mention it, but the worst is my face. It feels enormous.”

  “I’m sure it does. I’m so glad you’re awake, Chloe.” Anne shakily released her breath. Chloe felt surging guilt at scaring everyone. “Don’t worry, the doctors don’t think you’ll have any permanent damage to your face. Once the swelling comes down you’ll be looking more like your usual self.”

  Taylor’s laughter broke into the worried tension that had been crackling in the air.

  “I’ve always told you you’ve got a big head, champ, so nothing new there. But I’m getting pretty sick of seeing your face black and blue, you know. Stop trying to be Jason Bourne already. Makes me feel a little less than. I don’t like it.”

  Their shared laughter felt normal. Chloe smiled or tried to at least.

  “Thanks for being here, guys. I didn’t mean to scare you all.”

  “It’s okay. Just don’t let it happen again.” Taylor arched her eyebrow, her smile warm but muted.

  “Deal.” Wondering what she was worried about, Chloe looked around. Ah. There were police officers waiting in the wings. Anne took the lead yet again.

  “So we forced our way into the room and got to be your welcoming committee, but now they need to get your statement. Are you okay to give it to them now?”

  Chloe felt Madeleine’s grip on her hand tighten, and her heart fluttered in response. Now that she finally had Madeleine by her side, she didn’t want her moving anywhere. Her anxiety must have shown.

  “Would you like me to stay in here with you?” Madeleine’s question was tentative, but the need in her voice told Chloe all she needed to know. Squeezing her hand tightly, Chloe made up her mind. She might want her here, but Madeleine didn’t need to hear everything she would have to report, not right now.

  “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t want to traumatize you with the details. Seeing my mug like this has to be hard enough.”

  Sitting down, Madeleine pulled her chair closer to Chloe. “Chloe, he almost killed you. Don’t
ask me to walk away after that, not right now. Please.”

  She realized there was nothing to protect Madeleine from. She was as invested in this as Chloe, more so because of her charges against Landon. She would end up talking to her about it eventually. Well, that is if she still… No. Chloe shut down those thoughts. There was all the time in the world for them now. First, though, the police. Nodding, she gripped Madeleine’s hand tightly with one hand and gestured the officers inside her room with the other.

  * * *

  When the officers left, Chloe felt herself relax. Madeleine hadn’t wavered, sitting silently by Chloe’s side, holding her hand as she related the events to the police. The worst part of it all, actually, had been when they had taken pictures of her injuries, documenting every bruise, holding up their little ruler with every click of the camera. The authorities knew what had happened now, and the Landon saga was truly over.

  Madeleine returned to the chair once the officers walked out, and Taylor and Anne popped back in the doorway. “Tell me you’re as hungry as we are,” Taylor called out, clearly hoping to identify something productive to do. Thank god, she and Anne were so perceptive. Well, mainly Anne.

  “You know, I didn’t realize how hungry I was until you mentioned it. I’ll eat anything right now.”

  “We’re on it. Madeleine, keep her dumb ass in that bed at all costs. We’ll be back with a delicious dinner. It’ll have to be something compatible with your meds, I suppose, but we’ll be looking for something greasy probably and definitely unhealthy. You broke your face, your arteries are fine. I’m sure Anne will agree just this once.”