Page 62 of The Golden Receiver

What was so hard to understand about that?

Evander tossed his hands in the air in mock surrender. “Fine, fine! I’ll leave them alone.”

“Thank you.”

We started walking further down the trail. I wasn’t ready to head back to the dorms. I wasn’t willing to risk Willis and Reyes still being close or a run in with Hopkins. Not until I knew he was properly calmed down and not just trying to placate me.

We’d made it a good ten minutes down the trail before Evander spoke again. “Are you going to tell Coach Shaw?” His voice was hesitant. He almost sounded like he was afraid of what my reaction was going to be.

“No,” I told him bluntly. I hadn’t thought about telling Coach Shaw. Hadn’t thought about telling Coach Erikkson either. I didn’t think that would solve any problems on the team. Hell, telling someone might make it worse. It might make them come after me again, and this time, they might bring more people, and they might not walk away.

I didn’t need to look at Evander to know the expression on his face, but I did anyway. He looked pissed, but it was my decision. I’d made up my mind. Now I just had to make Evander understand.

I had a feeling he wasn’t going to just accept my decision.

I was right.

“Why not? You said that I could get kicked off the team if I attacked them, so why shouldn’t they face the consequences? Coach Shaw would have something to⁠—”

“No,” I cut him off. My voice was sharp enough to cut, and I didn’t give a shit that he’d winced at the loud sound. “It’ll make things worse.”

Evander groaned. “Either you let Coach handle this or you let me handle it.”

I’d never been a fan of an ultimatum, but I knew he wasn’t fucking around. I’d seen that look in his eyes when I’d told him who attacked me.

I still had to try. “I told you no. I’m not talking to Coach. You’re not going after them. We’re just going to drop it, play football, and say fuck them. Okay?”

For half a second, I thought maybe I’d gotten through to him. He’d cocked his head like he was weighing my words.

Nothing was ever that easy.

“No,” he said, imitating the blunt tone I’d used when he’d suggested I talk to our coach about what happened the night before. “Either talk to Coach or I talk to Willis.”

I’d never seen Evander look so serious. “Fine,” I sighed. “I’ll talk to Coach.”

He reached out and took my hand. “We’ll talk to Coach. I’m not letting you out of my sight until this shit is sorted.” He looked down the trail, back where we came from. “In fact, let’s go see if he’s in now.”

Damn.

I’d hoped I’d get at least a day to think it over and hope he forgot.

As luck would have it, Coach Shaw and Coach Erikkson were in the office.

“What happened to you?” Coach Shaw asked the moment we stepped into the office.

No greeting, no nothing. No way to ease into this conversation.

Evander nudged me, causing me to wince because his elbow hit my side right on a bruise. The sound caused Coach Erikkson to look up from whatever he was scribbling on his open notebook.

His eyes narrowed. “Sit.” His voice left no room for argument. We both sat in the seats opposite Coach Shaw’s desk. Coach Erikkson rose from his seat and glided over to take his post behind Coach Shaw. “Speak.”

I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t look at Coach Shaw either. I chose a spot on the floor, some scuff mark from another player’s shoe most likely. “I was attacked on campus last night.”

Silence fell over the office. I couldn’t look up, couldn’t look to see the expression on my coaches’ faces. The only thing that kept me grounded was that scuff on the floor and the weight of Evander’s hand landing on my knee. He gave my leg a gentle squeeze, reminding me that he was there. That this was okay.

It wasn’t. I would rather be anywhere but here.

“Tell us more,” Coach Erikkson requested. Except it didn’t feel like a request. His voice held the kind of gravitas that made it really hard to argue.