"Do you really think that's appropriate?"
Liam asked behind me, his volume soft enough that the sophomore standing beside me didn't hear.
His tone was veering toward asshole territory and his question pissed me off, so when I turned toward him, I narrowed my eyes. "What are you talking about? I workout in a sports bra all the time."
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Liam scoffed. "There are paparazzi standing over there with their lenses trained on you and your lack of clothing.” I rolled my eyes, not even glancing to where I knew the paparazzi were stationed.
They were there every day and I’d mostly forgotten about them. After all, they were only there for Liam.
"No. They're trained on you. They wouldn't be here if you weren't here."
"It doesn't matter. Put your freaking shirt on, Kinsley."
Yes, he was technically my coach, but in that moment he was talking to me as Liam, not Coach Wilder, so I chose to test my limits.
"You know, I think I'll workout in my sports bra for the rest of the week." I 262/890
stretched my arms over my head and even he couldn't help his eyes from drifting down to my chest for a fraction of a second. Ha! Wait, did I want to be this girl? Using my body to get his attention? It's not like I had a choice.
The only way to get his attention at that point was to piss him off, so that's what I'd do. Very mature, I know.
"You're acting like a child," he hissed, his grey eyes flashing darker than usual.
I leaned in close and narrowed my eyes.
"Funny. When you were on top of me on Saturday you didn't think I was a child."
"Kinsley!" Coach Davis called, and I realized she'd been trying to get my attention for the past few minutes. "Listen up! You're on Tara's team. Let's go."
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I flashed Liam a sharp smirk before jogging to the center of the field to stand beside Tara, who was still scowling at me.
Whatever. I glanced back toward Liam. His hands were clasped together behind his head and he looked like he was about to punch something. I guess that was a good sign?
…
"Are you kidding? That's a GREAT sign!"
Becca cheered when we were alone in my room later.
"Remind me why I'm taking advice from you? You could be completely leading me astray."
Becca shook her head. "No, I assure you.
I have yet to have a relationship in real life, 264/890
but I've read lots of Cosmo and I used to take a ton of those quizzes about love."
"Wow... that's really reassuring. NOT."
Becca laughed then stated her case.
"Listen, yesterday he didn't even talk to you.
Today he sort of yelled at you— tomorrow, THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. You should really be thanking me right now."
She sat there staring at me as I moved around my room, picking up dirty clothes.
"What? What do you want?" I asked.
"A thank you," she said with a giant smile.
I laughed despite myself. "I'll thank you when he's waiting for me in my bed when I return home from practice."
Becca groaned. "Oh my god. I want tickets to that show."
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"Ew. You're sick."
"Oh, please. You'd want tickets to that show, too."
She was right. I wanted front row seats.
Chapter Ten
I should have realized something was brewing. Tara and her cronies had been much too quiet since the Foghorn-Wake-Up last Tuesday. So, when Tuesday of the following week came and went, I thought the hazing thing might have been a one-time occurrence. Oh, how wrong I was. Tara and the other upperclassmen were creative. (Much too creative to not have had proper training from some kind of terrorist organization. I was going to have to look into that.)
"Wake up, Freshman," Tara yelled Wednesday morning, jarring me from my sleep. I blinked my eyes open to find Tara, Sofie, and a few other seniors in my room, standing around my bed.
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"What the hell? Get out of my room!" I scrambled to sit up.
"That's no way to speak to your captain, Bryant," Tara answered with a sadistic grin.
"Get up, get dressed, and meet us at the fields with Becca and Emily in fifteen minutes."
I held my tongue as the seniors left my room to go wake up the other two girls. I wanted to throw my shoe at Tara's head, but by then she was down the hall and my aim wasn't that great. I had no clue what they were up to, but it's not like I really had a choice in the matter.
I threw on my workout clothes and went downstairs to fill three water bottles and grab some granola bars. Emily and Becca 268/890
came down a few minutes later and the three of us silently headed to my car.
"I have no clue what their problem is, but last week seemed like a team hazing thing. Now it's just the three of us. That can't be right, can it?" I asked as I put the car in reverse.
"It's bullshit. I have no clue what we did to be put on Tara's shit list, but I'm not letting her walk all over us," Becca added from the passenger seat.
It was Emily that tried to defend the seniors. "Maybe it won't be that bad, guys.
Maybe they'll have breakfast or something for us at the practice fields." Becca and I rolled our eyes.
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"And then maybe we'll gab about boys until
practice
starts,"
Becca
added
sarcastically.
The seniors were waiting for us when we pulled into the parking lot, and I felt like I was about to stand in front of a firing squad.
"There are our three favorite rookies. So kind of you to show up," Tara oozed with her arms crossed in front of her chest. I'd never met someone whose personality clashed with their looks as much as Tara's. She was gorgeous and sweet looking with perfect features that seemed to morph into a girl-next-door appearance. Yet, her true nature was anything but sweet. What had her childhood been like? Was she bullied or was she the one doing the bullying? I’d bet my left boob it was the latter.
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"Let's start with some laps, girls," Tara instructed. My first instinct was to protest, to call her out on her bitchiness, but at that point I still hoped that if I played her game and proved to her that I was a willing subject, then she'd back off.
We did laps, sprints, up-downs, and push-ups until Emily threw up and begged to stop.
"Seriously, I feel sick and we still have practice later," Emily begged.
Tara's hard eyes shifted to Emily.
"You're right. Emily, since you're obviously the weakest link, you'll do double what the other girls do."
No. That was it. Picking on Emily was taking it too far. Emily didn't deserve any of this. At least Becca and I talked shit about 271/890
Tara behind her back. Emily was the unas-suming victim.
"I'll do Emily's stuff. I'll do double."
Emily's warm eyes flitted to me and I saw hope flash behind her gaze.
I could handle Tara. I'd handled girls like her my whole life. Today wouldn't break me, but Emily looked like she was at the tipping point and I wouldn't let Tara force Emily to quit the ULA soccer team. It wasn't worth it.
Sofie stepped forward with an odd expression on her face. "I think that's fine. Let's let Kinsley take both of the girl's spots since she's so generous."
I stared daggers at Sofie. Did she and Tara get off on being cruel? How did they 272/890
sleep at night? Oh right, standing up in their coffins, because they were fucking vampires.
Tara's eyes lit up. "Oh, great idea, Sofie!
Becca and Emily, you've done enough. Kinsley will keep going for the both of you. Start doing up-downs, Bryant. We'll tell you when to stop."