I rolled my eyes. "What are you talking about, Tara?"
441/890
She ran her finger back and forth across her lips, and in that moment, I realized how truly cold-hearted she actually was.
"Let me tell you what I'd be forced to tell Coach Davis," she began, making sure to keep her voice soft enough that no one could overhear her, "I went to a party the other night and saw both you and Liam there. That wasn't a big deal considering it was an LA Stars party, but then to my horror, I saw the two of you go into his room, and when you came out it was very clear that the two of had been having sex. Now, because I'm not sure how intelligent you are concerning this matter, I'll spell it out for you.” I bristled at her harsh tone. “Liam makes most of his money from endorsement deals— Endorsement deals that are completely contingent on 442/890
his public image. The LA Stars might not drop him, but you better believe those companies wouldn’t want him as a liability. He was supposed to be volunteering not trying to get laid. And you, our sweet little rookie, would be kicked off the ULA team so fast you wouldn't even have time to clean out your locker. Coach Davis made it perfectly clear that any relationship between a coach and a team member was off-limits."
In case that wasn’t enough, she just kept adding layers of icing to the cake as the blood drained from my face.
“Can you even imagine the headlines they’ll run? LA Stars player takes advantage of ULA freshman…”
443/890
I stood there, gaping and trying to piece together just how conniving one person could be.
"Oh, and I have quite a few witnesses that can back up my claim. I mean, how stupid could you be to have sex at a freaking LA Stars party? Really, Kinsley, you made it all just too easy."
I looked up into her narrowed eyes.
"You're such a bitch."
Her smile told me she took that as a compliment. "I hope you like cleaning toilets, Bryant," she said before turning on her heel and heading back to the group. I didn't say a word. There was nothing to say. In that moment, Tara held all the cards. But soon the tables would shift. I wasn’t going to let her get away with it. There was a way to beat her 444/890
at her own game, but not until I had time to think over my options. With my chin raised, I walked back over, bent down, grabbed the toothbrush off the concrete, and headed to the bathroom without a word.
When Emily and Becca followed me after a moment, their gazes bored into the side of my head.
"I'm really sorry, guys," I muttered, opening the toothbrush. This was freaking ridiculous. How did Tara have time in her day to mastermind shit like this?
"It's not your fault," Emily answered with a frown. Poor Emily, she had no clue what I'd brought her into.
Becca caught my eye and I sighed. "I'll explain it later," I mouthed, and she nodded solemnly.
445/890
It was the worst morning of my life and it was hardly 5:00 A.M. I reluctantly tore open my toothbrush and got to work in the bathroom, letting my mind wander toward ways of torturing Tara to death. I was thinking that old fashion method where the four horses pull your body apart would fit nicely for her.
To ensure that we were actually cleaning, Tara would check up on us every few minutes. She’d poke their head in, mutter a snide comment, and then leave again. After what felt like hours, she finally came in and told us to stop.
"That’s enough. We're going to go run some laps before practice."
446/890
The three of us followed behind her and I could hear Emily sniffling behind her. Tara was making her cry. I was making her cry.
"Emily, it's okay. I'll run for you like last time."
Tara laughed. "No, Bryant, I think you three should all run. I think your friends should realize how selfish you really are."
The word selfish struck a chord as Emily’s tears ran down her cheeks. Was I being selfish for pursuing a relationship with Liam? I didn’t think it would hurt anyone.
Tara might have disliked me before, but the fact that I had some kind of relationship with Liam pushed me toward the top of her enemy list. Unfortunately, my friendships with Becca and Emily meant they were getting dragged alongside me.
447/890
"I'm so sorry, guys," I pleaded as we began to run. Emily wouldn't look at me, but Becca shot me a stern look.
"Do not apologize for anything. It's Tara that should be apologizing. She's trying to ruin your life by turning us against you, but she has no clue the kind of enemies she's making," Becca bit out.
"We have to be smart about this. We can get her to stop, but if we go about it the wrong way, we'll be taking ourselves down with her," I answered.
"Kinsley, I know about Liam," Emily said out of the blue.
Becca and I both turned sharply toward her. "What are you talking about?" I asked.
"We share a bathroom, and you and Becca seriously talk way too loudly about 448/890
personal matters. Like I know that you made Becca come look at a freckle on your butt last week because you thought it was shaped like a giraffe. I mean, I get it. You guys have a really strange relationship.” She realized she was veering off topic. “Oh, right. Anyway, no one else in the house knows about you and Liam, I've made sure of it, but I just wanted to let you know that I know,” she shrugged.
I had no clue how to approach the subject. "Are you upset that I didn't tell you? I’m really sorry I lied to you, Em. I just wanted to keep it as private as possible, and I didn't want to drag you in as an accomplice."
Emily furrowed her brows. "I'm not mad. I know why you didn't tell me. I just felt a little left out. To be honest I was kind of glad not to be included in the beginning 449/890
because I would have told you it was a beyond terrible idea."
I cracked a small smile. "And now?"
"Still a terrible idea, but I can't blame you. If he were interested in any of the rest of us, we would have done exactly what you're doing. You’re just the lucky… or maybe un-lucky one."
Relief settled over our small group. It felt good to have my secret out in the open and I trusted Emily not to tell anyone.
“I swear this is the last time guys. I feel disgusting from washing the bathroom. We'll take her down. We just need to figure out how…"
The three of us were focusing on pushups when I heard Liam’s harsh tone ring through the air.
450/890
"Tara, I thought I warned you about this last time? What the hell do you not understand about treating your teammates with respect?"
I paused mid push-up to see Tara turn to him with a conniving grin.
"Liam! Just the man of the hour..."
It didn't escape my notice that she called him Liam instead of Coach Wilder. She was proving how in charge she was in that moment. She held all of our fates in the palm of her pretty little hand.
"Excuse me?" Liam asked, standing to his full height. He looked lethal. He'd never looked at me the way he was looking at Tara.
Unabashed rage masked his beautiful features, and for one moment I was scared something very bad was about to happen. I 451/890
tried to shoot him a weary gaze that could somehow sum up how fucked we were now that Tara knew about us.
"We've got to go get ready for practice.
Excuse me," Tara said, waving sweetly and walking away without bothering to answer him.
Liam eye’s followed her movements for a moment and then tugged his hands through his hair. He looked helpless and in a sense, he was. Going to Coach Davis was his only option.
Would he do that?
If he did, would Tara tell Coach Davis about our relationship?
"Are you guys okay?" Liam asked, bending down to where we were all sitting.