We'll clear this up."
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I sighed, already feeling better. "Okay, thanks Mom."
"Love you, hang in there. It'll get better."
When I hung up, Becca and Emily didn't say a word. They were both looking for me to make the first move.
"Let's pretend that this isn't happening and go back to watching the show."
"Sounds like a plan," Becca nodded and hit play. I went back to my bed, grabbed the covers, and huddled underneath them. For the rest of the night, I pretended that my life was very simple, like all that I had to focus on was laughing at the jokes on Bridesmaids and hanging out with my two friends.
I would not become Kinsley Kardashian.
…
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The full article was released the next day and was plastered across every website I could find, from TMZ to the New York Times. I didn't bother reading it. I knew it would be bad based on the accompanying photos.
They'd cropped and manipulated every single one to make it appear as if Josh and I were together. A happy, Olympic couple. Gag me. Or better yet, gag Josh.
I'd let my father's PR team take care of it from my end. They'd release the statement about the false claims and I'd worry about the things I could actually control, which at that point was one thing: soccer.
I went to the fields early and ran sprints.
I did some weight training and tried to use all my pent up energy on something 477/890
productive. By the time practice started, I was pensive and tired.
Liam was in a terrible mood as well, worse than I'd ever seen before. When we split up into positions, he was snappy with all of us. His mood was distracting me and I kept mixing up the formations.
Finally, he snapped at me. "Kinsley, get your head in the game. This isn't that hard, and you've had all summer to work on it."
His tone was harsh and a few of the girls stood watching him with a gaping mouth.
Tara, who was only a few feet behind me, muttered, "Uh oh, are the lovers fighting?"
A few of the upperclassmen snickered, and in that moment I lost it. There was only so much I could take and getting yelled at by 478/890
Liam in front of my enemies was the straw that broke my freaking back.
I spun around on my cleats and pointed directly at Tara. "You know what? I'm so sick of your shit. What kind of captain tries to sabotage their own team? Do you even realize what you're doing? What's the fucking point of it all? So you can snicker about me with your friends after practice? Newsflash, Tara: No one fucking likes you. I bet Sofie and the other seniors are only friends with you because you've blackmailed them as well—"
"Stop," Liam yelled, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me back. I hadn't even realized I was in Tara's face until suddenly I was being dragged away.
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“I would start cleaning out my locker if I was you, Bryant,” she spoke with an eerie calmness, but I could practically see the wheels spinning in her head. I'd just awoken the beast and I was about to pay for it. Her eyes were sharp and her lips were twisted in-to a calculating smile.
Thankfully, Coach Davis was on the other side of the field so as soon as the incident began, it was over. For the moment. Tara and the seniors went over to grab water, and I stood there cooling off and appreciating the fact that I was sitting in the eye of the storm.
Liam and I were completely silent until it was time for him to leave, and for the remainder of practice, Tara and I kept our distance from each other. My heart was beating like a hummingbird’s as I tried to process 480/890
how I could somehow stop the avalanche about to take place.
This was it. The proverbial shit was about to hit the fan and I wasn’t ready. I was a nervous wreck the rest of the day. I couldn't get in touch with Liam after practice, but I couldn't go to Coach Davis before talking to him first. There was no more time to wait though. If Tara was going to go to Coach Davis, we had to beat her there. For all I knew it was already too late; Tara could have gone to her directly after practice.
"What are you going to do?" Becca asked. She was sitting on the edge of my bed and I was standing up, pacing back and forth across my carpet. I felt like a caged animal.
My heart wouldn't stop pounding and my hands were clenched into tights fists. I'd 481/890
realize how tense I was and try to relax, but then Tara's face would materialize in my thoughts and I’d tailspin back into tense anger.
"I have no freaking clue."
"Kinsley, this is serious... if Tara goes to—"
"I know. I know that," I cut her off and reached down to grab my running shoes. It was late, maybe eight or nine, but I needed to run.
"I'll be back in a little bit," I muttered, heading down the stairs and out the front door without a second glance. I jogged down my front lawn and turned right down an empty street. Hearing my feet pound against the asphalt was like waking up from a foggy dream. Until that moment I'd thought I was 482/890
invincible. But in reality, I had put my dreams, my future, and my career on the line for a guy that I only had known for a few weeks. In the big picture of my life, Liam was a dot on the timeline, yet he was capable of wiping away everything that could have come after him.
And to make it worse, I had no one to blame but myself. I'd chosen to take the chance. I'd chosen to live in the moment and test fate. What if Coach Davis called me into her office tomorrow and told me I was off the team? What if she told me she wouldn't be inviting me to the Olympic tryouts? What would I have then? Liam? How could I look at him without seeing my failure?
I kept running until the fear had sunken deep into my bones. This was a wakeup call.
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A wakeup call that I feared was happening too late. Maybe if I explained everything to Coach Davis she'd give me another chance. I had no other option. I wasn’t prepared to give up my dreams.
I was contemplating that fact as I rounded the corner back to my house and saw Liam's SUV sitting out by the curb. It was parked directly outside of the Rookie house rather than hiding around the corner. My stomach sank even lower and I slowed to a walk as I got closer to his car. My heart hammered in my chest, but I couldn't control its rhythm. The run and this surprise were too much for my nerves to handle.
I passed by his SUV and peered inside, but it was empty. The front door opened behind me and I spun around to find Liam 484/890
heading outside. His hair was disheveled.
His eyes were sharp and narrowed on me. A few of the sophomore girls peered through the thin gap before closing the door behind him.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, frozen in place.
"Letting the team know that I won’t be coaching them anymore."
My breathing stilled. "What?"
He kept walking closer to me, his expression indiscernible. "I spoke with the LA Stars and Coach Davis today," he explained, running his hand along his jawline.
I felt my world screech to a stop. Holy shit, he’d done it. I reached up to cover my mouth with my hand, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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"Everything is out in the air now. Tara can't blackmail you and Coach Davis will deal with her separately."
He wasn't telling me what really mattered. What actually mattered. Did I have my dreams still or not?
"What happens? What happens now, Liam? Am I still on the team? Are you still on the team? Do you still have your endorsement deals?” Suddenly I felt just as close to exploding as I had before my run. I couldn't handle the stress. It was too much.