Page 15 of Keeping Score

“If I find out that he has touched you, I’ll break his fucking throwing hand and he’ll never touch another football, got it?” I gulp and nod, unable to speak and embarrassed as all hell that my two friends are standing here while Darius is plastered to my back, and to top it all off, I now have to go to practice with soaked panties! Darius finally takes pity on me and steps back. I sigh in relief when he heads toward the gym, but calls over his shoulder, “See you tonight, Goldie.”

After saying an awkward as hell goodbye to Garrett, thanks to Darius’s macho man display, Cody and I headed to practice only for it to run an hour longer because Chelsea and Nikki couldn’t keep up with the counts. I’m pissed as hell and fucking aching by the time coach tells us we can leave. She said we could have the weekend off to train on our own time, when we all know it’s because she has a weekend away planned with her boyfriend. I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder as I wait for Katie and Cody. Once they gather their things, the three of us head out. We have barely taken two steps outside before Chelsea is calling out for us to wait. We turn back to see her, Nikki and Becca coming at us. The three of us exchange looks of confusion as we wait to see what they want.

“Hey, babes.” I scrunch my face and quirk a brow at Chelsea’s fake-ass enthusiasm. She has stopped hanging around us ever since her and Dariushung out. “So, what are the plans for this weekend?”

“Nothing,” Katie says, sounding just as confused as I feel. Nikki and Becca giggle. Do they realize they look like idiots standing there fake laughing?

“Well, we thought we should totes train, so we were thinking we’ll come over around nine?” I reel back in shock at the blatant audacity of this girl. If she thinks she is going to use me to get closer to Darius she has another fucking thing coming.

“Yeah, no.” Their fake smiles drop like I knew they would. “If the three of you want to score with thedreamteam find another way, because I’m not helping you bone my brother!” I snarl. Chelsea’s eyes narrow.

“Who said I was after your brother?” I grind my teeth in anger. “If I recall, Darius blew his hit and quit it rule forme!” I have heard from Katie that apparently that is a thing with Darius, he only sleeps with a girl once and never kisses them.

“Did you want a round of applause for being a slut?” Cody snaps in my defense. My heart soars at her for sticking up for me. I never had any real friends at DCU, they were fake as shit, leaving me to spend most of my time alone and with someone I thought was my only friend. How dumb was I?

“You’re just jealous that your bestie’s brother isn’t interested in your plain ass.” I snap my gaze to Cody, her eyes are wide, mouth ajar in shock.

Holy fuck!

Cody has a crush on Corvin and I never fucking knew. She cuts her gaze to me, the guilty look in her eyes spears me.

“Leah, I had no idea he was your brother and I’ve never done anything with him, I swear. I would never do anything with him now because of girl code and you’re my girl.” Call me stupid, butI believe her. I can’t be friends with girls who are going after my brother because it’s just icky!

I shrug and smile as I say, “I know you wouldn’t.” A whoosh of air escapes her. “I have to go, but you and Katie come round tomorrow and we’ll practice and swim, it’s only Beck–” I turn back to Chelsea as I finish speaking, “and Darius home.” Katie and Cody agree, giving me a hug each as I head home.

I’m just around the corner from the house when my phone rings. At the sound ofhisringtone, I tense up. I pull my phone out and answer it before I chicken out, knowing I can’t keep ignoring him forever.

“What?” I snap.

“Now, now, is that any way to greet me?” I grit my teeth and breath through my nose as I try to calm the fury spurring to life inside me at the sound of his nasally voice.

“What can I do for you?” I say in a sickly-sweet voice.

“You can start by doing what I fucking told you to do! You’re running out of time. The game is in three weeks and they won’t be taking the field!” Guilt and shame war inside me. If I do what he is asking, I’ll ruin them and they will never forgive me! I’ve tried for weeks to build up the courage to tell Corvin but I can never get the words out.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I fucking can! Those five are going to learn a fucking lesson that they aren’t untouchable!”

“I… I’ll go to the cops and tell them everything,” I threaten.

“Go tell them. We all know they won’t do shit because of who I am and where I come from. You’re the poor kid whose parents own the local hardware store. You can’t afford the legal fees and everyone knows you’d let the team run a fucking train to save your brother.” I cringe at his reference. “You have till game night, get it done or this shit goes public and it will give me great satisfaction to send it to your brother and daddy myself.”The line goes dead. I stand here gripping my phone in a vice-like grip, tears building at the back of my eyes. I will them away not wanting to go home with tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. I take deep breaths and try to convince myself I'm doing this to save my family, Corvin and myself the shame of this going public. If it did, people from back home would boycott my parents’ business and Corvin would be shunned from his peers. He would no longer be the king of CHU, he would be thewhore’sbrother.

I give myself another minute to wallow in self-pity before I pull it together. Straightening my shoulders, I try as hard as I can to plaster on a smile. The fake charade lasts a whole second before it falls away and the first tear falls. Once they start they don’t stop. I run the rest of the way home, making it in a few minutes. I take the porch steps two at a time, push the front door open and slam it closed before racing for the stairs.

Beck and Darius both jump to their feet as I pass the living room, but I don’t stop when they call my name. I run to my room where I can break down without anyone seeing me fall apart. I’m a horrible person! I slam my door closed and lock it, drop my bag and head straight for the shower. I lock Darius’s side of the bathroom and strip off, then turn the water to scalding hot as a form of punishment for myself. I let the sobs tear out of me now, knowing the sound of the shower will mask them and stop the guys from hearing me fall apart. I slide down the wall and wrap my arms around my legs as I bury my face in the top and cry.

I’ve never let myself feel the full weight of what happened—the demand placed upon me by the person who I trusted and he fucking used me!

I let myself feel everything—all the pain, anger, shame and self-loathing. I thought running away would fix everything but it didn’t. I was just a tool for him to use to get back at my brotherand the guys, and the worst fucking part is I had no idea it happened until years fucking later!

Two years ago my whole fucking world stopped when Darius left me. I thought I was slowly healing from the loss of him, until three months ago when I overheard a conversation that changed my whole freaking life. I climb to my feet, grab my loofah and begin to scrub my skin, feeling so dirty and used!

Darius

“What the fuck?” I say aloud, confused as hell why Leah just ran through the house crying.

“Someone is going to pay for this!’ Beck growls, and I nod my agreement. “What do we do, Corv isn’t here?” I exhale loudly and turn to face him. His face is a mask of pure fury, fists clenched at his sides, while he stands there vibrating with anger.

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