Page 35 of In Too Deep

I smirk as Caro shakes her head, and then turns to us.

“And where did you two go to? You’re mighty flushed there, Miss LaBelle. You’re clinging to your man quite unashamedly,” Caro observes.

I wince as Coby pulls me to him tighter and smiles. “We got caught by the manager making out by the basketball game.”

East smiles brightly as Caro chuckles.

“Making out or making whoopie?” East asks, waggling his eyebrows.

“Kinda in between the two,” Coby replies. East guffaws. People outside the arcade turn to stare as my cheeks redden. I bury myself deeper into Coby.

“Oh my God, I would’ve loved to have seen your faces,” East quips as Caro bumps his shoulder.

“Shut up! You’re embarrassing, Lacy,” Caro chides.

“She should be embarrassed. Fornicating in a child’s arcade centre. Oh, the shame, Lacy, the shame!”

I finally crack a smile, and East slaps my arm while Coby shakes his head. “I just want to be more like you, East.”

He’s impressed. “Outgoing and impulsive?”

“No horny and childish,” I tease.

He scoffs and throws his hand over his heart as Caro and Coby chuckle.

“Okay, let’s go to the movies?” Caro asks.

Coby tightens his arm around my shoulder, and we begin to walk out.

“Wait! We need to cash in the prize for our tickets,” East cries, grabbing Caro’s tickets and rushing over to the desk.

We all stand back, pondering what piece of shit she’ll get, but he comes back over with a unicorn stuffed toy and hands it to Caro.

She smiles, her shoulders relaxing as she clutches the gift. “You got this for me?”

He shrugs, feigning indifference. “Not because I like you or anything.”

She scoffs, rolling her eyes before smacking him with it. His laugh is warm, unguarded, as he pulls her into a hug and kisses the top of her head.

I glance up at Coby, and he catches my eye, his smile as soft as the moment.

Together, we head toward the cinema, laughter and teasing trailing behind us like a thread pulling us closer.

CHAPTER NINE

The last two days have shot past so quickly, and our awesome foursome has formed a formidable friendship. We’re inseparable. The guys have stayed with us the whole time, and it’s been nice spending quality time with Coby. My body is sore, and not from swimming, if you catch my drift. It’s nice to have a connection with someone so strong and sturdy. But today is the last day of the trials. Coby will be heading back home, so we won’t be seeing each other all the time. We’ve promised to keep in contact every day, and to make time for each other at least once a week through our busy training schedules.

We’re not going to let this slide.

We’re in too deep.

The morning is filled with functions, speeches, and athlete selection. It’s about half an hour before the finals of the night and the ceremony. Everyone’s in a cheerful mood as we sit in the marshalling area. It’s good to all finally be here at the same time.

Tuck comes into the room with two officials escorting him. Caro and I stand up as he approaches with a stern expression. His brows crease, and he is sporting a frown the size of Tasmania.

“Tuck? What’s going on?”

He stops in front of us and huffs. “Girls, I’m under investigation. While that’s happening, I have to step down as coach. I have a hearing to go to right now, so I’m going to miss the ceremony.”

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