Page 14 of Honeysuckle
But the emotions were tearing me to shreds, begging me to explode and take the whole camp with me. The way they seamlessly got along, even in the depths of turmoil, confused me. It went against everything I had been taught about families.
Arlo was a violent dog with a history of biting, Cael was an unhinged alley cat battling drug addiction, and the rest of the team followed them like they were god’s word. And then there was Dean, the golden boy. A fitting nickname for a six-three grizzly bear with pure muscle, a rumored heart of gold, and a smile to match.
Team Captain.
Infuriatingly positive and willing to climb mountains to get this to work.
“I’ll stay.”
“Okay, good,” Cael hummed. “Promise me something though?”
“If you’re about to let me in on some fucked up Hornets tradition like Coach kisses you all on the forehead before bed, count me out.” I snapped, scooping my bag from the floor.
“You wish.” Cael chuckled. “No more jabs about my recovery.”
“Fair.” I nodded. I watched him tap two fingers to his chest. “I’m not doing your stupid Hornet salute.” I rolled my eyes. “It further fuels my cult theory.”
TUCKER
Afteryesterday’sblow-up,everyonewas on edge—some of us even suspicious. Cael was known for being friendly even when he shouldn’t be, but there was something about the way he had approached Josh and then chased him down after being punched.
There were secrets cracking down the center of the Hornets, ones that had the potential to screw our season. After a disgusting breakfast of lumpy oatmeal made by Todd and Jensen, everyone started packing their things for the two-night canoe trip.
Arlo, Ella, Silas, and other coaches who made the trip would be staying behind. The canoe trip was forplayersonly. The idea of being self-governed in the woods was terrifying—especially when half the team wanted Josh roasted over a fire.
Cael, with all his secrets, managed to talk Josh into sticking around, but I couldn’t tell if that was a good thing. We needed a pitcher; our backups were worth nothing, and every time one of them touched the field, even for relief, we ended up making up for it later in the game.
We needed Josh Logan, and it pissed me off.
“You’re steaming from the ears, big boy.” Cael’s voice came from behind me. “Why so tense?”
“This canoe trip is going to end in blood.” I cleared my throat.
“I think that's just the theme of spring camp.” He laughed. Usually, the sound would ease the tension between my shoulders, but today, it only made everything worse.
“How did you convince him to stay anyway?” I asked, turning to look at him with his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie. The bruise on his jaw from where he was punched was festering an ugly, deep purple color.
“We made out for a while, and then I promised him a canoe blow job.” Cael smiled.
“Don’t be an idiot,” I pushed him, “or I’ll call Clementine right now.”
“She’d be into it.” He sighed, but I could tell he was missing her by the way his words trailed off at the end. “Although she's into big, dumb, blonds. Josh isn’t really her type.” He smacked his hand against my chest.
“Be serious with me. How’d you do it?” I asked him again in a lower tone.
“Josh is my NA sponsor,” Cael admitted.
I hadn’t seen that coming, and it was written all over my face because Cael started to laugh again.
“I had the same reaction at first,” he said quietly. “It worked though. He’s not as bad as he makes himself seem. The egomaniac personality? The aggression? It’s a defense tactic. Just give him some space to adjust.”
“Adjust?” I sighed. We didn’t have time for that.
“He’s not used to this…” Cael said it like I should understand.
“Used to what, Cael? Stop talking like Yoda.”
“That's not…” He started and stopped. “Family. He’s not used to people looking out for him. He thinks we’re a cult.”
