Page 123 of Honeysuckle
“Youdon’tneedtocome today,” Josh said, pulling on a clean dress shirt.
“I’m not letting you go alone…” I stepped forward and shook my head. “Not that one,” I said, eyeing the deep red. “Wear the navy…”
Hornets colors.
He paused, looking down at it and conceded easier than expected. I watched as he buttoned it up with shaky hands while I resisted the urge to do it for him. Josh had decided to go forward with Silas and present the evidence of the assault to the NCAA committee and within days they had called a meeting with the two of them.
Josh said he would do it, and despite the resounding fear in his expression when he agreed, he tried to leave me behind.
“They won't let you in that room, Dean, and after your defiance the other day toward Coach and Silas, I don’t think they’d allow it even if the committee did,” Josh grumbled as he got the last button done.
“I know,” I sighed. "I know… I just want to be there.”
Josh looked up from tucking in the shirt and nodded. “Fine.”
Silas was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for us when Josh finally found the courage to leave our room. His shoulders tight, his muscles straining against the shirt tensely. His entire body radiated stress with every step he took.
“Nope.” Silas pointed at me. “Absolutely not.”
“You aren’t leaving him here.” Unexpectedly, Josh was quick to argue in my defense. “He’ll go insane and do something stupid if he’s left alone. Just let him sit outside the room.”
“You’re starting to get on my nerves, Tucker,” Silas grumbled.
“We’re going to be late,” Josh said, walking past him without another word.
Coach met us at the building, an annoyed expression on his face when he saw I was following close behind them.
“Who the hell let this happen?” He glared at me. “Sit,” he barked to the flimsy chairs outside the conference room. I listened, planting myself firmly on the rickety plastic. “Logan,” he turned to Josh, putting his hand up to stop him from entering right away. “Take it slow, keep your composure and let Silas present the case.”
“I’m not a loose cannon,” Josh said, his jaw clenching.
“No, you’re a kid about to walk into a room of wolves. They don’t want a scandal, and it means one of two things,” Coach warned. “Either they believe you and deal with Ian, or they dismiss this entire case, and you keep the title of problem child in the NCAA. Do you understand?” Coach asked.
Josh swallowed, his throat bobbing roughly as he nodded.
“Good,” Coach said, letting him turn the knob. “Don’t move,” he snapped at me before the door shut in my face. On top of everything, sitting outside a conference room with my head between my knees, out of breath and more anxious than I’d ever been wasn’t on my list.
It felt like hours had passed, I wore out the tile in front of the room as I paced back and forth, just waiting and worrying. But when the door opened, I couldn’t tell if it was for the better.
“What happened?” I asked.
Coach and Silas looked over at Josh, who was the last to exit with grim expressions on their faces. Josh shoved passed them and down the hall before I could stop him and get more answers. I whirled on Silas and waited.
“That was…” he rubbed the back of his neck, his complexion pale like he might be sick.
“Rough,” Coach answered for him. "He did good, Tucker.”
“Good enough for them to expel Ian?” I asked, my chest constricted tightly and it felt like the air had been sucked out of the cramped, beige brick hallway.
“He was honest and detailed,” Silas croaked, clearly disturbed before he headed in the same direction as Josh.
“Josh is going to need you,” Coach said, patting my arm. “Keep him close.”
I watched as Coach left me standing in the hallway, still completely in the dark about what happened in that room. My skin itched like it was on fire as I headed toward the parking lot, finding Coach and Silas, but Josh was nowhere to be seen.
“He probably just needed some space, come on.” Coach opened the door of the truck for me. “We have a game to get ready for.”
“Fuck,” I came off the field rolling my arm over my head. Ella was on me the second I stepped into the dugout. Her delicate fingers work the muscle around the rotator cuff with precision and caution.
