Page 96 of Dirty Filthy Boy
"I fucking hate that with every ounce of my being."
"Me too."
"When will the article appear in your paper?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"Okay." Nothing I can do. Guess I'll have to be satisfied with that answer. Though she promised she'd show me her article before it appeared in the paper, her boss nixed that. So I have no clue what she wrote.
"Goodnight. I lo—"
"Don't say it."
"Okay." I hang up, sick at heart, because I have no idea if we're going to end up together.
The following day, I wake up at the ass crack of dawn and fire up her newspaper’s website. Her article's a glowing affirmation of my character and my career—from my humble roots in East Texas, to my college life and my career with the Outlaws.
To my surprise, there's a companion piece, written by her and Emily Suarez. After a short introduction by MacKenna, Emily’s story emerges in her own words. She talks about her decision to attend Nebraska State, driven by a crush on me. And then she talks about how she met a new boy, another player with the Nebraska State football team. Someone who preyed on her weaknesses and stole her innocence—Sean Taylor.
The story progresses through the events of the awful night she was assaulted. The drink she'd been given and how Sean Taylor didn't lift a finger to help her. Finally, she talks about her devastation when she discovered she was pregnant, the result of that awful night. Her story ends the night she killed herself with the final statement, "I can't go on." With Emily's words interwoven with MacKenna's, Emily's tale is one of heartbreak and betrayal.
My cell rings. It's MacKenna. "Did you read it?"
"Yes. It's—" I choke up "—you did Emily proud. Her mother will be pleased."
"I'm so glad. Sean Taylor's bound to be angry, but I don’t care.”
“Neither do I. But I better call Coach and Oliver and give them a heads up."
"Oliver already knows. Mar told him. I imagine he's called Coach Gronowski as well."
"Yeah. He probably has.“
At brunch, Sean Taylor's nowhere to be found. But the article has made the rounds of the team. It’s all they can talk about during the meal.
By the time we load on to the bus to travel to the stadium, he hasn't made an appearance. It’s only when we enter the locker room that we find out his fate. His name has been removed from his locker. He’s no longer a member of the team.
