Page 14 of Step Alpha

“So it had nothing to do with how smart you are. Let it go. Can you drop out of your classes this semester before you fail them or finish online?”

I shrug.

“Find out.”

There’s alpha command in his words. He must be annoyed with my shrugs. I feel it like a blast to the chest, freezing me in place. When it passes, I straighten in my booth seat. “Yes, sir.”

“What else?”

I stop with the third burger halfway to my mouth. “What do you mean?”

“What else are you going to do to get on top of this situation?”

I think of my dad’s dictates and set the hamburger back down on the plate. I don’t want to go back to Wolf Ridge high to train with children. Seriously, I’d rather punch my own face in. But I guess I should stay in shape to keep my options open.

“I, uh…what would you think about…”

Fuck.

Coach Jamison doesn’t help me out. He just chews his final hamburger and watches me, waiting.

“My dad wants me to ask you if I can train with the team.”

“What do you want?”

“Nobody cares what I want.”

“Ah.”

I finish my third hamburger and start in on the fries. I guess I thought Coach would say something more, but he doesn’t. Nor does he answer my question about training with the team.

“So can I?”

“No.”

“No?”

I’m surprised. I mean, I guess I thought this conversation was going pretty well up until now. He’d seemed supportive. Sympathetic, even.

He throws a fifty-dollar bill down on the table and wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Think about why I said no. When you have the answer, come see me.”

ChapterFour

Rayne

Everybody’s talking about Wilde at school. He’s still Wolf Ridge famous, having only graduated two years ago, and I guess the Tiktok of him being taken out of the hotel in handcuffs went viral, at least in Wolf Ridge, this morning. In my Calculus class, the teacher had to step out of the classroom, and suddenly it was aWhat’s the Scoop with Wilde Woodward?fest.

Do you think he’ll keep playing football?

Will they even let him?

What will his dad say?

Is he still in jail?

“He’s home.” I don’t know what possesses me to speak. I’m certainly not trying to claim any kind of relationship with the guy.

But suddenly, everyone turns to me.

---