Page 45 of De Vil

"I'm not worried about myself."

He sighs. "Yes, unfortunately, there's going to be an investigation into Tia and how she got the scholarship. They could say you bribed her with the scholarship if she entered into relations with you."

"I would never fucking do that, Chris." I'm so angry I can barely see straight.

"I know. But you know how this looks. I think it's best if you two cooled it just until the investigation is over."

What a sucker punch to the gut, but I was already working on a way to tell Tia we couldn't do anything on campus. "I'll figure it out."

"Good. I'll be waiting in the parking lot for you. And no, that wasn't a request for you to join me on the ride back home."

He walks out the door, as I call him a pompous ass. I can still hear his laughter as the door opens. Tia steps in and shuts the door. I'm not ready to face her, but now I have to.

"Coach." She smiles at me as I walk around the desk toward her. I already know what I'm going to do. It's going to break her.

"You shouldn't be in here, Falcon."

"I don't care. The girls are going to talk, and it will blow over. Besides, I love you and want to be with you."

Her words eat at me. The girl I want loves me, telling me she wants to be with me. Daggers pierce my heart as it seems like the walk to the Goddamn door takes forever. Finally, I make it over to where she's standing but I don't touch her. Instead, I move around her and place my hand on the knob. This is the coward's way out, and I know it. She doesn't deserve the words that I'm about to say. I have to say them to save her and to keep her in school.

Steeling myself, I look at her. "That will not happen. Please go join your teammates on the bus."

I feel her behind me and her heat curls around me. "I don't know what's going on, but I know you want me, Mommy."

She has no fucking clue how bad I do. It's because I love her that I'm doing this. I know she won't take this seriously. Especially if I don't show her this is over. I open the door and motion for her to leave.

"You were fun to play with, Roxy Dragon. Now get your ass on the bus and don't come back to a closed office with me again unless I call you about volleyball." I see her take in a sharp breath and my head spins. "You are nothing but a good lay."

Her entire demeanor changes. My vibrant princess, who needs a Mommy, turns into a wilted flower within a matter of seconds. Her shoulders drop so quickly I think she might faint on me.

"You...you don't mean that." She stutters over her words as I watch the panic rise in her. Tia's trying to hold it together. Which means I'm going to have to go in for the kill. I despise myself as she lowers her head, trying to catch her breath.

"Look at me," I demand. She immediately looks up at me, like my sweet little princess should. I taste the bile in my throat."What's the matter? You can act like a whore, but when you get treated like one, you don't like it?" That's all you cam girls are. Whores. Hell, I'd have told you we had to stop sooner, but I had you eating out of the palm of my hand.”

Each word is like a damn knife to my soul. She's shaking and wobbling on her feet. I know my words are cruel. Hell, they are malicious and false.

"Now, get out." I point to the hallway, and I have to give her credit. Tia doesn't run out. She sniffles as she walks out of the room. I'm proud of her because she didn't glance my way when she left.

I slam the door and fall against it, silently cursing myself and crying. She’s the only person I’ve ever loved, and I shattered her into a million pieces.

I send Chris a text and let him know I'm telling the girls goodbye. As I enter the locker room, I search for Tia and she's not there. It's probably for the best.

"Congrats, girls. I'm proud of everyone and how well you did." Everyone cheers. I wait until they quiet down before I continue on. "With that being said, there are going to be some changes to the teams. I believe we can work smarter for the next game. Enjoy the ride back and I'll see y'all tomorrow on the court."

Looking at my watch, I smile. "The bus leaves in twenty-five minutes," I remind them and leave. Talking any more than I need to right now is not a good thing. I'm ready to explode and need to get away from everything.

There are only six girls on the bus. I've never wished for the loud chatter of girls, but then again, I've never felt like I was dying before. Broken, I look out the window and wish I had a bruise somewhere other than my heart. No one else can see the crumbled, discarded waste of a heart I am carrying around. Or the jagged line that's bleeding out, taking my soul with it.

No. All they see is a brooding girl who they think is being silly to not be in a good mood after our game. Fuck volleyball and everyone. The minute I get to campus, I'm going home, showering, and withdrawing from college.

There's no way in hell I'll be able to play for Coach now. My phone goes off, and I ignore it. I'm not able to talk to anyone right now. Every person I know except Jazz and Libby have abandoned me. I don't know why and am not sure I want to know why I'm so fucking unworthy of someone's love.

I swipe angrily at the tears streaming down my face as I watch Highway 59 swiftly pass by. Laying my head against the window, I try to fall asleep. I'm hoping this is all a nightmare and that I'm back in bed with Coach. Then she would hold me, and I wouldn't be lonesome.

Sleep eludes me and I sigh as my butt goes numb. I look at my phone and see five texts from Jazz and thirty-five notifications from my page. My hand shakes as I clear the notifications. It's time to delete my page.

Jazz:Did you win?

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