Rumors (9 page)

“
Ok, but you’re going to be mad.” At my impatient gesture, she
continued. “The rumor going around is that you cheated on Shane
with some random guy who doesn’t go to our school—”

“
Of course,” I said, folding my arms across my chest.
“And?”

“
And then the cops arrested you for drinking, and you spent
the night in jail.”

I threw
my head back in frustration. “Ugh! Why does anyone believe this?” I
was really getting sick of high school.

Taylor walked with me. “It doesn’t matter if it’s
believable—if it’s fun to
assume
it’s true, then that’s more entertaining to talk
about than the truth.” I frowned at her words, knowing she had a
point. The trend of drama-filled reality shows, with ratings
skyrocketing when an episode was fueled with deceit and betrayal,
were evidence of that fact.

“
I have to say, graduating high school and leaving all this
behind is looking more appealing every day.”

“
That’s mean,” Taylor said. “What about Leah and
me?”

“
Well, of course, I’ll miss you guys,” I smiled, “even if
you
are
overly
boy crazy.”

Taylor
shrugged, not the least bit concerned about my opinion. “You’re the
one with the boyfriend,” she countered. I was about to protest on
the matter, though I wasn’t entirely sure where I stood with Shane.
“And at least you still have basketball,” Taylor said with cheery
smile.

I
hesitated with my response and then settled for, “Yeah—I guess.”
Taylor’s eyebrows curved in confusion, or maybe disappointment…
Then something, or someone, of interest caught her attention. Just
as I turned my head, a pair of soft lips fixed on mine, pressing
against me with determination. I staggered backwards in surprise,
pulling away from the sneak attack.

Shane
grinned back at me.

“
What was that for?” I asked, looking around in embarrassment
to see if anyone had noticed. I really didn’t need the extra
attention. As expected, kids slowed their pace, rubbernecking when
they walked by, as if trying to catch a glimpse of a car accident.
With the rumor going around that I cheated on Shane, they were
probably hoping for a dramatic end to our relationship—especially
the younger girls, like Taylor’s friends, who were always gawking
at him with lovesick eyes.

Shane
laughed. “Just trying to eradicate the rumors, or at least one of
them.” His face twisted into a mock-scowl as he pointed his finger
at me. Speaking louder, he said sternly, “And don’t cheat on me
again!”

I grabbed his finger with one hand, using my other to push
his chest backwards until he knocked into a locker. “Stop it!” I
hissed. “That is the
opposite
of helping!”

Shane
chuckled, grabbing both my hands with his. He looked down, his
perfect smile diffusing me—until he spoke again. “Oh, people need
to lighten up. Let’s be honest—why would you ever cheat on
me?”

My mouth
gaped open as I folded my arms across my chest. “You are
unbelievable.”

“
Thank you.”

“
That wasn’t a compliment.” I broke free from his grasp. “You
really are more attractive when you’re not talking. I’ll catch up
with you at lunch.” I steered away from Shane, hearing his arrogant
laughter trailing behind me.

Tara and
I finally ran into each other at lunch. We sat in the senior quad
with our usual group, including Austin, Tonya, Ben, and Landon.
This was the first time all of us were together again since Friday
night’s fiasco. She greeted me with a tight squeeze before jumping
into her apologies again.

“
So what happened to you guys after we split?” I
asked.

“
Austin and I stuck together,” Tara said, Austin’s arms
wrapped securely around her waist. That didn’t surprise
me.

“
We turned the corner and ran half a block before we circled
back to the cars,” Austin chimed in. “We wanted to wait for you and
Shane, but were afraid the cop would return and start asking
questions.”

“
Austin and Tara picked us up,” Tonya said, gesturing at Ben
and Landon, “when they saw us sneaking around Shane’s car, waiting
for you guys to get back.”

“
We kept driving by until we saw Shane return. We were so
scared when we realized you weren’t with him!” Tara said, her hand
touching her heart. “Give us the details! What
happened?”

I gave
them a brief rundown of the evening, including twisting my ankle,
the overzealous cop chasing me down, and the mellow cop intervening
and giving me a break.

“
It’s a good thing
you
were caught and not us,” Landon said with relief
in his voice. While I’d had the same thought—understanding that
their consequences would have been more severe than mine with
alcohol on their breaths—I didn’t appreciate the statement coming
from him. He was the dummy who had brought the beer in the first
place.

“
Is that your way of saying ‘thank you?’” I asked, not hiding
the annoyance in my tone.

Landon
seemed taken aback by my response. “Why would I thank you? I got
away just fine. You’re the one that apparently couldn’t jump the
fence.” He indicated my swollen ankle.

“
If you hadn’t brought beer, that cop wouldn’t have bothered
chasing us in the first place!” Fuming, I glared at him. “I could
have turned you in—any of you—” I added, my gaze circling, “—but I
didn’t.”

“
Not turning us in should be a
given
, not a favor,” Austin piped
in. “That’s what
friends
do. Look, if you want a ‘thank you’—”

“
Austin, quit being an idiot,” Shane interrupted.

Both Austin and I ignored him. “No, that’s not the point. I
just…” I let out a huff of frustration, unsure what I wanted.
What
was
the
point? Why was I hanging around these supposed
friends
anyway? “Forget it.” I
abandoned my sandwich, ignoring Tara calling after me. When Shane
caught up to me, I resisted his touch and asked for some time
alone.

***

Limping
into the gym, I hugged the sidelines while my teammates started the
usual warm up by jogging around the court. Seating myself on the
bottom bleacher, I put my feet out in front of me to elevate my
ankle. Walking around on it all day had increased the swelling
again, almost immobilizing the joint.

“
Collins!” Coach Robbins voice boomed as he pushed his way
through the double doors. I noticed my teammates slowing their jog
as they made another lap around the court, all eyes watching
Coach’s face with anticipation.

I
grimaced. I was about to get reamed.

“
What kind of stupid stunt did you pull on Friday?” He looked
down at me from his towering height, eying my bruised, blue and
purple ankle in annoyance and with zero sympathy.

I
dropped my gaze uneasily. I was used to him hollering at me on the
court. That didn’t bother me because it was part of the game, but
in this situation, when it came to my personal life, his tone put
me on edge.

Unsure
of how much gossip had circulated back to him, I settled for, “I
was jumping a fence and fell.”

“
After being chased by cops?” he interjected.

Yikes.
So he had heard a few details. “There was a misunderstanding,” I
began.

“
A misunderstanding? Well, we’re about to clear that up right
now. Principal Hayden wants to see you in the athletic department
right now. Let’s go.” He pointed to the assistant coach. “Jenkins,
have them hit the drills.”

The athletics department and the principal?
Now this was really getting out of hand. It was
one thing for students to spread talk amongst themselves, but
bringing in the school authorities was another. My stomach turned
as I rose to my feet. My eyes flickered to Tara’s, who was watching
the scene while chewing on her bottom lip. My sisters’ concerned
expressions also touched mine before I looked away. I focused on
walking out of the gym, a feeling of dread weighing me
down.

Coach
Robbins remained a step ahead of me the whole time, not pausing to
hold the swinging door open for me as I limped behind. Not that I
expected it. He didn’t believe in displaying a softer approach to
girls than boys. According to him, training boys and girls should
not hold different standards.

As we
entered the office, Principal Hayden sat in a chair next to Mr.
Knox, the athletic director. The principal pointed to the two empty
chairs across from them.

“
Hi, Allie. Have a seat please,” Principal Hayden said. His
expression was kind, yet hinting that our conversation was of a
more serious nature. “Coach Robbins, join us, of
course.”

I took
my seat among the three adults, feeling like a young child in big
trouble.

Folding
his hands into one another and placing them on the desk between us,
Principal Hayden began. “So, Allie, it seems we need to have a
discussion.”

That
much was obvious.

He
continued. “There’s a rumor going around that you were involved in
some drinking and an arrest this weekend. Is there any truth to
that?”

“
No,” I stated, my face flushing with heat from this
uncomfortable attention. “I wasn’t arrested. An officer just… took
me home.” I had a hard time maintaining eye contact. No matter what
I said, there would be more questions. I could see it in their
scrutinizing gazes.

“
Why did the officer feel the need to take you home?” Mr. Knox
asked, one eyebrow raised.

“
I was—”

“
Were you drunk?” Coach Robinson accused.

“
Of course not. I wasn’t even the one drinking.” My fists
clenched, realizing I’d slipped up with my word choice.

“
So others students with you were drinking. Who were
they?”

At my
hesitated response, Principal Hayden piped in, his voice calm and
serious. “Allie, this is very important that you tell the truth
here. If there were students who were involved with underage
drinking—especially if they are part of the athletics’ program—we
need to know so this can be handled appropriately. Students need to
understand that this sort of behavior is not tolerated.” He rubbed
his chin before adding, “Even from star athletes.” His word choice
led me to believe he had a hunch of who was with me that
night.

I wanted
to rephrase my answer and tell them that no one was drinking—that
we’d only been chased by the cops for using a hot tub after hours,
but I knew they wouldn’t believe me now. If I told them about the
other students involved, every one of them might be suspended. They
(and the rest of the student population), would hate me and call me
a nark. Still… they only had my word to rely on. Even if they
questioned Mom, who knew Shane was involved, they couldn’t prove
anything without me.

“
So what can you tell us, Allie?” Mr. Knox prompted, his tone
softer and coaxing. “Can you help us out here?”

“
I—um…” I stuttered in thought, still undecided. After the
last two confrontations with that group of “friends,” I knew I
didn’t owe them anything. In fact, this would be an easy way to get
back at them. Although, I’d have to decide if I wanted to exclude
Shane and Tara from the name-dropping. But no… Aside from not
wanting to face the wrath of the other students for ratting someone
out, loyalty was something I valued in relationships. When Dad
betrayed Mom, I knew I would never be like him—would never turn my
back on the relationships in my life. Even though my relationships
with Tara and Shane were struggling, I couldn’t bring myself to
tell on them.

With
three pairs of eyes watching me, all belonging to school
authorities, I slowly shook my head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help
you.”

Principal Hayden’s nose flared, while Mr. Knox let out a
breath of frustrated air. Coach Robbins kept his arms folded across
his chest, staring at me with disapproval. Though, if he made the
assumption that Tara was likely involved, I sensed a bit of relief
in his eyes for my silence. He wouldn’t want one of his captains
suspended from this Friday’s game against our top rival.

The
disappointed silence felt unbearable. I wasn’t a kid that got in
trouble. I’d never been sent to the principal’s office. Quite the
opposite—most teachers seemed to like me and consider me a “breath
of fresh air” from the usual troublemakers in class.

Mr. Knox
spoke first. “Well, Allie, if you are choosing to withhold
information from this incident, then I have no choice but to
recommend suspension from this week’s game.”

It was
the rival game. I’d be letting down the whole team if I didn’t
play. “I don’t understand,” I said. At the same time, Coach Robbins
leaned forward in his chair, his voice a touch louder as he
directed words at our athletics’ director.

“
Now see here, Will. I don’t see how that’s necessary.” His
face reddened, and I knew it was a struggle for him to keep his
tone level.