35. Bailey
35
Bailey
Monday
F eigning ignorance to the events that happened Friday night worked…for the first couple of nights. I was sure sleeping with Nolan in my bed had helped the first night. Exhausted, we’d slept right through until my mother knocked on the door in the morning. My parents had given us the safe sex talk before the rest of the guys had shown up Saturday morning. Nolan and I swore up and down it wasn’t like that, but Dad said it was his job as a parent to say it regardless; he wasn’t ready to be a papa. I was ready to die on the spot, but at the same time, I was grateful Mom hadn’t mentioned I had an implant.
I had gotten it after I lost my virginity. Ed was continuously talking about me being a wife, and I just had this sick feeling in my stomach. Even though I thought I was happy, that it was what I wanted. He was there for me, right? So, it was normal to stay with him, right? I told Mom I wasn’t sexually active, but I wanted to be prepared. She’d looked skeptical, but with the lack of boys around, I guessed she didn’t feel the need to press for more information.
We had chosen the implant. It lasted a long time, and for some reason, it seemed the easiest for me to hide. Though, I wasn’t exactly sure why I felt the need to hide it in the first place.
I busied myself the whole weekend, helping Dad harvest the bean fields and reviewing the coaches’ changes and critiques from review day. It was easy to mentally multitask when driving the tractor up and down the field. Auto drive was the best, but the cell signal, not so much.
The sun was just beginning to set on Sunday, and I had finished the west field. I radioed into Dad that I was on my way in for the day when my phone blew up.
Beth: okay, do you know what happened this weekend?
I sighed. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide from it for long. I parked the tractor along the side of the drive shed, the farm hands telling me they would put it away, and walked out to my truck. This field was thirty minutes away from my house.
After taking a swig of water, I pulled my phone out again.
Bailey: I might have an idea, what did you hear?
Beth: Omg, so much.
Beth: Chase and Hadley broke up.
Beth: But Hadley didn’t believe it.
Beth: Emma said they went to his house today, and he basically kicked them out.
Beth: Not only that, but he threatened her that if she messed with you, he would ruin her father financially. He would pull all support from his company. Does he have that power?
Chase said that? He’d been so upset I had lied, I thought I had ruined things with him all over again. Why would he do this? He seemed so hot and cold, and Ethan had said to give him some time.
Beth: Also, Emma is spilling all the tea on Hadley. They are having one epic friendship meltdown, though I don’t think Emma liked her much anyway.
I frowned. Emma had been there Friday night. I wondered, if she hadn’t interrupted that guy, how far he would’ve taken things.
Bailey: I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what kind of power he has, I’m not part of this.
Beth: Be ready for tomorrow. Hadley is making it about you.
Bailey: I’m assuming telling people otherwise isn’t going to work?
Beth: I’ll try to spread the word, can’t guarantee, though. Hadley is the queen of gossip.
I tossed my phone on the seat and drove home. I desperately needed a shower and to catch up on homework. Ignorance was key here. If I didn’t know, then how could I possibly be dragged down this hole?
The next morning, I had picked Lachlan, Nolan, and Ethan up for practice. “I tried calling you,” Lachlan said to Nolan as soon as he got into the truck.
Nolan sighed. “Lost my phone for the week.” Nolan looked…sick. There were bags under his eyes, his skin was pale, and the moment he sat down, he leaned his head back, closing his eyes, as if falling asleep.
I pulled up to the mechanic shop to pick up Ethan, who, as usual, opened the driver’s door. Instead of sitting in the passenger seat, though, I sat in the back with Nolan and Lachlan, Nolan in between us.
“What happened?” I asked.
“With what?” He pulled his head up sleepily and looked around.
“You look like shit,” Lachlan said.
I shook my head and rolled my eyes at Lachlan’s bluntness.
Nolan groaned and leaned back again, only this time, he laid his head on my shoulder. “I’ve been running laps all freakin’ weekend. I swear, I heard a bear in the woods last night.”
I gasped. “What were you doing in the woods at night?”
“Your punishment…isn’t it? You were on the trail, weren’t you?” Lachlan said.
“Yeah.”
“It was likely a coyote, not a bear,” Ethan said. Yeah, ’cause that made a difference.
“How many kilometers did you run?” Lachlan nudged Nolan’s arm when he didn’t answer right away.
Nolan shrugged. “It was a timed run. Sixteen hours over two days. Plus, agility in between.” Everyone went silent, and I was pretty sure Nolan fell asleep.
When we got to the school, I didn’t want to get out. Coach would be pissed if we missed practice, though. Especially Nolan and me. He wanted to work on two plays this week to use in the game on Friday, and it involved both of us. Well, all the plays involved Nolan.
“Leave him in the truck,” Ethan said.
“Coach won’t allow it.”
“He might if he sees him looking like this.” Lachlan had a point, but I was afraid what the next punishment would be from his father if he missed practice.
“I hate this.” I turned my head and pressed my lips to Nolan’s forehead. “We’re here,” I said, moving my shoulder to wake him up.
Nolan cleared his throat, stretched, rolled his shoulders, and then noticed the three of us staring at him with varying levels of concern. “I’m good. Once I warm up, I’ll be good.”
“Or you’ll end up hurting yourself, and we will be out a quarterback,” Ethan said.
“I’m good. I won’t leave you guys hanging.”
That wasn’t my concern, though.
We were warming up when Nolan’s dad came walking down to the field, sitting in the stands and waiting. I saw the look in Lachlan’s eyes and quickly grabbed his arm as he began stalking toward Nolan’s dad. “Don’t,” I told him. I knew, from experience, how men like him reacted. “You’ll make it worse.”
Nolan called out for the team to take our usual run around the field, and we all lined up. We kept Nolan in between us, though, Lachlan taking the back of the line, so when Nolan called out, Lachlan was the first to run up, overtaking the line and getting into place in front of Nolan. Ethan was behind me.
We made it around with no incident. I didn’t want to leave Nolan when it was my turn—I had a bad feeling—but when he called out, I ran ahead to overtake the line. Then it was his turn.
Nolan ran, pushing himself with more effort than I’d ever seen him use before, and then he collapsed. The team stopped immediately and surrounded him. Ethan called for Coach. By the time I pushed through the group, Lachlan was kneeling beside Nolan’s head. Nolan was awake.
“Okay, guys, back up, back up,” Coach ordered. “Get started in your groups,” he called and then blew his whistle.
Everyone began taking a few steps back, murmuring to one another. I knelt, though, ignoring Coach and taking Nolan’s hand in mine. “I’m all right,” he said to me, squeezing my hand.
“Did you black out?” Coach asked.
Nolan nodded. “A little.”
“Before or after you fell?”
“Before, I think.”
“Did you hit your head?”
Nolan shook his head. “I just, I had some pain in my chest, and everything went black.”
Coach nodded. “I want you to sit this practice out.”
“All right, all right. He’s okay.” Nolan’s dad walked up to us. “A few too many late nights, right, Nolan?”
Nolan nodded. “Yes, sir.” He sat up while I kept hold on his hand, helping him. Nolan didn’t look at his father like he was afraid; he looked at him as if he was determined. “I’m fine.”
Coach shook his head. “You need adequate sleep, all right? We can't afford to lose you, but you have to take care of yourself.”
Nolan’s dad chuckled. “It’s what I tell him all the time. Your body’s a machine, gotta keep it oiled and give it the proper fuel. Are you good to keep going, Nolan?”
Coach shook his head. “No, not today. He can sit out or go to the nurse’s office and rest, but he’s not practicing.”
Nolan’s dad frowned. “Right, then.”
I could see Nolan’s heart racing, the artery on his neck bulging. “I’ll sit out,” he said. “I’ll be good on the bench for a bit.”
“Lachlan, Ethan, can you help him to the bench?” Coach said. “Bailey, back to practice.”
I stood up when Ethan and Lachlan took each of Nolan’s arms and helped him to his feet, walking him over to the benches.
Nolan’s dad shook his head. “Kids think they can party all weekend and bounce right back.” It was on the tip of my tongue to say something. To yell at him. To call him out. If I did, what punishment would I receive? How much would it hurt when I spoke out against this man? I hated the person I had been trained to be.
Coach wasn’t buying it, though. He turned to Nolan’s dad. “We talked about this when you signed him up. I train my players how I see fit. I don’t take well to parents stepping in. If you want to take over, then sign him up for a rep team.”
Coach didn’t wait for a reply. He turned around, blew his whistle, then started shouting commands with a bit more demand than he had before. Lachlan sat with Nolan for a few minutes until Coach called him back. We focused on the practice, but my eyes kept shifting back over to Nolan. His dad was gone, but Hadley and Katie were now sitting next to him.
Nolan’s eyes never left me.