Chapter 9
9
Bishop
It’s been over a week of me worrying about Anais’ behavior at the game last week. It seemed like it came on so suddenly that it gave me whiplash. One minute she’s chatting with Gabby and I, and the next she’s running out the door like Cinderella leaving the ball. Except instead of her shoe, Anais left her school bag, which was picked up the next day like she said. However, it wasn’t Anais who came to get it.
She sent her roommate and when I asked her how Anais was feeling, she said, “She’ll be fine. Thanks,” then snatched her backpack from my hands before rushing away without another word.
I sent her a couple of texts throughout the week, but they went unanswered. I thought about making another trip to the cafeteria to see if I could spot her, and even made it halfway there before deciding against it and returning to my office.
I figured that if she needed something she would find me, but she never did.
My phone dings and I look to see a text from Gabby letting me know that she is on her way to Dosie’s Doe, the bar where the country band she wanted to see is playing. We decided to meet there since she has a friend who was also meeting up with someone. I told her I would take her home because there wasn’t any way I was letting her be a third wheel to her friend’s date.
I reply letting her know that I’m leaving and will wait for her at the entrance since I’m closer to the bar than she is. I stick my phone in my back pocket and flip off the lights in my kitchen before trotting down the stairs and into the garage, where I fire up my truck and wind my way through downtown.
I lay a twenty on the bar to cover the two beers and a tip before walking back to where Gabby and her friends stand. They sway to the music that the band plays, Gabby on her own and her friend with her date. I step up and hold the beer out to her that she takes with a smile and a thank you.
The night has been nice. Good music –despite not being a country music fan– Gabby and I have made easy conversation, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her. She’s beautiful, funny, we have a lot of things in common, but for some reason I’m just not feeling things click with her in the way I know she would like them to.
I stay for some reason, but I know exactly what the reason is. My body may be present in this bar with this woman, but my mind is on someone else. I’m distracted with thoughts of where she is and who she might be with. Is she feeling okay? Are there any problems with school? Does she need anything?
The questions run rampant, disturbing my peace that existed not too long ago, but now ceases to exist ever since Anais walked into my life.
The crowd cheers when the song ends and I clap along with everyone else. The band announces they’re taking a break and music filters through the bars speakers.
“So what do you think?” Gabby asks, leaning in so I can hear her more clearly.
I take a pull of my beer and nod my head. “Not bad, for a country band,” I joke and wink at her.
She smiles and bites her lip before swigging her beer back. “I’m having a really great time, Bishop. Thanks for meeting me tonight.”
“Yeah. Me too. I’m glad we did this.”
“You know, if you don’t want to listen to this band anymore, we can leave. Maybe go somewhere we can talk. Maybe my place.” Her voice is somewhat timid as she looks up at me through her lashes.
I swallow, trying to find the right words to say. I don’t want to lead her on, but I don’t want to hurt her by turning her down. I lick my lips, giving myself a moment longer before deciding it’s best if I just tell her the truth.
“You know, I–” my words are stolen from me when my phone rings. “Sorry,” I tell her and pull it from my back pocket.
The caller id lights up with the name of my team captain, and I decide to ignore it, figuring he’s either narcing on someone or just wanting to bother me about practices. I send the call to voicemail and stick it back in my pocket. I don’t even get one word out when it rings again.
I sigh and pull my phone out again and see his name once more. I furrow my brow, worried that this could be more than just an annoyance.
“I’m sorry. This is one of my players. He doesn’t call late like this, so I better see if he’s okay. Excuse me,” I tell Gabby.
“Of course. No problem.” She waves me off with a smile, and I find a corner of the bar that seems to be the quietest spot.
I swipe at the screen and bring the phone to my ear. “Someone better fucking be on fire for you to be calling me while I’m on a date.”
“Coach. I’m sorry, but this is an emergency,” he spits out, the loud sounds of music and too many drunk college kids blasting in the background. “It’s Anais.”
My spine stiffens and I square up my shoulders. “What about Anais?”
“She’s here. At a party. And she’s really drunk. I’ve warned off the guys, but she’s another story. She, uh, she went upstairs with some guy but her friend followed after them.”
My teeth grind and rage builds in my gut. “Where are you?” I growl.
“Greenbriar and Main. You can’t miss it,” he tells me.
“I’m on my way. You tell any player you see that they have ten minutes to get their asses out of there, or anyone I find is getting benched for the first game.”
“Yes sir,” he replies.
“Except you. You stay,” I add then hang up the phone.
I walk over to where Gabby still stands and decide to fudge the truth a little on why I have to leave.
“Is everything all right?” she asks when I step up next to her.
I shake my head. “No. That was my captain. I guess there’s a problem with another player and I need to go take care of it. I’m sorry, Gabby. I really hate to do this to you.”
Her smile shakes and she blinks, forcing her eyes not to show how disappointed they are. “Oh. That’s too bad, but I understand. Are you going to be okay to drive?”
I think back to the number of drinks I’ve had and realize I’m only halfway through my second beer of the night. I’ve been taking it slow knowing that I was going to be driving Gabby home later.
“Yeah. Are you going to be okay getting home? I can call you after I handle things and come back for you if–”
“No no. Don’t be silly. Felice will take me home. I don’t think her date is going so well.” She nudges her chin to where her friend stands, and I see her with a bored look on her face and a closed off stance, completely ignoring her date.
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can grab a coffee sometime.”
The disappointment she was trying to keep at bay no longer stays hidden. “Sure. Sounds good.”
I lean in and give her a small kiss on the cheek. “‘Night, Gabby.”
“G’night, Bishop.” Her usually perky voice is solemn and quiet.
I turn and push my way through the crowd, stomping outside and to my truck, where I crank the engine with force and irritation.
I white knuckle the steering wheel all the way to the house party. I’m irritated at her carelessness of getting drunk at a party where college boys lose their ability to choose between right and wrong. It gives me flashbacks to the horror that Vaughan went through and that causes me to drive even faster.
My tires screech to a halt in front of a house where kids are spilling out, and I jump out, slamming my door and stalking up the walkway. Kids dive out of my way, clearing a path for the raging bull headed in their direction.
The door is already partially open, so I throw it the rest of the way and it slams against the wall.
“If there are any of my baseball players in this house, you have five goddamn minutes to get your ass out of this house and into your fucking bed!” My voice booms above all the chatter and music, and like a record screech, everyone freezes.
In the distance a door slams and I assume it’s a back door. Feet pound down the stairs, and a sophomore scurries past me, his head down and body slumped. I wait another moment and when I don’t hear any more movement, I make my way up the stairs in search of Anais.
I spot my captain and her roommate sitting on the floor, their backs to a closed door and I lose my motherfucking mind.
“Move!” I bark, and they scramble to their feet.
“We tried to get them to open the door, but they won’t budge,” he explains.
I stare him down then try to be civil, knocking and say, “Open the door. Now!”
No noise sounds. No rustling of clothes or soft taps of feet. The room is absolutely silent. My anger boils over and I have no regrets about what happens next.
I take two steps back, then lift my foot and slam my foot into the door swat style. The frame splinters and the door flies off its hinges. I search the dark room for signs of them but they’re not here. A light shines from underneath a door and I walk over, gripping the knob and turning it.
I push the door open and spot Anais bent over the toilet, some douchey prick hovering over her and holding her hair back.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I yell at him, and he jumps at the volume and bite of my voice.
“Sh-she’s sick and–”
“And what? You’re pissed because now you can’t take advantage of a drunk, defenseless girl?”
“No. It’s not like that,” he stutters.
“Bullshit. Get the fuck out of my sight before I break your goddamn neck.” He quickly drops her hair and rushes past me, his eyes full of fear.
I take three steps to where Anais kneels, her arms wrapped around the porcelain bowl and her head hunched over. I squat and brush her wild curls away from her face. Sweat lines her hairline, and the fine baby hairs stick to her clammy skin.
Even sick, she's still the most beautiful woman I've ever been up close to.
“Anais,” I say, my voice gentle. “Think you can stand up?”
She turns her head towards me and I see her eyes full of tears and glazed over from the alcohol. She nods and I grip her side, carefully helping her to her feet.
I walk her over to the sink and turn on the water. I cup my hand under the running stream and hold it up to her mouth. “Swish and spit, darling,” I tell her.
Her soft lips press against my hand as she draws the water into her mouth. Her cheeks fill up and I see them working the water around. She spits and I reach for a hand towel to dry her face before I think better of it .
I swipe the moisture away and tell her, “Wash your hands. They were on that toilet seat and I don’t know whose ass it belongs to.”
Once again, I turn on the faucet and pump some soap in her hands. Her movements are slow, so I take one of her hands in each of mine and help her, much like a parent assisting a child. We rinse and I use my shirt to dry them.
“Can you walk?” I ask and she teeters her head side to side.
I wrap my arm around her waist and steady her to take a few steps. They’re wobbly and her knees shake. So instead of watching her drunk walk her way through the house, I reach under her knees and scoop her up into my arms.
She rests her head on my chest, and in a small, scratchy voice says, “I’m sorry.”
I breathe deep and press a soft kiss to the top of her head. “It’s okay.”
I walk out of the room to find my captain, Wagner, and Keyara standing with nervous energy.
“I’m taking her home. Keyara, do you need me to take you to your dorm?”
She shakes her head rapidly. “No sir. We were planning to stay at Mindy and Alyx’s apartment.”
Her body trembles and I can tell she’s afraid of my reaction to all of this. I want to rage. I want to scream at her for being so careless and allowing Anais to get this drunk. But I save it all for another day because all that matters right now is getting Anais out of here so she can sleep it off.
“She’ll stay at my place. I have a guest room she can use. I’ll have her call you in the morning. Does she have her phone?”
“Yeah. Should be in her back pocket,” she tells me.
I dip my chin taking her word for it because I’m not about to let my hand wander to that area. If my fingers touch her firm ass, they’ll never want to let go.
I say goodbye to Wagner and thank him for calling me then ask, “How did you know to call me?”
When I stop to think about it, I realize that I never told him I knew her and I wasn’t even sure if the girl he spoke about in the locker room that one day was Anais.
“She, uh,” he looks nervously at Keyara who immediately drops her eyes to the floor. “She was talking about you.”
I’m shocked still and can’t think of one reply that will assure him that it’s not what it seems. I simply give him a curt nod then quickly make my way down the stairs and to my truck. I reach the door and stretch my fingers to grab hold of the handle. I slowly open the door and place her cautiously in the passenger seat, belting her in and helping her lay her head on the center console.
I jog to the other side and get in. The truck starts up and the radio startles Anais when it blares from the speakers. I tap the button on my steering wheel to silence it, and shift into drive.
We ride in silence until I’m out of the neighborhood. We come to a red light and I close my eyes, going over how I’m going to tell Nix about this, or even if I should tell him.
I look over at her resting face and see her eyes are heavy but open.
“Why did you do this, Ana?” I ask her.
She doesn’t move an inch, just says, “I just want you to love me as much as I love you.”
My heart stills and the heaviness I feel in my gut makes me want to throw myself out the door and take up the some position Anais was in just moments ago. I feel sick and guilty because if she only knew the truth, she’d see that I’m holding onto my sanity by a jagged nail. One twitch and I fall and land totally in love with her.