Chapter 25 #2
“It was during a freshman stunt.” Robbie’s voice tried to be casual, but there was an edge underneath it. “Well, mine was to hide in a locker in the boys’ locker room for fifteen minutes without getting caught.”
“Which locker were you in?” Jack asked.
“Third row from the door, about halfway down.” Robbie's hands fidgeted with the strap of his glove. “The one with the dent in the door. You can't miss it. Um… number 34.”
Jack made a mental note. “Okay. And what did you see?”
Robbie launched into the story, and despite his nervousness, his natural storytelling ability kicked in.
He described squeezing into the locker, the smell of old gym socks and mildew, and the way the slats cut his view into narrow strips.
He said he'd been counting down the minutes on his phone when he saw the varsity wrestler sit down on the bench.
“I couldn't see his face, but he had on the new wrestling shoes,” Robbie said, his words coming faster now.
“The varsity all got those nice shoes in our school colors. All I cared about was him leaving before my time was up so that I could get out of there. And then this guy walked over. Had his hoodie up, back to me the whole time.”
“What did they say?” Jack kept his tone gentle, encouraging.
“The wrestler asked if they were supplements, and the guy said yeah. That they were better than what he’d been taking.” Robbie added, “Said they would help. The guy said they were legal. But he also said to keep quiet because not everyone would get them. Only the ones who could take them to state.”
Beside him, Ben shifted uncomfortably. His face had gone even paler, and he looked like he might throw up right there in the dugout. Carson sat perfectly still, his hands clenched into fists on his knees, his jaw so tight Jack could see the muscle jumping.
“Then what happened?” Jack asked.
Robbie's eyes widened slightly as the memory came back to him.
“The student must have been nervous or something, because he dropped the pills. I heard them hit the floor… a bunch of them. The guy started cursing and called the kid clumsy. They both dropped down to pick them up, and the guy was like, really pissed.”
“You didn’t tell us that,” Carson said, his head swiveling around to look at Robbie.
Robbie shrugged. “I didn’t think about it at the time.”
“Could you see them? Either the people or the pills?” Jack's pulse kicked up.
“Not really. I couldn't see them down there from where I was. The bench was in the way, and with the locker slats...” Robbie shook his head. “But I heard them scrambling around, picking them up off the floor.”
“Did you see what they looked like before they dropped them?”
Robbie's brow furrowed in concentration. “The guy had pulled them out of a baggie that was in his jacket. They were yellow. Oval. Kind of pale yellow, you know? Not bright or anything.”
Jack felt something cold settle in his stomach.
Oval pale-yellow pills. That description could match a lot of things, but combined with the secrecy, the way they were transported in a baggie, the promise of improved performance, and the anger when they were dropped…
it all painted a picture Jack didn't like at all.
“Anything else you remember?” Jack asked. “Any other details? Did the guy say anything else?”
Robbie shook his head slowly. “No. After they picked up the pills, they left pretty quick. The guy was still pissed, but he kept his voice down.”
Jack turned his attention to Ben, who looked like he wanted to disappear into the concrete bench. “Ben? Is there anything you want to add?”
Ben's throat worked as he swallowed hard. “Robbie told me and Carson about it after. That's all I know. I wasn't there.”
“But it bothered you,” Jack said gently. “Hearing about it.”
Ben nodded miserably. “Yeah. It just... it didn't sound right, you know? The way Robbie described it. If it was really supplements and everything was legal, why would the guy want no one to know?”
“That's a good question,” Jack said. He looked at Carson, who hadn't said a word since they sat down. “Carson? Anything you want to add?”
Carson's jaw worked for a long moment before he spoke. “It scared me,” he said quietly. His voice was steady but tight with emotion. “Hearing about it. Because what if it wasn't supplements? What if it was something bad, and one of those kids gets hurt because we didn't say anything?”
Jack felt his chest tighten. This was the weight Carson had been carrying. Not just the knowledge of what Robbie had seen but also the responsibility of knowing and the fear of what might happen if they stayed silent.
“You did the right thing,” Jack said, meeting each of their eyes in turn. “All three of you. By telling me, you did exactly what you were supposed to do.”
“Are we going to get in trouble?” Ben asked, his voice small.