Chapter Eleven
It was unusually hot for early October in North Carolina.
The sun glared down on Marcee and her team as they sweated buckets on the field, running through conditioning drills again and again.
Every other set, she’d insert herself into the group, working next to her girls, earning every ounce of respect from them that she could.
Despite the heat, she loved the feeling of ending a workout so exhausted all you could do was collapse into a chair and be grateful for each breath. It was simple and straightforward, unlike anything else in the world.
She and Nicole stood on the sidelines, the latter with a clipboard and stack of paper she used to make extensive notes about each girl’s performance. Marcee was proud of her little pixie. She was going to make an amazing head coach one day.
“So, uh, Colby texted me this weekend.”
Marcee shot Nicole a startled glance. “Colby from camp? The soccer coach?”
“Yes, that Colby.”
She’d liked Colby quite a bit at camp, but she hadn’t even thought to get her number. Marcee was atrocious at initiating friendships, and the older she got, the harder it was to make new friends. Her therapist said it was a defense mechanism. Go figure.
“That’s cool. I didn’t know you guys stayed in touch.”
Nicole cleared her throat. “A little here and there. We kinda hit it off at camp, but I didn’t expect her to reach out afterward.”
“Wait”—Marcee interrupted, holding up a hand—“when you say hit it off, do you mean…” She wiggled her eyebrows, laughing when Nicole’s cheeks flushed.
“Well, she is beautiful and talented, but way out of my league.”
“Not even, Nic. You’re incredible. But what about Holly?
Haven’t you guys been hot and heavy?” Come to think of it, she hadn’t mentioned Holly much since the beginning of camp.
And Marcee hadn’t even asked. A trickle of guilt pitted in her stomach at the realization she’d been a self-centered friend.
After everything that happened in high school with Eli, she’d promised herself she’d always be there for her friends. Always.
“Not so much. It’s been casual, but a lot less seeing each other outside of school since classes started.” Nicole shrugged, lips pressing into a thin line.
“Ah, I see. That sucks, Nicole. I’m sorry I haven’t asked.” She blew out a gust of air, chest caving in. “I’ve been too wrapped up in whatever this is with Remy and the job. Not that it’s an excuse.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve got a lot on your plate.” Nicole tapped her pen against the clipboard a few times. “Anyway, Colby invited me to a music festival in Asheville this weekend. It’s one of those overnight camping things.”
“Very cool. I don’t do tents, but I wish you well! Could be sexy, all cuddled up in a sleeping bag together while someone plays a guitar nearby.”
Midfield, three of the girls paused, sucking in air. Marcee checked her stopwatch. It’d been five minutes since their last water break, so she yelled out, “Come on girls! No stopping! Don’t make me tack on extra laps at the end of practice!”
Nicole lifted her ballcap, wiped at her forehead, and placed it back on her head. “So, you think I should go?”
“Definitely. You’re young and fun and hell, if I had someone interested, I’d be all up in that sleeping bag in a hot second.
” An image of Remy sliding in next to her, thick thighs wrapping around her tanned legs until their bodies were hot and sweaty, weaseled its way into her brain.
Why couldn’t her mind just let it go already?
“I do like music.” Nicole paused, squinting at the field. “Oh great, someone’s not listening. Who is that?”
Marcee turned her attention back to the girls and sure enough, Cassidy Cope was bent over at midfield, blonde ponytail hanging in the air as she took shuddering breaths. A flicker of alarm sent a jolt of adrenaline through Marcee’s system.
“Cope! What’s wrong?”
She didn’t answer, so Marcee took a step forward and tried again. “Cassidy?”
Cope crumpled, landing in a heap on the green.
Marcee took off, sprinting to midfield and dropping to her knees as soon as she reached the girl, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
Lunch threatened to come back up at the sight of Cope’s washed-out skin and parted lips.
Stories of players collapsing from heat stroke and heart attacks volleyed through Marcee’s mind, and she honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so terrified.
Staring at Cassidy on the ground, she looked like a seventeen-year-old Marcee in the peak of her eating disorder, just before she blacked out on the field in the middle of a game and spent the next week in the hospital.
It was like seeing a ghost.
Marcee immediately checked for a pulse, her trembling hands struggling to find it. The beat was there, but not as strong as it should be for a seasoned athlete.
“Hannah, help me move her into the fieldhouse! You too, Harper. Giles, call nine-one-one!” The girls helped lift her and they trotted to the fieldhouse, Cope’s body braced between them as Nicole raced ahead to call for help.
The cool air was welcoming as soon as they made it through the doors and placed her on the floor.
“We need to prop her feet up. Harper, get her some towels. Hannah, cool water.” Marcee moved Cope’s hair from around her neck, trying to get her some air. “Cassidy, I need you to open your eyes.”
Please open your eyes.
“They’re sending an ambulance,” Nicole yelled from the office, voice scratchy.
Marcee had to get it under control. She was the adult; she had to take care of them.
“Call her parents, too!” Thoughts slammed against one another, bouncing around until she was dizzy with them. What else should she be doing?
God, please let her wake up.
Nicole returned from calling Cope’s parents and Marcee directed her to stack up the towels, aside from one, underneath Cope’s feet.
She took the last one, drizzled the water Hannah brought on it, and started wiping down Cope’s neck. As soon as the wet towel hit her skin, she groaned, and Marcee nearly sobbed with relief.
Awake. Cope was awake.
Her eyelids fluttered open, focusing on the faces hovering over her. “What the fuck?”
And there she was, folks. A choked laugh burst out of Marcee, barely disguising a sob.
Some of the weight lifted from her shoulders. Thank you, Lord. If she wasn’t holding Cope, she’d lean to the side and puke.
“You collapsed on the field. We’ve got you in the fieldhouse. Here, sit up. You need to drink some water.” Marcee helped her to a seated position and Nicole put a cup of water in her hand. The rest of the team by now were crowded around the door to the fieldhouse.
“How do you feel?” Nicole asked.
Cope shrugged weakly, took a sip of water, then another, before draining it. “Tired. Must be the heat.”
“Could be. We’ve got an ambulance coming to check you out regardless,” she told her. Right on cue, the shrill wail of sirens pierced the air, loud enough to make her ears ache, but it was a beautiful, welcome sound. “And we called your parents.”
Behind Cope, Hannah’s face pinched, the wrinkles deepening on her forehead as she looked at her friend. When Marcee met her eye, the player ducked her head and moved further behind the crowd, hiding.
Strange.
Marcee turned back to Cassidy, watching her closely. “You sure it’s the heat? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
Cope shoved the cup at Nicole and stood, swaying slightly. “No, I’m not sick. I’ll be fine.”
Yeah, right. Marcee didn’t believe her for a minute.
“Okay, ladies, that’s it for practice. Cope, you’re going to wait here so the EMT can take you to the hospital to get you checked out, then have your parents take you home for the rest of the day.
I want a doctor’s note stating you’re good to resume activities.
Otherwise, you aren’t stepping foot on my field.
” She knew something was wrong, and if she could see it, surely a trained medical professional would see it, too.
“Fine, but I’m going to put deodorant on first.” She pushed her way through the group toward the locker room and the other girls followed, peppering her with questions.
“Hannah, a minute, please.” Marcee adopted her serious voice, which was the only one she could use with the girls and have them look at her like an actual adult.
Inside, she was a mess.
“Yeah, Coach?”
Nicole picked up the towels but was listening all the same.
“You know the best way to be a friend sometimes is to look out for them, right?” she asked.
Hannah’s eyes darted around the room. “I guess so.”
“I mean, you wouldn’t want anything bad happening to one of your friends, right? Especially if it hurt them?”
When she only shrugged, Marcee let out an exasperated breath. “Do you know of anything else going on with Cope? Problems at home, or with her boyfriend? She’s not pregnant, is she?” God, the possibility didn’t even occur to her until she said it aloud.
“What? Of course not! She’s not like that.”
Marcee lowered her voice and tried a gentler approach. “I can’t fix something if I don’t know what’s broken.”
Hannah sucked in her bottom lip, wringing her hands behind her back. “Sometimes she skips meals, okay? That’s probably what happened today. I don’t think she’s eaten since lunch yesterday.”
Of all the things it could be…
Marcee dragged a hand through her hair, flashbacks of every meal she skipped or tossed into the trash untouched played in her mind like a montage. Her instincts were right, though. Cassidy was even more like her than she’d thought.
Shaking her head to dislodge all her own ghosts, Marcee reached out and squeezed Hannah’s arm. “Thanks, Hannah. I appreciate you telling me.”
“Don’t tell her I told you, though. Please.”
Nicole jumped in, reassuring her they’d keep it anonymous if they decided to act on it, and sent her to the locker rooms to shower and change.
“Well, what do we do?” Her assistant coach looked at Marcee expectantly, waiting for a plan.
I’m the adult.