Happy Monday!

I walked into the empty locker room with my head held low Monday morning, hoping that no one would remember the tears shed on Friday night. Those events still swam around my mind like a fish in a glass jar, not allowed to leave.

The actions of Everett were unforgettable. Why was Everett so mean? He was the one that convinced me to come. I thought he wanted me to be there, but I came to the realization that it was because he just wanted to show the team he was better than even the coach's daughter. Everett was like a mountain, standing taller than everyone else and no one would be as tall as him, ever.

"You're as quiet as a sinner in church Nojo, what's up?" Dad asked as he unlocked his office, breaking me from my thoughts.

I shook my head as I forced a smile his way. He would not know about what happened on Friday. I would never tell him. This was just another thing Dad would stress about, and he had enough on his plate. Everett needed to be delt with carefully. He was the best person on the team, everyone knew that if they wanted to make it to the championship games, they needed Everett. Telling Dad about Everett wouldn't solve anything, it would just make everything more complicated. "Nothing."

"Ok, fine then, don't tell your old man. What do I know about the world, anyhow?"

I frowned at him. "It's not like that, it's just, I'm not feeling great. Period stuff."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh, say no more. I can have you file my paperwork today. You can stay here in the office all day long if you want."

I smiled. I always knew period conversations would get him quiet, but I never thought it would get me off the field too. "That would be great," I said as I walked into the office behind him.

Dad went behind his desk and pulled out a stack of papers that looked to be over a foot thick. He laid them out, causing them to fall on the desk with a soft thump. "Can you look through this and circle all the dates and toss any duplicates?"

I nodded as I took a seat in a chair. "I can do that."

He smiled. "Great. Well, I'll see you later or come to me if you finish this."

"Will do," I stated, although I hoped he would come to be before I had to find him.

He nodded then gave one last look around the room, then left without another word.

In the silence of the empty office, I worked on the stack of practices and game plans that were old and faded.

________________

After who knows how long, I finally finished. Feeling accomplished, I looked at the time on my phone and saw it only took me two hours complete. I was hoping it took longer because Dad would not be back for another hour or so. I sighed in frustration, knowing I would have to brave showing my face to find him.

Quietly, I slipped out of dad's office and walked down the hall, listening to every sound, hoping I would hear the team before they appeared. The halls were quiet, which allowed me to push deeper into the Woody. Before long, I found myself looking through a crack in the doors, watching Dad talk to the team about drills as they stood on the practice field.

No one noticed as I stared at them. Instead, they all looked intently at Dad as he moved his feet around in a ballet like manner. It made me remember a time when I did ballet and Dad took lessons with me. He said he enjoyed it, but I think he was just trying to do something together. I hadn't done ballet in years, but the way he moved his feet made me wonder if he still took lessons.

The team dispersed from Dad and ran to the other side of the field, allowing me to a window to get closer. With a deep breath, I walked onto the stadium just as Dad ran further from me as he followed some players.

Panic hit me like a bucket of ice water. My breath caught in my throat as he ran farther for me. My eyes darted around for a place of refuge from prying eyes. Quickly, I made contact with the plastic, foldable drink table. Without wasting a moment, I crawled underneath it, hoping I could stay here until Dad came closer.

Minutes passed as I tapped my fingers on my thigh, waiting. The longer I waited, the more anxiety consumed me, like a burning bonfire on a summer night.

I saw Tad's shoes approach the drink table. He stood there for a moment, then got on his hands and knees to grin at me. "Hey. Like the view down there?" Tad asked.

"SSSSHhhh," I hushed him as I looked around, making sure no one saw my hiding spot.

Without saying anything, Tad crawled under the table beside me. He looked out through the gaps in tablecloth silence before turning to me. "You know, you can't hide forever."

A pit formed in my stomach instantly, knowing this was true. I just didn't want to admit it. Instead, I wanted to hide until everyone forgot.

Just as I was starting to feel like I was part of a team, this happened. No player would view me the same. Going to that party screwed everything up. "Do you think the whole team knows what happened on Friday?"

He shrugged. "Probably not."

"But there's a chance."

"Of course, there's always a chance. But listen, that's not the point. I heard someone was drugging the girls drinks that night. One person even landed in the ER, so, I don't think they want to talk about how coach's daughter was there. I think most people want to move on from that night."

My mouth fell open as the hair on my arms stood up straight. I couldn't believe my ears. "What?" I heard of stories like this on the news, but never did I think I would go to such a place.

He nodded. "Keely, my friend on the cheer team, confirmed it this morning. Not many people are going to talk about Friday and if they did, I think you would be the last thing they discuss."

I felt sick to my stomach even though I dodged a bullet. "Do they know who did it?"

Tad shook his head. "Have no clue and honestly, they won't find out. This happened last year, too."

"By the teammate that got kicked off the team?"

Tad shrugged. "Maybe. Anyhow, I get it, parties aren't for you. I just thought it would be fun, and I was wrong. I'm sorry I dragged you to it."

His apology was kind, but I couldn't focus on his words. "Do you know the team member that got kicked off the team?"

Tad frowned as he looked around, as if he wasn't allowed to speak his name.

"What is he? Voldemort?" I chuckled, although it wasn't a laughing matter.

"No, Voldemort is better than he is. Charles was seriously the worse person I had ever met."

Charles. The way Tad said it sounded ominous and threatening. "Charles doesn't go to school here anymore, does he?"

Tad shook his head. "No, but he's still around since he's from Columbus. And the fact is, people still love him despite what he's done. He was the best player OSU had seen in years and people only care about that."

I frowned, knowing how people around here thought about football. They didn't care about anything except the game. As long as the team won, the players could get away with anything. It made my stomach tie into knots.

"Nojo, what are you doing down here? I thought I saw your feet," Dad said as he crouched underneath the table with a smile as he looked at Tad and I.

Was my hiding spot really that poor? "I lost my whistle and Tad was helping me look for it," I lied.

"Aw man, Tad, you're such a team player. I really don't know what I would do without you. Thank you."

"Sure thing," Tad said as he got out from under the table. "I'll talk to you later, Nora. Hope you find that whistle of yours."

I nodded as I got out from under the table as well. "I organized all the papers, is there anything else you need me to do?"

He thought about it for a moment as a few players passed, not making eye contact with me. Maybe Tad was right about the drama. Maybe I was old news.

"Nah, can't think of anything right now. I'm just going to have the team watch some old plays then I'm calling it a day."

"Is it cool if I just hang out in the office, then?"

Dad nodded as his attention turned to another player. "Now, Steve, what was that? Your footwork was as slow as a turtle in the middle of the road. Please try that again."

In the distraction, I slipped off the field, walking back into Dad's office to pass the time.

_____________________

What felt like eons later Dad came in with a smile as he normally did. "Ready to get out of here?"

I nodded as I stood up from the chair I spun on. "Please."

"Ok, I have to lock things up, why don't you meet me in the hall. I'll only be a minute."

"See you out there," I said, hoping it was empty out there and safe to show my face and avoid stragglers.

"Listen, I want to apologize for how things played out on Friday," Everett said, as he rounded a conner, trapping me.

I froze in mid-step as my mouth instantly dried. A pit formed in my stomach as my hands got clammy. He was the last person I wanted to see in this hallway.

He leaned against the wall, casually as if he wasn't actually sorry. It made my blood boil. He made me look like a child at the party and his apology wasn't good enough to amend the damage.

"You made me look like an idiot. Do you like to belittle everyone around you?"

He frowned as he pushed off the wall, walking closer to me. "That's not what I meant to happen."

"Then tell me what it was," I demanded as I looked up at him.

"That drink Rick gave you was drugged. I saw him add white powder to it like he did with other drinks he gave to girls. I couldn't let that happen to you."

That statement made me feel uneasy as my stomach turned into knots. I had more of a relationship with Rick than many other players. I didn't think Rick would do such a thing. Everett had to be wrong. "So, you let him get away with drugging other drinks?"

He shook his head. "There's a reason he isn't here today."

I shut my mouth.

"Nora, Rick isn't a good guy. You should stay away."

"Because you're any better?" I retorted.

He nodded as he stood a little straighter. "I am."

I rolled my eyes as I threw my hands in the air in frustration. I had enough of his high horse personality. He was not a good guy, and he couldn't convince me otherwise.

"Listen, you might think those men are your friends, but they're not. They're sharks and they will swarm if they smell blood."

"I have a hard time believing you when you look like the bully. I've noticed they're afraid of you."

"They are afraid of me because I have the power to kick them off the team, just like I did with Charles."

My eyebrows rose, not expecting that response. And there it was. More information about this player. How did Everett kick Charles off the team? It would make sense why others were afraid of him.

Taking a deep breath and finding bravery deep inside, I took a step closer to him. "You think you can scare me. You think you can boss me around like the rest of the team? You're wrong."

His face remained unchanging as he stared back at me.

"Oh, there you are Nora! Let's get out of here!" Dad's voice rang out, breaking me from our moment.

I stared at Everett for a second longer, trying to get my point across before turning to Dad. "Sure thing. Let's get out of here."

"Have a good evening, Everett," Dad said with a wave. "Good job out there in practice."

Everett nodded. "Thanks. Have a good one too, coach."

As we walked away from him, dad smiled at me. "Looks like you're getting close to the team. That's exciting."

I nodded. Although I didn't feel any closer. This team was riddled with secrets that maybe I would never understand. Maybe this was why dad didn't want me to date any of them, because he knew their secrets. "Yeah, they're one of a kind."

"I know they are."