Page 79 of The Breakaway

"Why does this feel like the beginning of a horror movie?" I asked.

Rob glanced over his shoulder. "At least it’s not the climax."

That word sent a shiver through me.Boyfriend. Logan.I hammered that into my head. He was going to be home in two weeks.

We walked farther into the dark with only the emergency lights glowing at equal intervals along the hall. “You have to admit, this would be a perfect place to?—”

Rob turned sharply to face me, his expression shifting from sarcastic amusement to something more sincere. More intense. “To what?”

I swallowed hard. “To murder me.” My breath caught, and I felt my skin prickle beneath my jacket. "I was kidding.”

His jaw flexed. "Hurting you isn’t a joke to me."

I couldn't move. My limbs were frozen in place as I stared into his eyes. His skin was darker than Logan's, and in the dim light, he looked like a sculpture, shadows drawing out the lines of his cheekbones, the curve of his bottom lip.

My mouth went dry. "I think it’s easier to joke about it than accept that it could happen." Rob knew better than most since he’d come to my rescue in the square.

“I would never hurt you.”

"I know."

He stood still for a moment, then nodded once. “Good.”

Rob led me into the room at the end of the hall. "Janitorial perks," he said, pushing the door open.

He flicked on the light, and I was hit with sensory overload. The room was packed to the brim with junk. Not just any junk, though. It was like a graveyard of university history. Costumes, banners, float pieces, and decorations from events past.

I stepped inside, accosted by the smell of old fabric, paint, and dust.

The first thing that caught my attention was a mangy mascot costume. It looked like it used to be a bear, but now it was more of a sad, matted rug. The head was propped up on a shelf, its eyes staring blankly at me. "Wow. Not creepy at all.”

Rob grinned. "We used that for a prank once. On one of our coaches."

“Okay, speaking of coaches, who’s the new guy?”

He thought for a moment. “Coach Wilson?”

“Is that his name?” I moved past the nightmare bear and saw a piece of a float that had clearly seen better days. It was painted to look like a giant slice of pizza, but the colours were faded, andthere were chunks of foam missing. "Please tell me that was for a parade and not some weird engineering project."

Rob shook his head. "I have no idea." He lifted an old sign and inspected the lettering.

“So Coach Wilson, what’s his job?” I tried to be nonchalant even though I was dying to get something juicy for Maddie. We’d seen him a few times during the invitational, but she still hadn’t gathered the courage to talk to him.

“Defence. But mostly compliance.”

I frowned. “Like academics?”

Logan nodded. “A lot of guys are failing.”

“Hmm. Is he married?”

Rob raised an eyebrow. “Why, you interested?”

I scoffed. “No, I just wondered if he had a family here. If he’d be sticking around.”

I unrolled what looked like an old concert poster. It was from a musical production put on by the university's drama department. The edges were tattered, and the signatures from the cast were faded, but I could still make out a few names.

“He hasn’t mentioned anyone, but it’s not like I interview my coaches about their relationship status.”

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