Page 65 of In Too Deep

“Caroline’s been disqualified.”

“What!” East cries.

“Why?” I ask as she cries harder into my shoulder.

“Her drug test came back with traces of Adrafinil.”

Shaking my head as I furrow my brows, I huff. “I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t take it,” Caro blurts out.

“Three more swimmers have been found with the stimulant in their systems, too,” Tuck adds.

East sags his body and shakes his head. “The drinks at the damn party…”

I gasp.

“Are you saying someone’s slipping banned substances to the opposition?” Tuck asks.

“Yes, Marta Botwright,” I say, rubbing up and down Caro’s arms.

“Okay, leave this with me. If I can find proof, I’ll have her wiped out.”

“What does this mean for Caro?” I ask.

Tuck huffs as Caro cries harder and moves from me to East. He pulls her into his arms, embracing her tightly.

“It means… unfortunately, she has a banned substance in her system. She’s removed from the relay team and…” he takes a deep breath, “… loses her gold medal.”

Gasping, I go weak in my knees.

Coby catches me as my eyes flood with tears. My heart tightens for my best friend, my housemate, my teammate, my family. I can’t even imagine going through all of this—to win, then to have it stripped because you drank some tainted soda. This is so far into the realm ofnot fairit’s not funny.

“Can I let you guys take care of her? I need to sort this out,” Tuck asks.

I nod.

East continues to hold onto Caro tightly.

“Yes, go Tuck and please… bring her down.”

“I’ll do my best.” He walks off.

I turn to Coby, who shakes his head.

East leans in, kissing Caro’s head. “C’mon, let’s get out of here and go to the lounge. I think I should tell your parents, Caro,” I suggest, and she signals agreement silently through her tears.

Pulling out my phone, I send a quick text to Trinny to meet us in the lounge, saying there’s been a development and Caro needs her family. We take Caro to the lounge, and by the time we arrive, her family’s already there. They see the mess Caro’s in, and East tells them what’s going on while I stand back with Coby holding me for support. I can’t stand to see this happening to her. And when the news gets out that she has drugs in her system and her medal is stripped, everyone will think she’s a drug cheat, and it will not only tarnish her but the Australian team name as well.

This is bad.

This is so bad.

Tears trickle down my face as I stand back, watching Trinny comfort Caro. Her brothers try to calm East down. This whole thing is crazy and ridiculous, and I can’t stop my head from spinning.

Coby grabs my hand and pulls me aside as the tears fall down my cheeks. He pulls me to him in an embrace, and I snuggle completely into him, needing the comfort right now.

“Are you okay?” Coby whispers.

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