Page 61 of Catch Me

I want to rip her a new one. Tell her what Oscar looked like in the hospital. Tell her he’s out the rest of this season because of her actions, but I know yelling at her about these things won’t do any good. She literally has no moral compass. Reid said before she got it from her parents, which is crazy. Parents are supposed to teach their children what’s right and wrong, not the other way around.

“I bet you hated him,” she says, toying with Reid. “He took your spot after all.”

“The only thing that annoyed me about Oscar was him hitting on my girl. Seems I’m not the only one who prefers Briar over you.”

Sasha’s eyes narrow dangerously. I really don’t like the look in her eyes, but that doesn’t keep me from smiling at what Reid’s said.

“You didn’t answer my question. Why do you care if Reid is quarterback? I doubt you have another one to take his place.”

“I don’t give a fuck who takes his place,” she snarls. “I just want him gone.” She breathes for a few seconds and smooths her voice out. It’s literally like she composed herself in a span of a few seconds. She looks at Reid. “It’s not fair you’re coming back under false pretenses.”

“But it’s fair that you took me out?”

Her lips tip up. “What happened to you was an accident. Anyone saying otherwise is delusional. If Eli’s the one who told you this falsehood about me, he was just jealous that I chose Oscar over him. It’s sad you got caught up in his revenge, Reid. You used to be so much smarter.”

Cade crosses his arms over his chest. “Are you going to tell us why you brought us over here or not?”

She winks at him. Disgusting. Like hell Cade would touch her after what she’s done. That’s just sad.

“I just came to give my ex-boyfriend a friendly warning. I know the note’s forged, and I’m prepared to tell Coach about it. I doubt you’ll be playing in the next game, which is a shame since I hear scouts from Warner’s will be there. That’s still your dream school, right? It would be so sad if you didn’t get this figured out by then.”

Reid’s muscles bunch. He breathes heavily out his nose, but instead of giving into her, he turns, kisses me on the temple, and says, “Thanks for letting me know.”

We start to walk away, but Sasha stops us with a cat-like hiss. “Reid, you better fucking take this seriously because I will do it.”

“And just how would you know this information, Sasha?” Reid asks, spinning around. “Are you fucking my doctor?”

She moves forward, hand raised like she’s going to slap him, but Lex easily plucks her wrist from the air and moves it down to her side while she fights against him the whole time. “You asshole.”

He shrugs. “I’m just wondering how you know my medical information. Seems odd, doesn’t it? We’ll see who does what with what,” he says, then he turns, taking my hand again as we walk into school.

My mind starts running with every possible scenario.

“Shit. Do you think Warner’s scouts are really going to be at the next game?” Cade asks when he comes up behind us.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Reid says. “Her father is in the habit of knowing just about everyone and everything. It’s possible he found out the scouts are coming.”

“Take it to Coach,” Lex says. “Hell, I’ll take it to Coach. I’ll ask him if the scouts are going to be there or if Sasha’s just trying to get at you.”

“Either way,” I speak up. “We have to believe that she’s going to tell Coach Reid’s not cleared to compete. Whether the scouts are there or not, he’ll have to take him off the team again.”

Reid squeezes my hand. “It’ll be fine.”

He stares down at me, but his facial expression, his eyes, and his words are all saying different things. He’s worried. Sasha’s just that stupid to do something when she knows we have something on her. I guess it’s go down but go down swinging. If her parents are as powerful as they say, maybe she’s not worried about the repercussions. She’ll play the victim. The evidence we got is good, but it’s her word against Eli’s, and I know Sasha is one hell of a liar. In fact, she’s banking on it. It’ll be just like when she catfished me and spread around the picture of my breast. She’ll get a slap on the wrist, and that’s it.

I can’t let her do that again. Not to Reid.

26

I’ve been doing way better at school. My grades are back up to where they were before Brady was taken away from us too early. But for the next few days as Friday night’s game looms in front of us, I haven’t been able to think about anything other than what Sasha’s going to do to Reid, and how I have to figure out a way to stop it.

Reid’s back in denial mode. He doesn’t think she’ll do what she says she’s going to do, but I see the way she looks at him in the hallway and in the lunchroom. She’s looking at him as if she’s the predator, and he’s the prey. She truly thinks she’s unstoppable. No matter how many times I try to bring it up to Reid, he tells me it’ll be fine and that he doesn’t want me involved in any of it.

That same day Sasha threatened him, though, Coach pulled Reid and the guys aside and confirmed the fact the Warner’s scouts are going to be there for the next game. To me, that brings more credence to what she told us in front of the school. Reid’s been the opposite. He’s been completely distracted by football ever since, but I’m so afraid he’s preparing to smash this one game and he won’t even have the opportunity to play. Aside from following her around and making sure she never gets an audience with Coach or anyone else important, I don’t know what to do.

Actually, that’s a lie. I have an idea. I just think it’s crazy and that I won’t be able to pull it off.

So, when Friday rolls around, I sit on the edge of my bed dressed for school and chew on my thumb knuckle, staring down at my phone. I pick it up and go to the text thread Reid and I have. I close my eyes. I have to talk myself into doing this. I know Reid would do the same thing for me, but I’m about to threaten an adult, a doctor no less, so I’d be worried if I didn’t have a little apprehension.Don’t come pick me up. Jules is going to. She needs some girl time with me. We might be late.

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