Page 98 of Spin The Bottle
I nudge him, scooting closer so no one hears. “What happened with that guy you were seeing?” He glances around, but no one’s listening. It’s an honor knowing Carter trusts me with his biggest secret.
He shrugs. “We were just hooking up. We weren’t seeing each other.”
I shake my head, putting my cap on my head, letting out a scoff. “I don’t miss the hook ups I’ve got to say.” I’d been out of the game for a while before Leila came along. It just got… boring, repetitive, meaningless and I couldn’t do it anymore.
When I first came to Redfield, I knew nothing about girls. Absolutely nothing. I hadn’t even kissed one. And then I became captain and started winning games, and I earned respect around here, and a lot of attention from girls.
But I’ve never been as grateful to leave all of that behind in exchange for what I have with Leila. This sounds sappy as shit even thinking it, but I kind of wish I met her earlier. I wish I had held off on all the intimate stuff until I met her.
Because until her it was just a release, a quick escape that made me feel good. But with Leila? It was everything.
Carter laughs. “Of course you don’t,” he replies. “You can get laid whenever you want.”
“Are we talking about Pierce’s girl?” Ethan closes his locker, grinning when he turns around. “Not really my type, but she’s got huge tits.”
Jordan hits the back of his head again, making Ethan narrow his eyes at him. “What? It’s true.”
“Don’t talk about his girl like that,” Jordan replies.
I lift off the bench. “Do you have a problem with Leila?” I ask him.
Ethan laughs. “Who me? I don’t even know the girl.”
One of these guys does. One of them kissed her and slept with her and treated her like shit. I still don’t know who it could be.
“Then why do you keep bringing her up?”
He runs his tongue over his teeth. “Sorry,your highness, won’t happen again.”
The door opens when Coach peers his head through, curling his finger at me. “Pierce,” he says with a stern edge to his voice. His tone is cold, angry even. “Come with me.” Coach turns around without any further explanation, the door closing behind him.
“Going to suck him off, are you?” Ethan calls out. I narrow my eyes at him wondering what his deal is before I walk out of the locker room.
When I push through Coach’s office, he’s sat in his chair, hands intertwined in front of him, his face reserved of any emotion. What the hell is going on? “You wanted to see me?” I ask, closing the door behind me.
He blows out a breath, staring down at some piece of paper in front of him. “I don’t even know how to say this.” My brows knit together when I try to look down at the paper. I can’t read it from here, I have no idea what has him acting like this. When he lifts his head, the words that come out his mouth slice through me like a sharp blade. “You failed your drug test, son.”
My spine grows cold, goosebumps rising all over my skin. “What? That’s impossible.”
He presses two fingers against the piece of paper on the desk. “The tests don’t lie. You tested positive for Amphetamines.” My mind is running. How is this possible? “You know how bad using any drug, let alone a stimulant is, Aiden.”
“Sir.” My voice croaks and I shake my head, clearing my throat. “Coach, there has to be a mistake. I have never touched drugs.” I scratch the back of my neck. “My family… they don’t come from a good place.”Understatement of the year.“I knew to stay away from them. I don’t even drink,” I throw the last one in there hoping he believes me.
The shake in his head gives me some hope, maybe he’ll see it was a mistake. “I’ve got to say, it sounds a little unbelievable, but I can’t take your word for it when the tests came back positive.”
I don’t understand. “Is it possible anyone messed with the results?”
He seems to mull it over, running a hand over his overgrown beard. “I don’t think so.” Fuck. “The samples are sent to the lab to get tested.”
My palms itch. My head itches. Everything in my body screams at me. How the fuck did this happen? “What does this mean?” I force myself to ask.
“It means you’re suspended for the time being.”
“So, no game?”
He shakes his head. “You’re not even on the team as of right now.”
This is my worst nightmare. Basketball means everything to me. It was the only thing I had for so long, it’s my way out of a life like my family have. It’s the way that I make sure Leila is taken care of. It’s all I have. “What else am I supposed to do?”
