Page 25 of The Locker Room

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It was Xander"s turn to flush, and he found he couldn"t answer.

There was a terribly awkward silence over the coach"s office then, and

Xander found himself counting the number of celebrity “Got Milk?”

posters on the walls. He"d gotten to eleven, and was trying to figure out

who the cute (male) tennis player was, when Coach cleared his throat

and apparently stared down the weak link in their little chain of two.

“Got anything to add to that whole lot of nothing, Edwards?”

Xander turned his head back in time to see Christian flush

helplessly. “Xander"s story, Coach.”

“Yeah? You been sneaking him food from your parents" table,

seems like maybe it"s your story too, you think?”

“That"s the only story you need to know from me, Coach. Can we

go now? Xander needs to eat before he goes to work.”

22

Amy Lane

Coach"s eyes narrowed, and Chris worked hard to keep his

expressive, angel"s face straight. “Where you work, Xander?”

It seemed to be an innocuous question, so Xander and Chris

exchanged glances and Xander answered. “Walmart. I do truck.”

Coach pinched the bridge of his nose then. “Aren"t you fifteen?

Walmart doesn"t take you unless you"re eighteen.”

Xander made a little helpless sound, and Christian let out a sigh,

and Coach tried one more time.

“Okay, boys. Edwards is going to sit down, Xander"s going to eat

another power bar—”

“But, Coach, they make my stomach icky!”

“Xander"s going to eat my sandwich and yogurt leftover from

lunch, and we"re going to start from the top, and if either of you ever

wants to play for me again, you had better clear out the smell of bullshit

in this room with some sweet-smelling truth, you boys hear me?”

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