Page 1 of The Fake
1
Nathan
“Of all the asinine,stupid, foolish, goddamn selfish, ridiculous…” Coach’s tirade continues as he stands and faces the wall behind him, muttering his expletives in that staccato fashion that he slips into when he’s really, truly good and pissed. My heart punches my chest, matching the rhythm.
I glance to my buddy Wes, who stands with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall to my left, hoping for some solidarity among friends, but he’s in hardcore assistant coach mode and his expression is as angry as Coach Daniels’.
Their disappointment sits heavy on my shoulders, and I switch my gaze to the floor. How did it come to this? The answer isn’t simple, but it’s not all that complicated either.
A knock at the door brings my eyes up. Matt, another of the four assistant coaches, waits for Coach Daniels to turn around before he gives him a thumbs up signaling that my drug test was clean, which I already knew and swore to the fact an hour ago when Coach called me into his office, but it’s a relief anyway. One less disappointment to the man who’s been like a father to me since I arrived at Valley U.
Matt walks away and Coach lets out a long breath and takes a seat back in his creaky desk chair. He runs a hand over his clean-shaven jaw. It’s a few weeks before the season starts, and he still has that hopeful, optimistic look in his eye and fresh, put-together appearance… or he did.
“I’m not going to ask you any questions because it doesn’t matter and frankly, the wrong answer could put you in a whole heap more trouble.” He picks up the open textbook where my pills and weed are stashed inside a cutout in the middle of the pages. He snaps the book shut and tosses it to Wes. “Flush those, would you? And destroy the book.” He mutters a few more remarks about how goddamn stupid I am before he adds, “I need a few more minutes with Nathan.”
Wes offers a tight smile as he nods to Coach and steps out, shutting the door behind him.
“By the look on Wes’ face, I’m guessing your teammates weren’t aware of this any more than I was?”
“No—”
He holds his hand up for me to stop speaking. “Please don’t say anything. If you tell me those drugs are yours, then I have to call the athletic director and maybe the police.” He pins me with a hard gaze. “You get how serious this is?”
This time, I keep my mouth shut.
“I don’t understand why you’d risk it all with something like this. You’re a bright kid, Nathan, well-liked, and a huge asset to this team. Now, I know basketball is probably the last thing on your mind right now, but we’re going to need you this year. Losing Zeke, Wes, and Malone all to graduation leaves us with a lot of re-building to do. I’m hoping you want to be a part of that.”
I think he wants me to answer this time, but my throat feels like I swallowed cotton. At the risk of my voice croaking like a twelve-year-old boy, I nod firmly. He’s wrong about basketball not being on my mind—it’s theonlything on my mind. I cannot lose my scholarship. Without it, there’s no way I can pay for school or stay in Valley.
Even with it, I’ve only survived thanks to my friends looking out for me. Joel stocks our pantry with food I know he doesn’t even like, and Wes is always covering me at the bar and giving me his old textbooks to sell for cash. The one coach just handed him was one of his own. Ain’t that some shit. My friends mean well, and they try to play it off like it’s nothing, but every handout chips away a little more at the normalcy of my life.
“Good.” He leans back in his chair. “Until further notice, I want you to report in with Coach Matt every week for testing.”
“But—”
He holds up a hand, and I fall silent.
“Weekly drug testing until I’m convinced today’s negative result wasn’t a fluke, and...”
Here it comes. I brace myself for the suspension I’m sure is coming.Goodbye, Valley.
“I’m making you co-captain.” His jaw flexes.
Mine hits the floor, and my heart sputters. Excitement, confusion, dread—I run through the gamut as his words sink in. I’d been uncertain about making captain before, unsure I even wanted the responsibility. The moment I walked through the door and saw my stash on his desk, that uncertainty went up in smoke. And surprisingly, I’d been sad about it. Being named captain is a huge honor that’s only put on the best and brightest on the team. I’ve proven time and again that I’m not either of those, but I guess a part of me still strives for it.
“Why would you do that?”
He smiles for the first time today. “Because it’s the best way I know to teach you some responsibility.” The expression on his face quickly falls back to anger. “This isn’t athree strikes and you’re outsituation, Nathan. Next time, I’ll be forced to take much more extreme measures that won’t be good for you or the team. You hear me?”
I nod and try to swallow but my mouth is so dry.
“Do you hear me?” he asks again more sternly.
“Yes, sir.”
When Coach dismisses me, I shuffle out of his office on shaky legs and collapse in the chair in front of my open locker. The contents, mostly dirty clothes and toiletries, lie on the floor scattered around my feet.
What a shit-tastic start to the week. It’s the final week before classes start, and I was pumped to enjoy the last days of summer getting back into the swing of things before the campus, including Ray Fieldhouse, is overrun with students.
