Page 34 of Enemy Crush
“You know, Quinn,” Brayden chipped in, confirming it.
“Quinn didn’t make the team? But I’ve seen her out running. I thought she was in training.”
Abby shook her head. “Nah. Coach didn’t select her. Which was strange because she was one of the best at tryouts.”
“What?” I said. “Why wouldn’t you include the best players in the team?”
“Um, I don’t think Livvy and some of the others wanted her in the team,” Abby said.
“Why not?”
“You know, ‘prep school princess,’” Abby said, gesturing with air quotes. “She arrived in a Brizendine soccer shirt at first practice.”
“Ha! That’s not exactly cool,” Brayden said with a laugh.
“Yeah, but not a reason not to make the cut,” I said, the edge in my voice surprising me, and definitely surprising Brayden.
“Oooh, I know you guys are neighbors but I didn’t know you cared about her so deeply,” he teased.
I made a humph sound and glowered at him. It made no sense that I was defending her. “I’ve hardly spoken two words to her,” I said, “but it doesn’t seem fair just because she comes from Brizendine.”
“And now I think some of the girls are thinking the same thing,” Abby said. “After Middleton thrashed us, Emma and Jess were asking why she didn’t make the team. And even Livvy was frustrated.”
“So Livvy was livid,” Brayden joked, but then he got serious. “Come to think of it, Quinn never came to lunch all week.”
“Anyone going to the Owls away game?” I asked, desperate to change the subject. I’d noticed Quinn hadn’t been in the cafeteria too, but never queried it. Probably hanging out with Ronan King. Now that I no longer took the bus, Health and Nutrition class was the only place I’d seen her and somehow Ash had managed to sit between us this week.
I finished my soda and headed home. My bike rattled as I rode, making me suspect I’d loosened something when I fell. It annoyed me so much that by the time I got to the corner of Ambrose Lane, I jumped off and pushed it, hoping to see if I could identify the culprit. More than likely a loose bolt somewhere.
But it wasn’t just my bike that had me seething. It was Quinn not making the soccer team and kids being mean to her because she came from Brizendine. That was despicable. And yet—I’d ignored the bullying on the bus, turned a blind eye as if it was no concern of mine. I was no better, in fact, that made me worse. Because I’d seen the effects of bullying on my own brother, knewhow sad and withdrawn he became—and I’d done nothing to stop it.
I could see the Fisher twins on their driveway washing their father’s car, so I put my head down, not particularly wanting to make eye contact.
“Hey, Miller!”
I looked up in feigned shock as if I hadn’t seen them and lifted my hand in a half-hearted wave. Shutting off the hose and jogging over, I recognized Chloe leading the way, Cassie wearing a cap, close behind.
“Hi,” I said.
“Hey, how’s Mason?”
“Mason?” I shrugged at her unexpected question. “Uh...fine?”
Chloe breathed out a sigh of relief and looked at her sister. “Ah, that’s good.”
But I had a feeling she wasn’t referring to his general health. “What do you mean?”
“Yesterday. He didn’t tell you?” Chloe’s gray eyes widened.
“Tell me what? What happened yesterday?” I barked, already triggered that this couldn’t be good. Neither of the Fisher twins were the type to speak for the sake of small talk.
“Um, a couple of kids were bullying Mason. They’ve been—”
My heart thundered in my chest as a flush of heat seared across my face. I gripped the handlebars tighter, rage exploding in a roar, “What? When?”
Chloe shuddered, retreating a step closer to Cassie. “On the bus. Since you stopped riding it.”
“What are they doing?”
