On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,79
to find Callum there too.
“Take a seat, son,” he said coolly.
“What’s up, Coach?”
“Want to tell me what the fuck happened Friday night?”
I smothered a groan. I should have known someone would spill the beans to him.
“Callum?” He pinned the quiet guy beside me with a hard look.
“It was a misunderstanding, Coach.”
“A misunderstanding?” His lip twisted with disapproval. “Zach, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“We were just goofing around, Coach. It got out of hand.”
“Goofing around he says.” Coach whipped off his Scorpion ball cap and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “Do you think I’m an idiot? You both come in here looking like you went ten rounds with Rocky Balboa and I’m supposed to what, turn a blind eye?” He scoffed. “Not gonna happen, ladies.”
“Coach, come on, we—”
“Save it, James. You need to get your shit in order, son, before you let it ruin your entire senior year. I know things are hard right now.” He leaned on his desk and steepled his fingers. “That’s why we need to band together, not pull apart.”
“It won’t happen again.”
“Damn right it won’t. I’m signing you both up to the youth project down at Next Steps.”
“Coach—” Callum started to protest.
“Save it, son, I already made the call. You report to Freya Jenkins tomorrow after classes. You do the crime, you pay the time.”
“It was nothing, Coach,” I protested, but he cut me with a hard glare.
“I expect better. You two got issues you need to iron out, do it behind the scenes where it doesn’t affect the team’s reputation. Now get out of my sight.” He waved us off with an irritated huff.
We both skulked out of there in thick silence.
“Listen, Callum, I—”
“Save it.” He flicked his eyes to mine, burning with contempt. I didn’t know if he was angry at himself, me, or both of us. But much like me, Callum was in a dark place. I wasn’t about to be the one to try to pull him out though, we weren’t those people to each other.
“Just do me a favor yeah and stay the hell away from me.” Callum barged past me but glanced back before he disappeared into the locker room.
“And stay the fuck away from my sister.”
Calli
“Calli, come on in.” Freya motioned for me to take a seat. “How are you? How was the training Sunday?”
“It was great. I’m excited to get started.” I needed the distraction. I needed to focus on something besides the gnawing pit in my stomach.
Zach knowing about my mom had changed things. He cared—that bastard tried to act like he cared, and it had completely thrown me for a loop.
“Well, we’re excited to have you. Do you want the good news or the good news?”
“The good news.” I released a tentative breath.
She clicked her fingers and pointed at me. “Right answer.”
I smiled.
“We’ve got a new girl coming into the project. Jasmine. A real hard ass if her file is anything to go by. But the kid has had a tough time of it lately. Bounced between her mother and father’s guardianship since she was eight. Poor school attendance. Her teachers report she has low self-esteem, lack of motivation, and displays a range of attention seeking behaviors.
“How old is she?”
“Fourteen. She’s in ninth grade.”
Oh boy.
She was a girl on the cusp of becoming a young woman, full of raging hormones and turbulent emotions.
“Are you sure I’m the right person to buddy with her?” Because now I was sitting here, I wasn’t so sure. What if she didn’t like me? Or didn’t engage with me?
“The fact you just asked that question is exactly why you’re the right person, Calli. Jasmine needs somebody who understands what it’s like. She doesn’t need another adult telling her to get her head screwed on straight.”
“Okay.” I nodded. Freya was right, I did know. More than she could possibly know.
“It’s open doors Tuesday. We have a bunch of activities out back for the kids to participate in. I thought it would be a good chance for you and Jasmine to get to know one another.”
“You want to start our sessions today?”
“No time like the present. Just trust your instincts. Coax don’t push. Listen, don’t over talk. A lot of kids just need stability and trust. Ready?”
My lips pressed into a tentative smile.
I guess we were about to find out.
“Calliope,” one of the center volunteers, a short woman called Maureen, said. “This is Jasmine. She’s excited to meet you.”