Coach. Phoebe could let it slip. She could ruin Coach. Ruin the Wildcats.
She eyes the bulldog in the rearview mirror. He’s nervous. Panting. But still trusting. After all, they spent the night together. And as if to prove his faith in her, Buddy balances his front paws on the center console, leans forward, and licks her tears.
He knows she’d never.
Phoebe takes him home. Turns out she’s still a good teammate, even without a team.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
3:29 A.M.
COACH: Luci
COACH: What’s happening?
COACH: I want an update on Phoebe’s knee
LUCI: I don’t know anything.
COACH: THEN GO FIND OUT SOMETHING
LUCI: You’re putting me in a weird situation.
LUCI: And I’m almost out of battery.
COACH: Are you back at Mel’s?
LUCI: I think the plan is to go get food. Everyone’s pretty hungry.
COACH: WTF
COACH: I told Mel this night is over.
COACH: I want you to go up to Mel and tell her you want to go home.
COACH: Right fucking now.
COACH: Say that you know that’s what Coach would want.
COACH: He wouldn’t want us to lose sight of Oak Knolls.
COACH: That’s what really matters to him.
COACH: And so long as we show up ready to play, you know in your heart that I’ll give you girls the varsity jerseys.
COACH: Okay?
COACH: ???
COACH: LUCI
SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
3:35 A.M.
GRACE
Grace is one of the last players in a line of Wildcats shuffling quietly into the Waffle House. Out of respect, the girls hide their yawns as they pass Mel, holding the glass door open for them, instructing every few heads to “Order whatever you girls want, okay?” Mel seems determined to keep her voice cheery and upbeat, despite her visible weariness, what sounds to Grace like the beginnings of a sore throat taking hold, and … everything else.
Even though she’s putting one foot in front of the other, Grace’s mind is working backward, tracking the night all the way back to her idea that they should steal the Oak Knolls bulldog. Now Phoebe’s missing, along with the bulldog, and her team could be in some serious shit.
If only she’d kept her mouth shut. Her teammates were already pitching their own ideas for what they could do for the first stanza of the fight song. And yeah, maybe they were boring ideas, but they were also way less illegal. Grace had drowned them out. She’d wanted to impress everyone. Wanted her new teammates to think she was so cool.
As she nears Mel, Grace stares deferentially down at her sneakers.
If they don’t get the bulldog back before the Oak Knolls’ coach realizes he’s missing, it could spell big trouble for the Wildcats. Grace runs through the possibilities. The police could get involved. They certainly weren’t careful enough. Plenty of people have doorbell cameras these days. Mel’s pictures, texted straight to Coach’s phone. They could be arrested. Their season canceled. The twenty of them expelled from school.
All thanks to Grace.
Mel grabs Grace’s arm, stopping her cold. “Oh no! My wallet is in my car!” Mel helplessly looks out to the road for any sign of Phoebe. A traffic light clicks needlessly from red to green at a deserted intersection.
Grace, meanwhile, goes through the motions of patting herself down. Though she would do anything to help, it’s a pathetic charade, because it’s not like she’ll find any money in her bike shorts. “I’m sorry, Mel.”
Mel closes her eyes and rubs her face with her hands as if washing it. She’s starting to unravel. That it’s taken this long for even a crack to show strikes Grace as proof of Mel’s leadership skills and devotion to getting them through this night, though Mel would certainly take no consolation in her assessment.
Ali sidles up to them and leans against the railing. “I got you, Mel.” She unzips a small pink leather pouch attached to her key ring and passes Mel a credit card.
“Thanks,” Mel tells her.
The Waffle House is normally packed on weekend nights. Grace has come a few times with her brother and his friends after tagging along to one of his shows and seen kids from her high school file in drunk and ready to carb load. But it’s completely dead at this time of night. Just a few random men eating their meals in silence and a single waitress leaning forward against the counter, watching a show on her phone.
The girls head toward the very back and commandeer several tables. A few use the bathroom. The rest drop into seats and pass out menus, rubbing their eyes in order to see clearly.
Grace takes a seat across