I shrug. “I don’t know yet. I don’t think I like the way it makes me feel, but when I started, I couldn’t stop. So maybe I’m just a masochist.”
That earns me a chuckle. “Well, keep it up. See you in two weeks.”
Shayne
“Okay, ladies, we’re going to wrap it up with a drill some of you will remember well. It’s called Hyperventilate.”
A chorus of groans echoes throughout the gym because yes, it’s exactly as fun as it sounds. Which is to say not at all.
“So you do remember.” Coach laughs. “But it’s crucial for you girls to be aggressive. You can’t be afraid to hit the floor. Shayne,” he says, turning to look at me. “Up here.”
Relieved that I’m spared this round, I make my way toward the net, my Asics squeaking against the gym floor. I turn around, the net to my back, facing the rest of the team.
“Sarah and Taylor are going to help toss the balls. Since there’s six of you, I want you to pair off and take turns. Three at a time.”
The team splits up into three rows of two while Taylor and Sarah duck under the net, heading for the cart of volleyballs behind me.
“The objective is for you guys to work together to get ten good passes to Shayne. We’ll throw the balls, you pass them to Shayne, turn around and tag your partner’s hand, and then turn back around quick enough to pass again. It goes faster than you think, so be ready. Everyone clear?”
Everyone nods.
“All right, Shayne is going to count until she has ten good passes, then you’ll switch. If your pass sucks, it doesn’t count. It’s at her discretion.”
Coach blows the whistle, then he, Taylor, and our teammate Sarah are hurling balls over the net and the girls scramble to get there in time.
“One!” I shout, catching one before letting it fall to the floor.
It quickly turns to chaos, balls flying in every direction, the girls running and lunging to dig the ball.
“Two!”
“Come on, ladies. Get there, get there!” Coach shouts.
It seems to take forever to get to nine. I can tell the girls are out of breath from running back and forth. They’re losing steam, but finally, they manage to get the last one to me.
“Ten!” I shout, both hands gripping the ball in the air.
Coach blows the whistle, and I turn to face him just in time for a ball to hit the side of my face. Hard.
“What the hell?!” I know before looking that Taylor is responsible, and when I see her fake pout, I know I’m right.
“Oops. Sorry,” she says, dropping her head to the side in mock sympathy.
“I’m so sure you are,” I say, taking a step toward her. But Coach stops me, tugging the back of my tank top to keep me in place.
“Taylor, Shayne, hang back. Everyone else, go home.”
I roll my eyes, inspecting my nails while I wait for everyone else to file out. When just the three of us are left, Coach finally speaks up.
“You two were friends last year,” he says, waiting for one of us to fill him in.
“Things change,” I deadpan.
He looks back and forth between us. Taylor stands there, arms crossed over her chest, bitch face firmly in place.
“Is this going to be a problem?” he asks, a slight edge to his voice.
“No,” we answer in unison.
“Good. First game’s in two weeks,” he warns. “Get it together before then.”
“Fine,” Taylor relents.
“Fine.”
She turns on her heels and takes off for the locker room, but I grab my backpack and gym bag, heading straight for the student lot. I’ll shower and change once I get home. I’m sweaty, tired, and I have the overwhelming urge to introduce my fist to Taylor’s smug face, so it’s best for everyone if I leave now.
With my nose in my phone, reading a text from my mom about getting called in for a last-minute job, I’m not paying much attention to my surroundings. I use my free hand, distractedly fishing my keys out of my backpack, and when I look up, I stop short, seeing Thayer and Holden leaned up against my car, arms crossed over their chests.
My eyes roll, my head dropping to one shoulder. “Whatever this is,” I say, motioning between them, “I’m not in the mood for it today.”
Two sets of hard eyes bore into me, neither one responding.
“Okay…” I say, walking toward my car. Holden is against the hood and Thayer’s to his right, in front of the driver’s side door. I hit the unlock button on my keys, but when I reach for the handle, I’m scooped up and thrown over Thayer’s shoulder, my keys, bags, and phone falling to the pavement.
“What the hell are you doing?” I yelp, trying to get out of his hold, but he has one arm banded around my waist and the other around my thighs, making it impossible.
“Get her shit,” he orders before prowling away from my car. I lift my head, twisting around to see Holden’s black Range Rover parked on the other side of the parking lot.
“Put me down!” I kick my feet, trying to wiggle my way out of his hold, to no avail. Holden jogs in front of us and opens the back door before tossing my bags inside.
“Drive,” Thayer tells Holden, then dips his shoulder, shrugging me off into the back seat. I scramble onto my feet, trying to jump out, but then he’s climbing in the back with me, shutting the door behind him.
I scurry backwards to try the other door, but I hear the locks click into place. I unlock it manually, and when I pull on the handle, nothing happens. Thayer doesn’t react. He doesn’t try to stop me, doesn’t send me one of those smug smirks. Boredom shines in his eyes, as if he’s waiting for me to get it out of his system so he can proceed with…whatever his plan is.
“Really? Child locks?” I jiggle the handle hard enough that I think it might break off in my hand.
“If the shoe fits,” Holden says from the driver’s seat. He starts the car, throws it in drive, then peels out of the parking lot. I fall backwards at the sudden movement, hitting my head on the window.
“Ow!” I rub the back of my head, then situate myself, my back against the door, facing Thayer, with my right hand on the front passenger seat to steady myself. “What, the cockroaches and late-night stalking weren’t enough? You’re adding kidnapping to the list?”
“Calm down, drama queen. We just want to ask you some questions.”
“And you couldn’t do that without locking me in your car?” I try to steel my voice, hoping they can’t detect the uneasiness I feel. They won’t hurt me. This is Thayer. Although, I wouldn’t have guessed he’d end up hating me either, but here we are.
“What do you know about my brother?”
I cut my eyes toward Holden.
“Not him. My other brother.”
Danny.
“What kind of question is that?”
Thayer hits the headrest behind him with the side of his fist and I flinch, not expecting it. “Don’t play games with me, Shayne.”
“I don’t know anything!”
“Her phone’s locked,” Holden says, reaching back to hand said phone to Thayer over his shoulder.
Thayer takes it, punching in the password, giving me a look I can’t decode when it works. I roll my eyes and look away. I really need to change my password…for everything. I don’t know what he’s hoping to find, but I don’t put up a fight because I know he won’t find anything. I have nothing to hide, especially when it comes to Danny.