Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1) (22 page)

“Oooh, please do, skank. I would love to see you fall again.”

“Come on, man,” Mark said to Aaron. “Let’s go. We’re late to meet Coach.” Mark gave me an I’m-sorry look.

Grace played with her ponytail as she stood there not saying a word. I glared at her, and she dropped her chocolate-brown gaze. Odd. Usually, she wasn’t easily intimidated. At least, not since I’d met her.

I pivoted on my heel.

“Where are you going?” Tammy sing-songed in a snarky tone. “You don’t like our company? Oh, I know, you prefer your shrink’s instead.”

Ice flooded my veins as I clutched the metal door handle so hard that pain radiated up my arm. Daylight turned to nighttime as though a black cloud covered the sun. A hissing sound exploded in my head. I couldn’t tell if the lawn mower had gotten closer, or my brain was erupting.

Tammy’s laughter broke through the haze. I sprang into the air like a lion about to catch her prey. My backpack dropped from my shoulder as I tackled Tammy to the ground. We rolled around as she kicked violently until I pinned her in place.

Grace screamed.

“Lacey, stop,” Mark said as he yanked at my jacket.

She squirmed under me until her body broke free and she pushed. I fell off her, my head bouncing on the edge of the grass.
Oh, no. My concussion. What the heck was I thinking
? Her arm shot out. A large hand grasped her by the wrist.

“What’s going on here?” Coach Dean asked. He must’ve run up from the sports complex. His lips flattened. His eyes narrowed.

All the blood drained from me—relief and fear mingling together.

“Aaron. Mark. Get your butts back to class,” Coach Dean ordered. “We’ll talk later. Grace, you too. Get back to class.”

The three of them hesitated for a split second before scurrying into the school.

Coach extended his hand. I took it, holding my head in one hand as he helped me up. I winced. My head suddenly hurt, even though the whirring noise was gone.
Stupid. Stupid
. Completely dumb of me to have lashed out at Tammy with a concussion.

“Now, let’s go see Principal Sanders,” he said in a tone that permitted no argument. “Or do you need to see the nurse first, Lacey?” He gentled his voice.

“What?” Tammy all but shrieked. “You’re being nice to
her
? Maybe
I
need to see the nurse. She did punch me.” She ran a hand through her messy hair.

“Ms. Reese, clam it. You’ve caused enough trouble in your time here,” Coach snapped. “When any new girl comes into this school, you feel it’s your duty to belittle them.”

“I’m good, Coach,” I said as I brushed the dirt off my jeans before retrieving my backpack. All I needed was to get the hell out of here.
You’re regressing. Continual anger will not move you toward your goal of baseball.

“Let’s go then,” Coach said.

Tammy and I walked into the school as the bell rang. Doors swung open, students spilled from classrooms and voices filled the halls.

“Keep walking,” Coach commanded.

Stares and glares were pinned on us as kids stopped in their tracks to let us by. Maybe since Tammy had grass in her hair and a scowl on her face. Plus Coach walked between us like he was our bodyguard. It was as though the red carpet had been rolled out for us at a Hollywood premier. Rounding a corner, we came face to face with Kade.

“What’s going on?” he asked, swinging his gaze from me to Coach.

“Nothing.” This wasn’t the time to explain the situation to him.

Kids were leaning against their lockers, ogling.

“Bullshit. You beat the crap out of me,” Tammy whined. “Why are you dating her? She sees a shrink.”

I stifled a gasp.
How did she know
?

Kade narrowed his eyes, glaring daggers at Tammy as a muscle ticked along his jaw. “What are you talking about?” he asked, furious.

“Haven’t you heard the good news?” she taunted. “Your girlfriend is cuckoo.” She twirled her forefinger around her temple.

Whispers zipped through hall. I cringed, digging my nails into my palms. My worst nightmare, come true. Adrenaline powered through my body as I pressed my fists into my legs.
Don’t show them it’s true
.
The more you show something bothers you, the more bullies will pounce.
I rolled my shoulders back, unclenching my fists.

“Yeah. Who told you that?” His voice dropped as anger flared off him.

“Kade, you need to get to class,” Coach said.

“Answer the question, Tammy.” Kade ignored Coach and stepped closer to her.

Yesterday, I’d doubted Kade until I’d learned he lied for me when people asked how I was doing. Plus by the time he left my house last night, any distrust I had about him was gone.
So how did Tammy find out
? Kody was the only other person who knew I saw a shrink.

“Kade, please. You can’t like her,” she whined.

“That’s enough, Kade. Girls, move,” Coach ordered.

Students darted into classrooms. The warning bell rang.

“Can I have a word with Lacey?” Kade asked Coach.

“No,” he said emphatically. “You can talk to her later.”

“Go,” I urged Kade. “I’ll meet you at lunch.” There was no need for him to get into trouble.

Snatching his phone from his back pocket, he stalked off. We walked into the admin office, bypassing Barb, who was sitting behind the counter engrossed in her computer screen.

Coach stuck his head into Ms. Sander’s office. “Got a minute?” he asked.

“Sure, Coach,” she said.

“In, both of you.” He nodded to Tammy and me.

We shuffled over the threshold as though we’d both lost our motor skills. Maybe it was the onset of a headache causing me to slow my pace.

“What’s this all about?” Principal Sanders rose from her chair, surprise etched on her pretty face.

“Go.” Coach urged, lightly touching my back.

I moved closer to the polished desk. Reluctantly, Tammy followed.

Coach proceeded to explain how he’d found us fighting outside. Tammy and I didn’t say a word. When Coach finished, the principal circled her desk, heels clicking on the tile floor. Crossing her arms over her chest, she took our measure with her silvery eyes.

“So, Ms. Reese,” she said. “How many times are you going to be in my office this year?” One manicured eyebrow arched up.

Tammy stared straight ahead, mouth not moving.

“I gave you one too many strikes last year.” The other eyebrow lifted. “But I’m not going to be as gracious this time. This is strike one for you, Ms. Reese. Two more and you’ll be expelled. I am not tolerating any of this I-own-this-school attitude from you, young lady. Are we clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tammy said evenly, not meeting her gaze.

“Good. Get back to class,” the principal ordered.

Tammy made haste, sneering at me as she left the room.

“Now, Ms. Robinson.” She dropped her arms, palms on her desk. “We had this conversation only two weeks ago about behaving. Did we not?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I said as my eyes met hers.

“I know firsthand that a death of a loved one can be hard, but you can’t walk into this school rebelling, the way you did at your last.”

My eyes widened
. How did she know? Did Dad tell her during their conversation on the first day
?

“Yes, young lady. I’ve spoken to the principal of Crestview.”

Why was she checking up on me? Did schools do that for all new kids? Did the whole school know about my past? What else did she know
?

“I’ll give you a first warning. Three strikes. That’s it. Oh, and if you make the team, I will leave your punishment for Coach Dean. Understood?”

Did all schools have the three-strike rule
? Back at Crestview I’d been given three chances, too, only I’d used all my strikes for the same reason I was standing in her office now. “Yes, ma’am.”
Was her threat supposed to scare me? If so, it worked
. I wasn’t excited about the possibility of Coach doling out punishments—primarily because he would be instrumental in talking to the scouts of ASU if I made the team.

“Lacey, we’ll talk next week,” Coach added. “Remember what I told you earlier. Rest and relax this weekend.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re dismissed,” the principal said.

Turning, I hotfooted it out of her office. I’d already missed English, and I was late for chemistry. I stopped at the counter. Barb, the admin assistant, had her red hair twisted up on her head with a pencil through it.

She looked up from her computer screen. “Do you need a pass?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m late for Chemistry.”

She tore off a piece of paper from a small notepad much like the prescription pads doctors use. She scribbled on it, stood, circled around her desk, and handed it to me.

I left the admin office for the quiet halls to the science wing. The walls above the lockers had good luck signs for the football game tonight. One read,
Beat Lancaster Christian tonight
. Before I walked into chemistry, I peeked through the window. Ms. Clare, tall and athletic, wrote on the whiteboard while the class wrote in their notebooks. I thought of all the reasons why I didn’t want to go in. Grace was one reason. I didn’t want to deal with her. I also wasn’t looking forward to any glares or whispers from the rest of the class, not to mention that I didn’t trust myself not to let my anger get to me
. I had one strike with Principal Sanders
.

As I kept reasoning with myself, I spotted Kody inside. His hair toppled over his forehead. As he ran his hand through it, he looked up and at me. Then he angled his head
. Was he the one who tattled my secret
? I refused to believe it.
Why would he
? He was seeing Dr. Davis, too. A body blocked my view of Kody. I blinked, refocusing to find Ms. Clare at the door. I rolled my shoulders back, opened the door, and handed her the note. I fixed on Kody, who was also my lab partner, and strode to my desk like I owned the world. As soon as I sat down, Ms. Clare resumed writing on the whiteboard.

Kody leaned in. “What’s wrong?” he asked in a hushed whisper.

“Later.” I took out my notebook and pen from my backpack.

Ms. Clare was charting the differences between chemical and physical properties. My attention didn’t waver from my notebook or the board the entire class. I would’ve searched out Becca for a lifeline, but she had a doctor’s appointment this morning. Aside from her or Kade, I felt unprotected, even with Kody next to me, and Tyler and Kelton behind me.

Thirty minutes later, the bell rang. I packed my things. I was about to dart out when Kody stretched out his hand in front of me, his bicep showing under the short-sleeved gray T-shirt he wore with a guitar on the front.

“Wait. Is something wrong?” he asked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Kelton heading over from the back of the room.

“I’d rather not talk about it right now.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder.

“Talk about what?” Kelton asked, blue eyes appraising me.

I grabbed my hair in both hands, gathered it together and swept it to the front so my hair fell over my shoulders. “I’ll talk to you guys later. I’m going to be late.” I skirted around the benches.

“Kody, is she okay?” Kelton asked.

I didn’t wait to hear what Kody said. I merged into student traffic. This was my free period. Since Becca wasn’t here, I decided to forgo the courtyard for the library. I found a quiet spot at a table in the very back next to the history section. A few students milled around, searching shelves, while others had their noses buried in books. I slipped into a chair, folding my arms on the table. I was about to drop my head when Kade loped over, oozing confidence as though he could battle the world—a stark difference from when he’d sat on my hospital bed looking defeated. He could probably fight anyone and always rise the victor.

“How did you find me?” I asked in a library voice—soft and low.

“I have ways,” he drawled as a dimple emerged. He folded his six-foot frame into a chair.

I rolled my tired eyes, and the room tilted. Yeah, that little head bounce on the ground didn’t help with my mild concussion, or my stupidity for even fighting with Tammy.

“You okay?” He lugged his chair closer, his hands sliding along my thighs.

“Yeah, just a headache.”

“So, what happened?” Kade whispered.

“Tammy was being a jerk, and so was Aaron. He asked if I was going to pass out again during the second round. I ignored him. Then as I turned to leave, Tammy piped in and asked if I preferred to hang out with my shrink instead of them. I attacked. How do you think she found out that I was seeing Dr. Davis? Only you and Kody know.”

“Not sure, baby. I know my brother wouldn’t spread news around like that. I’d put my life on it. But I’m going to find out.”

“Does it really matter now? The cat is out of the bag.”

“If it bothers you, then yes.”

“It does bother me. But what would you do if you found that person? You couldn’t get them to retract their statement. How do you take back a rumor, even if the rumor is true? It was inevitable.” My goal now was to ensure that I didn’t have another flashback on the field, in school, or anywhere. “Do you think Tammy stole my gear?”

He lifted a shoulder. “It could be anyone. Let Coach get to the bottom of it.”

The more I thought about Tammy and Aaron, the more I became convinced they both had the spite to do it.
But how could I prove it? I might never be able to
. No, but I could take precautions to make sure no one got hold of my gear.

“Thank you, Kade.” I laid my hand on top of his.

“For what?”

“For worrying about me.” I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

But quick turned into long, slow, and wet when he took control of my mouth. I didn’t bother pushing him away even though we were in school. When our mouths parted, my body trembled with the need for more of him.

A cheerleader gawked as she sat down at the empty table next to us.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

“Yes, but I can’t. I just got my butt handed to me by the principal, with a warning. I need to toe the line, especially with tryouts still looming.” I had to be a good girl. I had to learn restraint. Otherwise I wasn’t going to make it through my senior year or baseball, let alone my potential scholarship with ASU.

“Do you want to go to the football game tonight?” he asked.

“Are you asking me out on a date?” I whispered.

“Dates with me lead to guilty pleasures. So if you want it to be a date then…” He brushed his lips along my jaw while his hands dipped between my legs.