Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

MONSTER

The week flew by in a blur of practices, games, schoolwork, studying, and spending time with my amazing boyfriend, and before I know it, Saturday is here, and I’m on a bus with my teammates about to play our biggest rivals.

“I know the Rhinos haven’t always been respectful opponents, but I want you all to remember we are better than them,” Coach instructs us as we pull up the Rhinos’ campus. “I want you all to be on your best behavior and to not let what they say get to you.”

Coach isn’t wrong, but what he’s asking of us is easier said than done. The Rhinos are great at pushing buttons and I know they are going to be doing their best to rile us up tonight. They aren’t gracious losers, so they are going to be sore over their last loss to us which will most likely mean they are going to be even more vicious tonight than normal. And Donny has great ammunition to use against me now that he knows I’m dating his brother.

I just have to remember that I promised Finn that I wouldn’t let Donny provoke me. No matter what happens tonight, I will not fight him. I won’t get on the same level as him. Like Coach said, we are better than the Rhinos, and I know I’m a way better person than Donny Martin.

There is an anxious air in the locker room as we get changed and wait to play the Rhinos, hoping to beat them once again. Who knows what is going to happen tonight but it’s probably not going to be good, and it’s definitely not going to be a clean game, at least not from the Rhinos side. They only know how to play dirty.

Coach Jones hollers to get our attention before starting his pre-game pep talk, and I listen intently to every word, trying my hardest to get my head in the game.

I need our team to win tonight because the last thing that I want to happen is for Donny Martin to have the joy of victory. He doesn’t deserve it.

“Who’s ready to tan some Rhino ass?” Lex shouts as we head out to the ball diamond resulting in a roar from our teammates.

I smile at him and hold my fist out for a bump that he returns with a giant grin of his own.

“Let’s beat these fuckers,” he says to me, and I dip my chin in agreement.

I refuse to let the Rhinos win tonight. I will do everything in my power to make sure the Koalas bring home another W. We’ll prove to them we’re the better team and don’t have to resort to mind games and cheating in order to win.

This win is going to be for Finn.

When the ball flies in my direction, I swing my bat as hard as I can and start to run as soon as I send it soaring into the outfield. It was a good hit, but I can’t get past third base before the Rhinos get a hold of the ball, and I’m forced to wait for Lex to hit me home.

Of course, third base just happens to be Donny’s position, and I know he’s got a lot of things he wants to say to me.

“Oh look, it’s the loser who’s dating my useless brother,” he sneers at me, and I clench my jaw to stop myself from responding. “Did you hear what your fucking stunt did?” he asks me, but again I don’t respond. “Grandpa cut us out of his will thanks to you and my spineless piece of shit brother.”

I already know that Donny and his parents were cut out of the will, but I also know that his grandpa did that years ago and that it has nothing to do with what happened at the birthday party.

“Before you came along, everything was fine. Were you the one who convinced Grandpa to cut us out because I know Finn wouldn’t have the balls to do that,” Donny says. “That’s the only reason you’re with him, isn’t it?”

“I’m with your brother because he’s an amazing human, and I love him,” I tell Donny, finally having enough of his shit.

“Who the hell could love someone as pathetic as him?” he questions with a disgusted look on his face.

“Are you jealous?” I goad him, tilting my head to the side.

“Why the fuck would I be jealous?” he bites out, and I shrug.

“Why else would you constantly feel like knocking Finn down? I think you’re jealous that he was brave enough to be unapologetically himself. Maybe even jealous that he’s dating me before you got the chance to ask,” I add, knowing that the last line will send him over the ledge.

“Fuck you!” he shouts before pulling his fist back and punching me square in the jaw.

The blow causes me to lose my balance, and I quickly fall to the ground. I’m expecting Donny to jump on top of me and start landing more blows, but instead he pulls his leg back and kicks me in the head, causing the world to spin around me before everything goes black.

When I come to, I’m in an ambulance being rushed to a hospital, with an assistant coach by my side.

“What part of ‘don’t antagonize the Rhinos’ did you not get from Coach Jones' speech?” Jeremy asks, and I shrug, wincing a little from the movement.

Fuck, my head is throbbing, but I guess that’s to be expected when a douche canoe kicks you like he’s trying to score the winning goal in a soccer game.

“I wasn’t trying to antagonize Donny. I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer,” I reply.

“You better pray that he didn’t do any lasting damage, or you’re going to wish you were dead after Coach Jones chews you out,” Jeremy states, and I groan.

He isn’t wrong. Coach Jones is fantastic at reaming people out. Being on his bad side is the last thing anyone wants.

As soon as I arrive at the hospital, I’m rushed for a CT scan and then placed in a tiny room to wait for the results.

“Isiah Williams?” someone asks after knocking on my door and I turn to find two police officers entering the room.

“That would be me,” I tell them with a half-smile.

“We are here to take your report on the incident that happened at Heathcliff University this evening,” one of the officers states and I nod.

“I was on third base when Donny Martin started making horrible remarks about my boyfriend and myself. I did my best to bite my tongue, but eventually I had enough and told him off. I guess he didn’t like that because he punched me square in the jaw and then kicked me in the head the second I was down. That’s all I remember because I blacked out after that, but I do know that I never touched him. He attacked me and tried to cause as much damage as possible.”

The officer nods while making notes. “And would you like to press charges?” he asks, looking back at me.

“Absolutely,” I reply firmly.

The officer dips his chin and puts his notebook away.

“Thank you for your time. We will reach out if we need anything more,” he tells me before leaving with his partner.

I let my head rest against the pillow and let out a sigh of relief. I don’t know what kind of charges Donny will face, but I do know he won’t be able to play college baseball anymore. I won’t ever have to play against him and that’s a win in my books.

“Isiah Williams?” a doctor asks, knocking on my door and being followed in by Jeremy.

“That’s me,” I reply with a wave.

“I’ve got some good news for you. There doesn’t look to be any major damage, but you do have a mild concussion. You’ll need to rest and stay off all screens for about a week, longer if you are still experiencing symptoms like dizziness or sensitivity to light. But overall, things look pretty decent considering what happened. We’ll be able to get you discharged in a couple of hours, so for now, just rest,” the doctor says before leaving.

“I’ll let your family know what’s going on,” Jeremy says before walking back out to the hallway.

I let my eyes close while I wait for my family to show up.