Chapter Twenty-Seven

Darius

She keeps avoiding me!

It’s now Wednesday and I am tired of her one or two word replies so I skipped out on training early and wait outside the studio she practices in with her dance team. I check my watch, it’s six o’clock so she’ll be out any second. The doors open and dancers pile out. I spot her, Cody and Katie laughing as they jog down the stairs. I step out from the shadows right into their path, making them slam to a stop and Leah’s eyes widen at the sight of me. We stand here silently for a minute just staring at each other, but then the sound of her nasally voice shatters our moment as she slides up beside me. Leah pulls her gaze from me to glare at Carrie as she clings to my arm.

“Hey handsome, I missed you.” I don’t take my eyes off Leah, waiting to see what she’ll do. Will she finally stake her claim and continue to let her friend fawn all over me.

“He didn’t miss you,” Leah growls. My eyes widen in surprise when she steps forward leaving a sliver of space between us, yanks me free from Courtney’s clutches and places my hand on her ass! I stand frozen, waiting to see what she does next. “The next time you think you can touch him, I’ll make sure you don’t stick the landing on your next turn out.” Her mouth gapes open at Leah’s threat.

“Have my sloppy seconds then, bitch.” Leah grips the back of my neck and pulls my face down to hers and kisses me. I grip her waist with my other hand and grip her ass tighter. I try to deepen the kiss, horny as fuck but she pulls back and smiles at Callie.

“He was never yours, Chelsea.” That’s her fucking name! “Just so we are clear, we all know he never fucked you no matter how much you sucked his cock. He just couldn’t get hard for you.” She better have a fucking good point to this because announcing my performance issue to a crowd is not fucking cool! “Want to know why?” She doesn’t give her a chance to answer. “He just used you to try and make me jealous.” Chelsea burns red with rage.

“You’re nothing. He’s slept with half the school and he’ll be knocking on my door the second he’s over you.” Leah chuckles.

“Oh, but babes, you never forget your first love.” She doesn’t wait for a reply as she grips my hand and leads me away. Katie and Cody stay back laughing and cheering for their friend and the smack down she just laid on the bitch. She doesn’t stop walking until we’re standing out front of her dorm building. She releases my hand and takes a step back. Confused as fuck at her sudden change in attitude I ask.

“You literally just cocked your leg and pissed on me marking your territory not five minutes ago and now you can’t get further away from me. What the fuck is going on, Goldie?” She drops her chin to her chest and scuffs the toe of her shoe along the ground. “Look at me, Leah!” I snap. Her gaze lifts to mine and I see anguish in her green eyes.

“I love you, Darius. I have since I was a kid and I probably will for the rest of my life.” I open my mouth to speak but she shakes her head forcing me to wait until she is finished. “I’m so sorry for what I have done, I wish I could take it all back and never transfer here and land you in my shit, but I can’t and now you are going to pay the price.” Tears streak down her cheeks as I stand here confused as fuck. “Please forgive me because I can’t stand the thought of you hating me for the rest of our lives. Just know, I didn’t have a choice.” Too stunned I stand here and watch as she races inside her building sobbing like her fucking heart just got broken.

What the fuck just happened?

“Darius!” I spin around to see Saint and Beck running toward me with angry looks on their faces.

“What the fuck happened?” I demand when they come to a stop in front of me.

“Dude, we have to go. Coach just called an emergency meeting.” Fuck, I follow after them deciding to give Leah some time before I break through that fucking door and demand answers. I’m tired of waiting!

“Bullshit!” I shout.

“I’m sorry, son, you tested positive for narcotics.” I stand here brimming with rage and shock, there is no fucking way I could test positive.

“Coach, you know Darius has never touched any of that shit!” Corvin jumps to my defense, Beckett, Saint and Crue all voice their agreement. When the guys said meeting I thought they meant with the whole team, instead it’s just the five of us, Coach and the two assistant coaches in his office.

“I know, Corvin, which is why I have asked for the urine sample to be re tested but–” I slam my eyes knowing what he is going to say next. “We won’t have the results back in time for him to take the field. I’m sorry, son, but you’re benched for the game against the Dolphins until we can sort this out.” I block out everything else as I stand here spiraling. I’ve never touched any type of drug, not even weed for the fear of becoming an addict like my mom! I’ve busted my ass to get ready for this final season, what if I never get to take the field again? Corv leads me from the room. I’m too numb to even think of speaking. I get in the car acting on autopilot.

When Corvin pulls into the driveway, no one makes a move to get out. My mind is reeling with possibilities as to how this could have fucking happened. Yeah, I’ve had a couple beers but I haven’t done any fucking thing else!

“We’re down a halfback and tight end,” I snap my gaze up to meet Corvin’s in the rearview mirror.

“What?” I grit out.

“I tested positive as well.” I turn to the side and look at Saint who looks fucking crushed.

“How the fuck did this happen?” I roar. I may not be as good as Saint, Corv and Crue but I fucking love the game. When I had nothing I knew I could always count on football and now that has been ripped away from me.

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out, I swear it.” Beckett’s words don’t bring me any comfort. I get out of the car and slam the fucking door as I storm inside the house. I head straight for my room and that’s when I let all the anger out. I start smashing shit and throwing it around my room. Why can’t I ever have one thing, one fucking good thing in my life? Corvin comes crashing into my room and wraps his arms around me from behind so I’ll stop destroying everything.

“I got you, D. We all got you, brother.” I’m breathing so fucking hard I can hear the blood rushing in my ears.

“I didn’t fucking do it, Corvin.”

“I know you didn’t, D. Someone fucked with us and we are going to find out who it is and end them.”

“I broke my vow,” I whisper. He spins me around to face him and wraps me in a hug.

“You didn’t break shit, brother,” he says in a pained voice. I vowed the night I moved in with Corv that I would never touch any type of drug, it is the one cardinal rule that I live by. I stand here hugging my best friend trying to think of how this happened, when I start to think about how I haven’t been able to sleep, can’t sit still for long and have been spending more time than usual in the gym just to try and curb the edge off how I have been feeling.

Holy fuck!

I pull back and stare at Corvin, his eyes widen when he sees the look on my face. “I know who drugged us.”

“Who?”

“Your sister.” He stumbles back a step, shaking his head.

“Nah, man. Leah would never do that, are you out of your mind?” he yells. I spy the other three standing in the doorway but keep my focus on Corvin. Leah’s words to me tonight make sense now, she doesn’t want me to hate her because she knew what she had fucking done to me!

“It was her, Corvin,” I yell.

“Fuck you, I know your angry but–”

I cut him off. “Pull your head out of your ass, Corvin, you even said yourself she’s been acting strange and something is up with her. Leah fucking did this to us.”

“Where’s your proof?” he snaps.

“I’ll get your fucking proof for you and when I do, I never want your sister near this house or near me again. As far as I’m concerned, Leah is dead to me.”