Chapter 10

10

Elite Group Chat

Jamie: Bros.

Jamie: Are we just not going to talk about this?

Max: This ain’t therapy.

Kruger: This is a safe place, bro. Share your feelings.

Prism: *peace sign emoji*

Wes: What’s up, bro?

Max: Why do you all encourage him?

Rory: You can share your feelings too, Max.

Max left the chat

Wes added Max to the chat

Ryan: What do you want to talk about, bro?

Jamie: UHHH the fact that Rush and Coach abandoned us for two days and then came back with Malibu Barbie.

Landry: They did not abandon us!

Win: WHAT

Max: WTF

Wes: Glad I added you back now, aren’t you, Maxi?

Max: Wesley Sinclair, did you know about this and not tell me?

Wes: We were busy.

Win: *barf emoji*

Kruger: Now ain’t the time to broadcast your sexual proclivities. This is a bro-mergency.

Arsen: Proclivities…?

Jamie: Kruger, you eat a thesaurus for breakfast, bro?

Max: Jess probably hit him upside the head with it.

Arsen: *laughing emoji* x3

Jess: I think I need a refresher. Who exactly is Malibu Barbie?

Rory: Rush’s old BFF from Cali. His actual name is Bodhi.

Jess: I don’t think I met him.

Arsen: Me neither.

Kruger: Consider yourselves lucky.

Madison: He was here briefly last semester.

Lars: It didn’t go very well.

Win: That’s an understatement. Is he really in town?

Ryan: Rush?

Rush: Yeah, Bodhi is in town.

Jamie: This is a safe space, bro. Please share more.

Prism: *peace emoji*

Kruger: Bro, if you ever had an original line, it would die of loneliness.

Prism: *sad face*

Kruger: Not you, P. Your emojis are like sprinkles to this bland conversation cupcake.

Max: Is there an intermission to this shitshow?

Lars: Maybe we should just give Rush a chance to explain.

Rush: Bodhi called me from jail.

Ryan: The same jail you were in?

Rush: Har-har, Walsh. I can barely contain my laughter. And no, it wasn’t the same jail. He was in a worse one.

Lars: Is he okay?

Win: No, angel. His life is as pleasant as he is.

Landry: It’s really sweet of you to ask, Lars. *heart emoji*

Madison: Especially after the way he treated you.

Arsen: He wasn’t nice to Lars?

Win: You got to be a bad bro to be mean to an angel.

Lars: He had his reasons.

Win: Shitty ones.

Ryan: Back on topic.

Rush: I flew out to Cali to see if I could help him out.

Landry: My dad went with him.

Jamie: Bro! You flew all the way to California with Coach… alone?

Kruger: Did he bring his whistle?

Wes: Pretty sure he doesn’t leave home without it. Ever.

Jamie: Probably showers with it. That’s an image no bro needs.

Landry: Yet you just gave it to all of us. *barf emoji*

Ryan: Get to the part where Bodhi ends up here.

Rush: He was looking at jail time, so my lawyer got him a deal.

Rory: What kind of deal?

Rush: The kind that makes him Elite.

Win: *wide-eye emoji*

Prism: *mind blown emoji*

Wes: Is this a joke?

Rush: The only bad jokes around here are from Jamie and Kruger. It’s the truth. It was Westbrook or prison, so yeah, he’s here.

Ryan: Coach is on board with this?

Rush: It was Coach’s idea.

Jamie: *shocked face emoji*

Lars: Coach gave Bodhi a spot on Elite?

Rush: Yeah, bro. Don’t worry, okay. I’ll make sure he stays away from you.

Win: That’s not your job.

Rush: *middle finger emoji*

Ryan: What did he do that this was his only way out?

…

…

Rush: He burned down a guest house.

Win: HE DID WHAT

Arsen: And now this guy is on Elite? Swimming with all of you?

Kruger: You can just say Prism, A. We know that’s who you’re worried about.

Prism: *bear emoji*

Wes: Why would Coach agree to this? Why would you, Rush?

Rush: … Honestly? I’m not really sure.

Jamie: Practice tomorrow just got a hell of a lot more interesting.