Page 91 of Chasing Headlines
A series of loud, dull thumps and thuds. Then Coach Schorr shouted. “I don't want him in my program. He's not allowed to set foot in this locker room, do you hear me? And that goes double for the other one. Shit! Fuck!”
Eberhardt stood, wedged in the doorway. “Hank, calm down. He's already gone.”
“Which one, Jeffrey?”
“Both of them.”
Crack, thud thump thud. “God damned idiots!”
“Go on, Liv.” Eberhardt moved aside as Milline passed by. The door closed behind her.
She didn't look my way as she clutched the bag over her shoulder and left the locker room. I wondered what Schorr told her. I wondered what Cathy was worried about.
“She had your back, 'mano,” Jimenez said a little too close to my ear. I jerked away. “You should at least thank her.”
“Why?” I moved to my locker, now that it was administrative-asshole-free. “I didn't do anything wrong.”
“Seriously? You think those clowns would've figured that shit out? They were ready to yank your plate and send you packing.”
I seethed through clenched teeth. “Fucker stole my phone while I was icing my hamstring.”
“Yeah, he's a real mamagüevo.”
I blinked, ran through the limited Spanish I knew. Nope. Nada.
“Bottom line, though? That greasy dude's data showed you were the cheating pendejo. Bad move, right?”
“Yeah,” I said with a sigh. This guy was never going to shut up was he?
“Don’t mess with the guy with the Reporter Chica on his side.” He laughed. “She had him figuredout.”
“Will you at least keep your voice down?”
“Bro, she and Cat made the whole lot of them—Latske, that mamón, Lan.” He spit at the ground. “Fuckin careverga. And that amemao Reyes. They all looked like chumps, man.”
“You should thank your girlfriend, Coop.” Fendleman leaned against the locker next to mine. “Heard Eberhardt say she saved the whole athletic department a lot of embarrassment.”
“And she’s hot. You should thank her every day for that.” Dereks put his palms together and mouthed: 'thank you' at the ceiling.
“Probably saved your life, too.” Kinsley smirked.
“She’s not his girlfriend.” Meyers’s drawl grated on my nerves like an entire alley full of cats dragging nails across a chalkboard. While someone recorded it. And played it on repeat.
“She sure as hell ain’t dating you.” Jimenez pointed finger guns at Meyers and chuckled.
“Not yet, but, she’ll come around.” A sly grin slid across his mouth. “I gotta good feeling.”
“Yeah, if it’s in your cup, brah. We’ve all had thatgood feeling.” Dereks laughed and slapped Kinsley a high five.
“Especially when she runs around in those shorts.” Fendleman raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Right Coop?”
Meyers’s complexion darkened. And I had to admit, my insides felt like his face looked. He snarled something at Dereks as he walked away.
“That one's feral. Wonder what crawled up his ass.”
Jimenez gave him a deadpan look. “Tú si ere aqueroso, nadie te preguntó.”
“Leave her alone.” I grumbled. I shot a dark glare at Fendleman, looking him straight in the eye. “You're lowering the bar. Like a—” I spit at the floor. “Carre verde.”