Somehow we ended up shifting around until he was leaning against the back seat and I was leaning back on his chest with his legs on either side of me. Okay, it wasn’t exactly an accident; I kept shifting back until he pretty much had to accommodate my body in his space. Oh, oops, how’d we get in-to this adorable position? Strategic planning, my friends.

His arms were wrapped around me, holding the blanket in place. As easy as it would have been to turn around, kiss him, and forget about the rest of the movie, I 433/890

really enjoyed just sitting there together. It felt good to feel his chest rising and falling against my back.

Every now and then he'd ask me if I was comfortable or if I needed a drink, but I just shook my head, not wanting him to move a muscle for fear that the magic would be lost.

Chapter Sixteen

The blissful feeling of lying in Liam’s arms was long and forgotten when I woke up to someone ripping the blankets off my bed Tuesday morning.

Tara's voice invaded my consciousness.

"Get up and get dressed. You, Becca, and Emily have a special job this morning."

What the hell? Was I going to have to start barricading my door every night to ensure she couldn’t Edward Cullen me? It probably wouldn’t work; she’d just climb in through my window like the angsty vampire did.

I groaned and sat up, trying to blink away my sleep. Tara was joined by Sofie and another one of her evil henchmen. They all stared down at me with cunning smiles that 435/890

made me wish I slept with a rifle beneath my pillow like an old southern veteran.

“Get up,” Tara ordered again.

Her tone was wearing on me, not to mention I thought we were moving beyond the whole high school bully situation. It seemed like she’d maxed out her asshole card, but apparently she needed another shot of evil to tide her over for a few more days.

Were we positive that she didn’t have any serial killer relatives?

I pushed myself off the bed and moved toward my dresser without saying a word.

"Meet us downstairs when you're ready, Bryant," Sofie muttered before she burst through the bathroom door to get to Emily's room. I cringed when I heard them yell Emily’s name to wake her up.

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As I pulled on my workout gear, I dreamt about bringing the hazing issue up to Coach Davis, but I still wasn’t sure it was worth it. Everything would change if I ratted out the seniors. They’d make my life living hell, but they’d do it more subtly and twice as vicious as they already were. If I was going to tell Coach Davis, I had to be sure that it was worth the trouble.

So I made myself a deal. Today would be the last day. If they weren’t done after whatever they had planned for us this morning, then I’d bring the issue up to Coach Davis.

Becca, Emily, and I were shuffled into the back seat of Sofie's car in silence while the rest of the underclassmen were still asleep in the house. This was the second time 437/890

they’d gone after the three of us, and I wasn’t dumb enough to think it was a coincidence. I guess Tara really did hate me.

The last time I'd been in Sofie's car was on my nineteenth birthday. I knew Tara wasn't going to be my friend that night, but I'd had no clue just how crazy she would actually turn out to be. If I could have gone back in time, I would have warned former-me to get the hell away from Tara as soon as possible... and maybe also to warn my Mom away from the front-bang trend. They don’t work for everyone!

There was a sense of dread lingering in the air as we headed to the field with the seniors. Tara had said they had a “special job” for us, but they couldn't really do anything to us, right? I mean if they even came 438/890

close to breaking the law, I'd go to the police immediately. I wasn’t about to start digging graves for all of her victims.

"Since you three were so compliant this morning, I think we'll go easier on you than we were planning to," Tara said with a foreboding smile.

Oh, how sweet of her, I thought, staring out the window and wishing the day was already over.

When we got to the practice field, Sofie parked the car and the three of us scrambled out of the back seat.

"All right, rookies. Today we thought you three should learn the art of hygiene," Tara began, pulling three unopened toothbrushes out of her purse.

What was she talking about?

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"Those field house bathrooms could be a lot cleaner," she continued, handing us each a toothbrush. "So we'd like each of you to clean a stall, and then when that's done, you can tackle the bathroom floor."

Becca groaned. "I'm sorry, do you think you can get away with this? The costumes were funny, ha-ha. You had your fun, but this is ridiculous and you know it."

Emily just stood there gaping, like she couldn't believe the circumstances she'd stumbled into. I felt guilt hit my stomach.

She wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.

"Becca is right. I'm not doing this. You guys have watched too many ‘90s movies," I said, tossing the toothbrush to the ground.

Tara could kiss my ass.

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Tara's gaze traveled from the toothbrush sitting on the ground, slowly up to my eyes.

The sardonic grin eclipsing her features was a warning of things to come.

"Come talk to me for a second, Bryant,"

Tara said, wagging her finger and turning to walk away so we could talk in private. I followed after her, mainly so I could tell her how crazy she was without being overheard by anyone else, but the next thing out of her mouth stopped me dead in my tracks.

"If you don't pick that toothbrush up and follow my orders as your captain, I'll have no choice but to go to Coach Davis with some disturbing news."

I rolled my eyes. "What are you talking about, Tara?"

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She ran her finger back and forth across her lips, and in that moment, I realized how truly cold-hearted she actually was.

"Let me tell you what I'd be forced to tell Coach Davis," she began, making sure to keep her voice soft enough that no one could overhear her, "I went to a party the other night and saw both you and Liam there. That wasn't a big deal considering it was an LA Stars party, but then to my horror, I saw the two of you go into his room, and when you came out it was very clear that the two of had been having sex. Now, because I'm not sure how intelligent you are concerning this matter, I'll spell it out for you.” I bristled at her harsh tone. “Liam makes most of his money from endorsement deals— Endorsement deals that are completely contingent on 442/890

his public image. The LA Stars might not drop him, but you better believe those companies wouldn’t want him as a liability. He was supposed to be volunteering not trying to get laid. And you, our sweet little rookie, would be kicked off the ULA team so fast you wouldn't even have time to clean out your locker. Coach Davis made it perfectly clear that any relationship between a coach and a team member was off-limits."

In case that wasn’t enough, she just kept adding layers of icing to the cake as the blood drained from my face.

“Can you even imagine the headlines they’ll run? LA Stars player takes advantage of ULA freshman…”

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I stood there, gaping and trying to piece together just how conniving one person could be.

"Oh, and I have quite a few witnesses that can back up my claim. I mean, how stupid could you be to have sex at a freaking LA Stars party? Really, Kinsley, you made it all just too easy."

I looked up into her narrowed eyes.

"You're such a bitch."