Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70516 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“Nettie,” I called out, cautious. “Get the girls off the field and into the locker room. Now. Lock all the doors.”
I could see this getting out of hand.
The male parent, apparently the dad of the goalie, was pushing the ref and getting into her face.
My team left quietly, leaving all of their belongings behind.
“Natalia,” I said to the AT. “Get into the AT room and close and lock the door.”
I said this so quietly that no one besides us could hear.
She gave a quick glance toward the chaos on the other team’s sidelines and nodded.
The ref blew her whistle to signal the end of the game.
Seconds later, she gestured toward the other team and said, “You forfeit!”
Fuck.
My entire sideline was empty of my players and coaching staff.
The only one left was me.
Which I thanked God for when the parent pulled out a gun and leveled it at the ref. Who was standing in line with me.
Everyone froze.
The few fans that had braved the weather took off, too. The kids on the other team ran toward the parking lot, and I selfishly thought “good” because the whole situation with them was scary and I wasn’t sure that I wanted them around my kids.
Thank freakin’ God I’d already sent the junior varsity home for the day along with their parents.
Instead of staying, Bossy had gone with one of the girls on the team to Hopps, where Weaver was going to pick her up after they ate.
I backed away toward the tunnel, hoping beyond hope that everyone could get away.
Or maybe the dad wouldn’t be a complete and total lunatic and put his gun down.
That ref was probably scared shitless right now.
“Oh god,” I said as I backed farther into the shadows.
A door creaked open slowly to my right, and thinking that it was one of my kids, I thanked them for opening the door and all but fell inside, reaching for my phone.
However, when the door closed and the lights turned on, I didn’t see one of my kids there.
I did, however, see my mother pointing a gun at my forehead, and Audrey standing beside her looking smug as hell.
“Wh-what’s going on?” I asked, looking worriedly between the two of them, unable to keep my eyes off the gun. Nor the look in my mother’s eyes.
“What’s going on is you’re going to go recant every single thing you said!” she bellowed, spittle forming at the corner of her mouth.
“I didn’t lie,” I said. “This is one very bold line I will not cross.”
“You will, or you’ll die.”
I shrugged. “Then I’ll die.”
I wouldn’t cross this line.
There was a moral compass inside of me that leaned slightly wrong, but not this wrong.
“It’s sick,” I said to her now, clearly unable to hold my tongue, even in these types of situations. “What you and Dad did.” I looked at Audrey with a disgusted face. “What you all did. You’re all fucking sick. And I want nothing to do with you.”
“It’s not a sickness.” Audrey looked at me. “It’s a calling.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t want to hear anymore.”
And I didn’t.
I backed toward the door of the room, my intention clear.
They could shoot me.
I didn’t care.
I could die right here, right now, but at least I wouldn’t die knowing that I protected a sick fuck who hurts kids.
The door opened and my mom repositioned the gun in her hand.
I backed out of the door, and I saw her finger tighten on the trigger.
I was going to die.
I was literally going to die.
And I was okay with it.
I’d leave Weaver behind. Bossy, too. My sister.
But at least I would do it with a smile.
I flipped my mother off.
Rage and pain fueled me.
Just as my mother’s eyes went molten hot and I knew that she was going to pull the trigger, a ball came sailing past me.
The ball hit my mother in the head, directly against her face, and she fell backward.
The gun went off.
The ball bounced back toward me.
And I took the second shot.
It nailed Audrey in the stomach and she doubled over with a whoosh.
I slammed the door closed and searched for something heavy to put in front of it.
The huge rolling water cart with the locking wheels was perfect.
My sister came to help me, and between the two of us we positioned the cart in front of the outward-opening door and locked the wheels.
Audrey started to pound on the door. “Let me out!”
We left her.
“Nice shot,” I said. “How good did that feel?”
“If I could do it again, I’d video it and put it on the internet,” she said. “I think nothing better could happen than the world seeing her take a ball to the face.”
I snorted. “That room has a video feed.”
“Excellent.” She took my hand. “What’s going on?”
I squeezed her hand. “I don’t know.”