Settling the Score

Chapter Sixteen

The steady shower stream washed away the grime and sweat after my jog alone. Eduardo had sat on his house's porch and kept me company by using his phone to shout encouragements via my earphones. He'd also timed me. It'd been the best he could do since he'd broken his arm and didn't want to risk further injury. He might not have been my captain anymore, but that didn't stop him from acting like he was. He'd always be the Dragons' captain, even if it wasn't officially. The dude was committed, and given his recent confession about Coach Connelly, maybe he was too committed. That was a problem to tackle another day.

The apple scented body wash replaced the smell of sweat and my lime face wash made me feel like a new, great smelling woman. The hot water soothed the muscles of my thighs and loosened the knots in my back.

Steam coated the shower's door, creating an impenetrable bubble of warmth. The world didn't exist outside of the misty sauna; there were no dates to chaperone or betrayed buddies to stress over or rotten cheating exes to lose beer pong to. There was nowhere else in the world better to be. This was just what I needed after all the drama in the past twenty-four-hours.

My sanctuary soon got blown up by my phone vibrating on the sink.

Every thirty seconds came a new, annoying buzz. The notifications came in so quick it created a continuous vibration, shifting the device across the sink until it toppled onto the floor with an almighty smack. Each pulsation moved the phone closer and closer to the shower and toward me. It was possessed and had only one goal: ruining my afternoon.

Carter's obsessive texts made my hangover kick start all over again. My head pounded and my throat was so dry. It had to be him, right? No one else would blow up my phone like that. My aunt was busy talking with Nick's babysitter downstairs before she headed to work. My friends just saw me at the Santiago house, so they weren't in desperate need to contact me. Which left only one person persistent enough to blow up my phone.

Imagining what Carter had to say made my stomach churn. What else was there to say to each other? Congratulations on winning the game last night? Hope you got home, okay? Go fuck yourself?

The hot water turned icy, jolting me against the shower's door. Suds covered my eyes, making it hard to slide the door open on the first try. Once out, I covered myself with a towel, knelt, and tried unlocking my stupid phone. Too much shampoo covered my face for the device to recognize me. Fuck. Could anything go right for me?

A message from an unknown number appeared on the screen again.