The Devil & Me

Chapter Eighteen: Per Fidem

I showed up at the practice field just a few minutes before we began our warm-ups, which in the mind of the coach, was late. She made me run the warm-up lap and then some extra before I could grab a ball and my stick and practice shots on goal. We had come back from a string of losses last season to win second place in the championship, and this year to start our season, our coach gave us a speech on how we should be champions, "at least for the sake of the seniors who've seen this program through so much."

I wanted to suck my teeth at that.

Coach ran us ragged that day. I finished with my legs twitching beneath me after she made us run (a third) mile. And that wasn't part of the normal practice, where we normally ran three or four miles anyway. I was never built to be a distance athlete. I didn't even believe in it, honestly.

I fell onto the bench and pulled off my cleats. My feet throbbed. I reached for a towel out of my bag and dried myself down. After a few minutes of sitting in complete stillness, I picked myself up. I hate this sport.

I looked to the left, where Liliana was packing her stuff. After a few seconds of staring, she noticed, before quickly looking away. I stood.

"You left your books," I said.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"This morning. You dropped three books. The diaries? I have them in my room."

"I didn't drop anything," she said.

I rolled my eyes. She was being difficult as always. "But you did and they're the diaries of your relative—"

She glared at me so hard I thought it might kill me. Then, I heard my name called out. Cassius.

He came down the hill, still in his school uniform, though the tie had been loosened. "Camille," he said again. He stopped a distance away from us, before looking back and forth. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"Practice," Liliana said. She shoved her last piece of gear into her bag and swung it onto her shoulders. "I'll see you later," she said. She left the field and I turned my attention back to Cassius.

"Hungry?" he asked. He pulled a sandwich wrapped in cellophane out from behind him. I took it from him, and bit in. He pulled my bag off my shoulder and slid it onto his as we began our walk back to the dorms. "I thought I'd see you after class."

"Mmm? I started my homework. I'm working tonight."

"Why?

"What do you mean?" I asked between bites.

"You don't have to work anymore."

"I still need money. This time, it's for myself."

"So you're going to work the same schedule that you did last year?"

We entered the building, and stopped in the lobby separating the girls and boys gorms "Of course. I'll put it in savings. I'll pay for college."

"You're going to get a good scholarship."

"But I'll need housing for the summers," I said. "And living money." I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "You can't give it to me, Cassius."

"You won't accept it?"

"No. I won't."

We stood opposite each other for a beat, saying nothing. I thought I saw his jaw clench, but as soon as I noticed it, it was gone.

"Are you going to work right now? Let me drop you off."

"I have to shower."

"So? I can wait."