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Chapter 12

Mateo

There’s no feeling quite as aaaame where we officially surpassed last season’s 6–6 record And even though 6–2 isn’t bad, there’s this air of uncertainty in the locker rooo downhill ain until we end up right back at 6–6 for the second year in a row

I shed my uniform, and Brookes lets out a lohistle besideon my left hip and up onto my side

"That hit at the top of the half?" he asks, and I nod He shakes his head "I knew it That one looked brutal"

I shrug "Could have been worse A few inches over and that second dude’s knee could have landed in a much a to block it We all collided in the air, and we ended up hitting the ground in a tangle of limbs with me on the bottom

The coaches infiltrate the room then, and Coach Cole steps up into his usual place beside the whiteboard

"You all knohat I’ot to say it anyway We played a sloppy first half I’m sure we could blame it on the fact that we had last week off, and that soht on Halloween Whatever the reason, it was not up to par hat this team is capable of"

There’s one reason he doesn’t na of it

Jake Carter

Formerly one of our teaest assets He’s the dude that assaulted Stella at a party back in September He hasn’t been suspended by the university, nor has the district attorney brought hiot the athletic director to permanently suspend him from the team Our defense is a hell of a lot weaker without hiive a fuck

There is theabout Coach’s decision None of theht mention Stella’s name yet They’re not that stupid, but you can tell they talk about it when those of us that know Stella are not around It doesn’t help that she refuses to talk about it, to set the record straight Hell, I don’t even really know exactly what happened, I just knoas bad But without the facts, I hear peopleup their own, and I don’t like it Not at all