Page 13 of Running Home to You
Kate discovered Abby already in a chair with the hood of her sweatshirt raised. Her gaze widened as Kate sat next to her.
“I heard about what happened at the dock yesterday,” Coach Whitley said. Kate swiveled to Abby, whose mouth dropped. “Cruz didn’t dob. You think I don’t know everything that goes on around here?”
Coach Whitley wasn’t an overbearing leader. She rarely yelled, didn’t believe in using running as punishment, and usually let the players work things out among themselves. But right now, with her hands clasped on the creaking desk, Kate felt like a guilty teenager about to get chewed out.
“Kate didn’t have anything to do with what happened. It was Seaborn and DeHaven. She tried to stop it.” Abby sneezed. Her words escaped as though pushing through gravel. “She shouldn’t be in trouble.”
“This isn’t about that, but I can assure you that Seaborn, DeHaven, and the other seniors have been dealt with,” Coach Whitley said. “What happened wasn’t okay. You put your life in danger and that’s not allowed on my watch. Understood?”
Abby nodded. “Yes, Coach.”
Kate’s knee bounced. She still didn’t understand why she’d been called into the office.
“On that note, it’s not lost on me that you’re struggling.” Coach Whitley rotated her computer monitor around and Abby’s cheeks flushed. Kate leaned forward to read the transcript of mostly D’s and low C’s. “I know you’re skipping classes. In fact, you’re barely making the grade in most of these. That doesn’t fly on this team.”
“Am I cut then?”
“Do you want to be?”
She shrugged, and it extended the trough in Kate’s chest, much like Abby casually chuckling at her own death had her clutching her hand as if to keep her.
“Kate’s the best student on our team. Besides attending every one of these classes and meeting with your professors, I want you to study with her.”
Abby coughed. “That’s not necessary.”
“It is if you want to play here,” Coach Whitley said. “Moving forward, Hutchins is going to be your partner for everything. Warm-ups, weight lifting, road trips, team dinners. You will attend, and she will make sure you are there.” She shifted to Kate. “If you can’t get her where she needs to go, I’m holding you responsible.”
“What?” Kate clenched her teeth. She could handle tutoring Abby. She’d tutored plenty of teammates, though helping her rival stung. Letting Abby fail her classes and get cut might be in her best interest. But taking responsibility for her entirely struck her as excessive. Especially since what little she knew about Abby—her smoking, hanging out at bars, always unkempt, barely on time—suggested that she’d have her work cut out for her. “Coach, I’m not okay with this.”
Abby flicked Kate a glare. “Me neither.”
“Well, that’s too bad.” Coach Whitley paused. “Cruz, can you step out for a moment? In fact, get checked out at health services. You’re not practicing today.”
“This is…” Abby stood and peered down at Kate, who waited for her to say something. She searched her eyes for a semblance of hatred or despair, but found none. She couldn’t quite figure out what Abby wanted before she shook her head and tore off.
“Why me?” Kate asked once they were alone.
Coach Whitley sighed. “Well, because frankly, I’ve been disappointed in you,” she said. That was the secret to the woman’s laid-back, nonpunitive leadership style. The D-word slapped ferociously. “You’re the heart of this team. The girls look up to you and you left Cruz in the cold.”
Kate sunk in her chair. “I didn’t.”
“You ignored her, and the rest of the players followed suit.”
“I’m competing with her. I didn’t say or do anything bad to her, but I’m not about to be her best friend when she’s after my position.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong,” Coach Whitley said. “You know that this game is much bigger than where you take the field. More than that, you know Cruz’s history, don’t you?”
Kate nodded as a stone overtook her throat.
“She’s not well. She’s partying too hard and that stunt at the river wasn’t just fun and games. That came from somewhere dark.” Coach Whitley’s mouth sagged. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think kicking her off the team is the best thing for her. In fact, I think the team might be the only thing that can save her.”
A tear budded at the corner of Kate’s eye, and she swiped it away. An invisible war triggered inside. Helping Abby, keeping her on the team, threatened everything she worked for. She might as well hand her the coveted shortstop position. Yet in her heart, she knew helping was the right thing. More importantly, it was the only way to fill the hollow space gnawing at her heart.
“I know I’m asking a lot, but in the end, I don’t think you’ll regret this.”
“Yes, Coach.”
A few more tears streamed loose. She didn’t know if they rolled for herself or Abby.
