Page 35 of Campus Muscle

I wanted to take it easy on the guy and just talk it out. Hell, I would’ve let him get in a punch if it helped him to feel better. But what he said had just pushed this too far. I grabbed his shirt too and pulled him closer. The first punch landed hard against my cheek and snapped my head to the side. I tasted the blood before I even registered the impact. He really wasn’t going to hold back.

“Enough!” Coach said with enough force in his voice that it echoed through the entire room.

It was too late, though. I had already swung and my fist connected with Dylan’s shoulder as the word landed. That was enough for him to react, and it only took a split second for us to crash into the benches behind me. We both grabbed at each other, trying to shove and pull, proving that neither of us was going to back down. Dylan landed another punch right to my jaw, and this time it really packed some force. White flashed behind my eyes, and I stumbled to regain my balance.

“It’s time to break it up!” Malik said, stepping between us with his arms stretched wide.

Someone tried to pull me back, but I broke free and shoved forward again. That was when Coach came into view.

“Stop it!”

That was enough to cut through the fog in my head. Malik regained his footing and put some more distance between us. Ethan pulled Dylan away before either of us could get in another punch, and Lucas tried to get everyone to catch their breath.

“That’s enough,” Coach said as he took Malik’s place. “You guys are acting like a couple of snot-nosed kids at the worst possible time.”

The room fell quiet, and I took the chance to wipe the blood from my mouth. Dylan’s gaze was still locked on me, and I didn’t break the eye contact either. Because of that, the tension remained, simmering with the threat of becoming something way worse.

13

Dakota

I shifted my weight for what felt like the hundredth time while my shoulder softly pushed against the wall across from Dick Pine’s office. Waiting wasn’t one of my strong points, especially not when something was just out of my reach.

The voices that carried through the door were muffled and uneven, rising and falling in bursts that made it impossible to ignore. But I couldn’t make out a word of what they were saying. The tone of their voices told me everything I needed to know, though. There was a lot of tension and frustration with someone constantly talking over the rest.

I knew Trace was in there. So were Dylan and Coach Harris, but what I had missed out on was what exactly happened for this meeting to take place. So I adjusted my grip on my notebook and tapped the pen against the cover while leaning in slightly. I knew the proximity wasn’t going to help, and it didn’t, but that wasn’t enough to stop me from trying.

A sharp voice cut through the barrier, and if I had to guess, I’d have said it belonged to Dylan. It was followed by another that was lower and steadier, probably Coach Harris. And last, there was a rougher one, edged with fury. It had to be Trace.

Of course, it had to come to this. They couldn’t just behave themselves like civilized adults.

I didn’t need to be in the locker room to understand what had gone wrong. The game already made it obvious because this time I had shown up. And even from the stands, I’d seen the missed plays and hesitation. I could feel that the rhythm never quite clicked and, of course, it ended in a big loss that left a mark on everyone who was in the field.

I pushed off the wall and paced once before forcing myself to settle back into place. None of them would be willing to talk to me when they got out anyway, so this was the best chance I would get. That wasn’t the only thing that bothered me, though. My mind was also circling around Frank Delaney. Lately everything came back to him, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this situation had his stench all over it too.

Movement further down the hall drew my attention away. I glanced up and instantly stilled when the devil from my thoughts walked up the hallway. The air pressure shifted as he moved, looking into every office he passed. He carried himself with a kind of confident control that allowed him to just walk into any conversation that he wanted to be a part of.

Delaney stopped at an office further down and started speaking to someone. I straightened slightly. This could be the opportunity I had been waiting to get my hands on. Excitement bubbled in my chest, and it made me hesitate for a second, but then he moved again, and I followed. I tried to be quiet and measured by keeping just enough distance so it wouldn’t look obvious. My feet were soft against the floor as I moved down the hall, and it kept me hidden for just long enough.

Delaney stopped outside an office and went inside without bothering to knock. And then with a soft click the door closed behind him. I slowed as I approached, but my pulse quickly picked up. This was reckless; I knew it. But nothing was going to stop me from doing it anyway. So I hovered just past the doorway. I was close enough to hear their voices if they carried, but far enough that I wouldn’t get spotted immediately if someone stepped out.

Seconds stretched, and then the door opened. My heart nearly burst through my throat. I managed to quickly slide back behind the corner and flattened myself against the wall. Footsteps approached, and then I heard his voice.

“I’m telling you, it’s simple.” Delaney said, sounding as calm as ever. “I just need your help to make sure my guy gets through his English exam.”

My pulse spiked when I saw the TA stepping closer to the door. He was still slightly hidden, but now I could get a very clear description of him. He was quieter and a lot younger, someone I had come across a few times during the last year.

“I don’t know if that’s something I can—”

“There’s a lot in it for you,” Delaney cut in.

The teacher’s assistant hesitated. “You’re asking for special treatment. That could get me into a whole lot of trouble, sir.”

“I’m asking for support,” Delaney corrected ever so smoothly. “He needs a tutor. Someone who’s consistent and understands what’s at stake.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was proof of the corruption within the sport. Delaney has been pulling strings to get someone ahead, and he has even resorted to cheating. But has his ‘guy’ been playing along? Was that what the discussion in Pine’s office was all about?

“What’s in it for him?” The TA eventually asked.