Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys (22 page)

She looked at Ben and he took a giant step away from the door.

“Thanks,” Megan said.

Then she ducked her head and raced out of there as fast as her buffed and polished toes would take her.

Kicker5525:
SOS!

TooDamn-Funky:
where r u?

Kicker5525:
public bus. not totally sure its the right 1.

TooDamn-Funky:
r u running away???? don't let evan run you away!!! unless ur coming here! then def run away!!!

Kicker5525:
no. just ran out on massage with R.

TooDamn-Funky:
she took u 4 massage? but u hate when strangers touch u!!!

Kicker5525:
I KNOW!!!!

TooDamn-Funky:
y did you not TELL HER THAT?

Kicker5525:
I think I just did. I think I just told the whole place.

TooDamn-Funky:
wow when u explode u explode.

Kicker5525:
beginning to sense that.

TooDamn-Funky:
what now?

Kicker5525:
soccer practice. then prob get grounded. again.

TooDamn-Funky:
sending you good vibes.

Kicker5525:
thnx.
love ya!

TooDamn-Funky:
u 2 my poor misguided freak girl.

She's going to kill me. She's going to
murder
me. . . .

Regina didn't seem like the killing kind, of course. If she had any violent tendencies, she would have undoubtedly hurt someone by now, living with eight men and all, but Megan couldn't stop her brain from repeating the refrain. She couldn't stop thinking about Regina's face when she'd told her she was leaving. That mixture of disappointment, shock, and anxiety—like maybe she was starting to think that she and her husband had taken in your average, everyday psycho.

“Meade! What are you doing here?” Coach Leonard asked as Megan dropped her gym bag on the bottom bleacher. “I thought you had a family thing.”

“It ended early,” Megan said, slightly out of breath from sprinting all the way from the bike racks.

“Well, great,” Coach said. She lifted her whistle and blew. “Vargas! I'm subbing in Meade!”

Tina Vargas jogged off the field and nodded at Megan as she ran in. Megan was slightly surprised at the acknowledgment from a member of the Hailey camp, but she didn't dwell. All she could see was the ball. She had to drill that ball.

“You're here!” Aimee greeted Megan as they lined up for a throw-in. “And you look all glowy.”

“Yeah, well, apparently that's what a cucumber protein pack will do for you,” Megan said.

The ball came flying in and Megan jumped in front of Vithya, stopping the ball with her chest and stealing it from the opposing team. She took it upfield, dodging Jessica Peraita, who tripped herself trying to shift direction. Then two defenders charged her and she passed to Ria. Megan shoved her way around them and sprinted upfield. She was wide open in front of the net when Ria lobbed the ball back to her. Megan looked left, faking out Deena in the goal, then booted it up into the right corner. Deena ate dirt and the ball caught net. Megan's team raced in for a hug.

“That was awesome!” Aimee exclaimed.

“Where were you this morning, eating extra Wheaties?” Ria asked.

Megan smiled but didn't respond. She jogged back to the line and faced off with Hailey, more than ready to go again. As Megan expected, no matter how hard she stared at the side of Hailey's face, the girl refused to look her in the eye.

“All right, ladies! Let's see some defense out there!” Coach Leonard called.

Pearl raced out from the sidelines to drop the ball. She shot Megan a secret smile as she lifted the ball in the air. Megan cleared her throat and tried to keep a straight face. It was nice to have her friends back.

The ball dropped and Hailey got control. She dribbled upfield and Megan ran up behind her. Her blood was pumping
so fast she felt like she'd drunk an entire Starbucks stockroom on her way to the field. She wasn't going to let Hailey get downfield. She just wasn't going to.

Hailey set up to pass and Megan slid to the ground, kicking her right leg out at the precise moment Hailey reached her foot back for the kick. Megan's cleat got there first and the ball careened off downfield, right to Lisa Bronson, Megan's fullback. Lisa looked almost as surprised as Hailey did, but she recovered quickly and brought the ball back. Megan clamored to her feet and raced downfield again, relishing the burning in her lungs and throat. She was feeling good. For the first time since her encounter with Evan and Hailey, she was feeling damn good.

Lisa passed to Aimee, who was instantly rushed by Kathy Cash.

“Center!” Megan shouted. “Center!”

Aimee booted the ball up and over Kathy's head, executing a perfect pass that landed right at Megan's feet. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Hailey gunning for her. Megan dribbled toward the goal and braced for impact. Hailey slammed right into her side, attempting to knock her off her feet and steal the ball. Megan grunted and shoved and struggled for control. Hailey's hand was in her face; her elbow was in her gut. Megan closed her eyes to keep from losing one to a wayward finger. She booted the ball, hip-checked Hailey away, and looked up again. The ball had trickled a few feet away into open field.

Both Ria and Jessica were running for it, but Megan was still closest. She ran for the ball and kicked it as hard as she could to Aimee, all the way across the field. Aimee stopped the ball and
Megan ran right in front of the goal. Deena's attention was on Aimee. Megan caught Deena's eye and Aimee popped the ball across to Megan. Deena reacted, but not in time. Megan jumped and headed the ball right into the center of the goal.

“Dammit!” Hailey shouted, getting right up in the goalie's face. “Deena! What the hell are you doing? Use your head!”

Deena brushed the dirt off her side and slowly turned her back to Hailey.

“We're not gonna win games without defense, people!” Hailey shouted. “She's not
that
good!”

Megan laughed and walked back upfield. She wasn't sure if anyone was paying attention to Hailey, but she didn't much care. Two goals in less than two minutes was a record for her. It felt good.

The whistle blew and Coach Leonard clapped, bringing the team to attention. “All right, let's get back to it!” she shouted. “Nice one, Meade. When you show up, you really show up!”

“Thanks, Coach,” Megan replied.

“Now, come on, team, let's see if anyone can stop her!” Coach called out, blowing her whistle again. “Show me something out there!”

Megan jogged to the center of the field again and Aimee came over to wrap her arm around her shoulders.

“Let's get it on!” she said.

“You know it,” Megan replied.

She lined up across from Hailey, and for the first time in days, Hailey was staring her down. Megan grinned at Hailey's determined sneer. This was going to be fun.

 *  *  *

Megan sat in a circle of her teammates on the floor of the main gym. Hanging on the walls all around her were the burgundy-and-gold banners touting district, county, and state championships in all sports for the past several years. Megan stared up at the girls' soccer banner just above the caged clock. The last county championship had been won in 1996.

That's all going to change this year,
Megan thought, leaning back on her elbows. She was feeling cocky and she liked it.

“All right, ladies, you know how it works,” Coach Leonard said, passing out slips of paper and pencils. “First you take nominations and then you'll take an anonymous vote. I've asked Pearl to count the votes when you're done. If you have any questions, I'll be in my office.”

“You don't want to stay to witness democracy in action?” Ria joked, earning a round of chuckles from the team.

“I think you girls can handle it,” Coach replied. “I have some game tape to watch from last year. The new captain should come see me before she leaves. Good luck.”

Coach turned and headed for the athletic offices on the other side of the gym. When the door closed, Megan looked around the circle. Everyone else was doing the same. They were all surveying each other.

“Okay, well, I guess we should do nominations,” Pearl said finally.

Jessica raised her hand. “I nominate Hailey Farmer,” she said before anyone could acknowledge her.

There's a big shock,
Megan thought.

“Okay. Hailey, do you accept the nomination?” Pearl asked.

“Yes, I do,” Hailey said gravely.

“She totally rehearsed that,” Ria said in Megan's ear.

“Anyone else?” Pearl asked.

Ria sat up straight and raised her hand. Everyone looked surprised.

“Ria?” Pearl asked.

“I nominate Megan Meade.”

Megan's heart slammed against her rib cage.

“What?”
Hailey blurted. “Are you
on
something?”

Everyone started talking at once. Megan pulled her knees up under her chin, hugging her legs to her. Captain. Why would Ria nominate her for captain of a team she'd just joined? Could she do it? Did she even
want
to?

A smile crept across Megan's face.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Ria said, throwing her arms up. “Let's just vote, okay? Whatever happens, happens.”

Hailey stared her down from across the circle. The air was so still Megan could hear her own heartbeat.

“Well, are there any other nominations?” Pearl asked tentatively.

The silence continued.

“Okay, then let's vote,” Pearl said.

Hailey scrawled something on her slip of paper, got up, and handed it to Pearl. She walked confidently back to her place in the circle and sat down. She crossed her legs at the ankle and leaned back on her hands. One by one, everyone turned in their votes. Megan stared at her name on her own slip of paper.

Once Pearl had all the votes, she walked away from the group
and tallied them up on a pad of paper. Megan couldn't watch the proceedings since Pearl was behind her, so all she could do was wait.

Finally Pearl edged her way back over to the circle. “Um . . . it's a tie.”

“You have to be kidding me,” Hailey said.

“No . . . it's seven votes to seven,” Pearl said, looking down at her tally.

“Who voted for her?” Hailey said, pulling her legs up and leaning forward. “I'm serious. Who voted for her?”

“Uh . . . I have a name,” Megan said, nonplussed.

“I'm not talking to you,” Hailey snapped, shooting Megan a look. “I want to know who voted for her after what she did. You all
know
what she did. I've been on this team with you people for three years and
seven
of you voted for her?”

“I did!” Ria announced happily.

“We know
you
did,” Hailey said. “What about the rest of you? Too scared to admit that you voted for a backstabbing whore for your captain?”

Megan couldn't take it anymore. Where did this girl get off?

“All right! That's it!”

Megan looked up as Aimee sprang to her feet.

“What're you doing?” Hailey asked her.

“I can't take this anymore,” Aimee said, her hands shaking. “I can't sit here while you just lie like this. Megan didn't do anything, all right? She didn't fool around with Evan. She didn't even
tell
you that she fooled around with Evan. Whatever version of the story any of you have heard, it's all a lie.”

Hailey's face went ashen. She looked around uncertainly before finally recovering her balance. “Aimee, sit down.”

“No, I'm not gonna sit down,” Aimee said, squeezing her eyes closed. Megan could tell it was taking a ton of effort for Aimee to stand up to her big sister. “I heard you, all right? I heard you telling Jessica what you did.” Aimee looked around at the rest of the team. “Hailey made it all up. She was drunk and jealous and so she told Doug that Megan and Evan had hooked up when they hadn't. And then after she was done fooling around with Doug and she realized how screwed she was, she told Evan that Megan had
told
her that the two of them had hooked up so that she'd look less guilty herself. But it was all a lie. She was jealous of Megan so she blamed it all on her, when the truth is,
Megan didn't do anything
.”

The rest of the team was looking at Hailey and Aimee in shock. Megan could hardly breathe.

“She's lying,” Hailey said, lifting her shoulders and laughing a bit hysterically. “She's clearly had some kind of psychotic break.”

“God, Hailey, give it up already,” Aimee said, turning on her sister. “I swear, sometimes I can't even believe we came from the same womb.”