Page 332 of Mr. Beast

“I’m not telling you anything.”

“Very well. We’re going to the station then.”

“Fine.”

“Exactly.”

“Perfect.”

Ha! I got the last word.

I spun around and went inside. He followed after me, waiting in the living room as I went to get out of my pajamas and into something a little more suitable for police questioning. Were they even real police? I wasn’t sure. And an attorney! I didn’t have one on speed dial.

Jocelyn was so going to pay for this.

TWENTY-NINE

Austin

I stared down at my phone. Brooke wasn’t answering my calls or texts again? Was she pissed about how I acted around Coach? Or was something wrong?

Teddy walked in the kitchen as I leaned against the counter in front of the sink.

“Hey, glad I caught you.”

“What’s up?”

“Have you heard about Brooke?”

I stood up straight.

“Did something happen?”

“All I’ve heard is that she’s in trouble for attacking some woman with Jocelyn two nights ago.”

“That makes no sense,” I said, shaking my head. “She was with me that night.”

“From what a Junior told me, she’s not saying anything to them, which is pissing the cops off even more. I think she’s protecting you, man. Didn’t you say your coach saw you two together at Marticello’s and you lied to him about her?”

“Yeah,” I said. “But how would he find out if she tells them she was with me?”

“Fucking school newspaper, man. We’ll do anything to get clicks these days, even something like who a big star like you is dating.”

“That’s messed up, bro.”

“Tell me about it. I’m seriously thinking about switching majors.”

“Yeah,” I said absentmindedly. “Thanks for watching out.”

“No problem.”

I nodded my head.

After he left the kitchen, I walked to the stadium for evening practice.

While I hoped she was okay, I couldn’t be late again or Coach would go nuts. The closer I got to graduating and going pro, the tougher he’d gotten on me. If I had problems handling what he gave me, though, I’d never make it in the pros.

As I walked across campus toward the stadium, I hoped Brooke would be okay. Would she understand my future career was at stake? Did football mean more to me than love? The questions haunted me the entire way.