Coach Rudy listened quietly without interrupting. He also turned his back against the car door and made himself a little more comfortable.

Sarah told him how she’d planned all along to move back to Arizona and finish high school at her old school. Then she told him about seeing her mom in jail and why she was back in La Jolla after all.

The coach never once appeared to be sympathizing or judging. But he did hang on her every word. He waited until she was completely done then he took a deep breath and smiled again.

“I didn’t think I could have any more respect for you than I already did. You’re very mature and strong for your age. A lot of girls your age would’ve taken something like this as the end of their life. But you’ve handled it with such grace. I would’ve never guessed you had all this going on.”

Sarah’s lips went up in a half smile. “You know, this is the first time I’ve talked about my mom since she’s been in jail without crying. It feels good.”

“That’s ‘cause it’s almost over,” Coach Rudy said. “You’re almost there, Sarah. And you’re doing a great job. Just one thing, next time you go see your mom. Tell someone. I’m sure you didn’t think it was a big deal but if something had happened to you. It would’ve been a whole twenty four hours before anyone would’ve even noticed.”

Sarah made a mental note. She felt really good after her talk with the coach. She soaked her ankle in warm water while she talked to Sydney that evening. To her surprise he wasn’t as moved as she was about her conversation with the coach.

“Isn’t that the one Angel called a pervert?”

Just hearing his name was enough to bring her spirits down and she frowned. “Yes, but he also calls you my boyfriend. So, what’s your point?”

“I’m just saying that’s kind of weird that he’d take you home isn’t it?”

“What was he supposed to do? I couldn’t walk,” Sarah tried moving her ankle a little and immediately regretted it.

“Uh, hello, he could’ve had you call someone to pick you up.”

“Why? When he could just do it himself and it was faster?” Sarah couldn’t believe Sydney was actually thinking like this.

“Maybe because he had a team full of kids waiting to practice?”

Sarah didn’t respond to that. She was getting annoyed.

“Look Lynni, I don’t know, but most of the times when there are rumors like that about teachers, or coaches, there’s some truth to them. Maybe some stuff gets added in for a little more flavor but if you dig deep, the rumors started from something valid.”

There was no way. Coach Rudy had never been anything but nice and encouraging to her. The people that started those rumors were idiots as far as she was concerned. Syd made her promise she’d be careful but she knew she had nothing to worry about. Coach Rudy was not a pervert.

CHAPTER 26

Seeing Sarah had been worse than Angel could’ve ever imagined. It was completely unexpected and he was in no way ready for the blow. He had sat in class that first day for all of twenty minutes before he’d ducked out the back door.

He almost went home but instead decided to go to the counselor’s office and switch his schedule around. He didn’t care what classes he got stuck with as long as he didn’t have to see her every day. It would kill him.

Since then he’d done everything he could to avoid her. Sofia told him the first night that all Sarah had told her was that there’d been a snag in her plans, but that it was only temporary she was still going back to Arizona she just wasn’t sure when. Sofia wasn’t happy that Angel had no intention of reconnecting with Sarah, much less hang out with her.

The whole week had been a nightmare. The more he tried to not think about her the more nosey idiots asked him about her. It seemed the whole damn school was talking about it.

To top it off, Dana was at it again. She conveniently mistook their little coffee outing over the break as an invitation back into his life. She’d gone back to hugging him every time she saw him. And he knew she was behind the rumors that had quickly spread about Sarah cheating on him.

The weekend was uneventful and he finally went a whole couple of days without anyone asking him about Sarah. Monday went by pretty fast but Angel wondered if he’d ever get over that tense feeling he had the whole day, worrying about seeing her.

That evening he worked out with Alex in the backyard. They’d just finished when Sofia strolled out holding a bottle of water. Angel lay back down on the bench to rest.

“Sarah got hurt today during practice,” Sofia sat down on one of the patio chairs.

Angel sat up.

“She’s still here?” Alex asked.

“Yeah,” Sofia turned to look at Angel. “You didn’t tell him Sarah didn’t leave?”

Angel shrugged. His thoughts were still on Sarah getting hurt.

“No shit?” Alex smirked. “No wonder you’ve been so uptight all weekend.”

Angel ignored him. Sofia hadn’t moved her eyes away from him. But he still couldn’t bring himself to ask anything about Sarah. Turned out he didn’t have to.

“She twisted her ankle during one of the runs. It was pretty bad. Coach Rudy had to carry her to his car.”

Alex wiped the sweat off his brow and laughed. “The perve?”

Angel had a feeling Sofia’s coming out to tell them was not without reason. And if that reason was to piss him off it was working.