Chapter 5
940 Words
Shay's POV
My head pounds like someone's hammering nails into my skull. I open my eyes and realize I'm on Maya's bed. How did I get here?
"You're awake." Maya appears with a glass of water and aspirin. "What the hell happened to you last night?"
I sit up slowly, trying to remember. After the arena... God, I can't even think about it. Seeing Malcolm standing there like that. I couldn't face him after what I said.
I remember walking to some off-campus bar alone, ordering drink after drink, trying to drown out the embarrassment. But everything after that is a blur.
"I don't know," I mumble, taking the aspirin. "I just... needed to forget yesterday."
"Forget what? What happened Shay?
“I don’t know… I want to sleep more.”
Maya tosses my backpack at me. "What about your chemistry test at 10am? Well, Malcolm brought you home. You were completely wasted. Did you meet him again?"
My stomach drops, jumped out of the bed. “What? Malcolm brought me home?”
I bury my face in my hands. What did I do at the bar? What did I say to him?
I drag myself to the shower and twenty minutes later I'm walking across campus.
I'm halfway to the science building when the hangover hits me like a truck. My stomach lurches and I feel like I'm going to throw up.
I need a bathroom now.
There's a bathroom by the rink. I rush inside and barely make it to the toilet before throwing up. My stomach feels awful.
I go to the sink and splash cold water on my face. The cool water feels good against my hot skin.
“Are you okay?” someone says behind me.
It's a man's voice. I freeze. A man? In the women's bathroom? I turn around slowly. Malcolm is standing there. He's completely naked, water dripping from his hair down his chest.
I scream."
"What are you doing in the women's bathroom?" I yell. I cover my eyes with my hands.
"Shay? This is the men's room."
My heart sinks. I look through my fingers at the door. The sign clearly shows a man, not a woman. My face turns red. I feel so embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. The sign clearly said 'WOMEN' when I came in. Why is it showing men now?"
"Did you see anyone outside? Maybe someone is trying to set you up."
"What?" I turn to run away as fast as I can. But I hear voices from outside.
"She went into the men's bathroom. I saw her. That girl is such a slut," a girl says.
"Check every stall and find her," a man says.
I know that voice. It's Coach Andrew. My blood goes cold. If Coach Andrew finds me here... I don't want to think about it. This could affect my scholarship. No...
"Come." Mal grabs my hand and pulls me into the last shower stall. He presses his finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet.
The door opens with a loud bang. I hear many feet coming in. They start checking each stall. They are getting closer to us. My heart stops. I'm trapped. There's nowhere to go.
"Tessa, this better not be one of your lies again."
"No coach. I saw her come in here. I'm sure it was her."
"Coach Andrew!" Mal calls out. "What are you looking for?"
"Sorry, Haywood. We are looking for a girl. Tessa said she came in here."
"A girl? No! There's no girl here. It's just me."
"Check the last stall," Tessa tells one of the players.
The player walks toward us. I hold my breath. I press against the shower wall. Mal steps in front of the stall door. He blocks the way with his body.
"You want to watch me get dressed?"
The player backs away fast. "No, man. Sorry."
I see feet under the door getting closer. I panic. Mal lifts me up against the wall fast. My legs wrap around his waist. Now only his feet show on the ground. They can't see mine.
"I know what I saw. She's in there," Tessa says. She sounds angry.
"Well, whatever you thought you saw, she's not here now," Coach Andrew says. "Come on, everyone. We're done here. We're wasting time."
The footsteps fade away. The bathroom door slams shut.
We stand frozen for a moment, the silence suddenly deafening. I'm still in his arms, legs wrapped around his waist, and the reality of our position hits me all at once. Heat creeps up my neck.
"They're gone," I whisper.
Malcolm nods but doesn't put me down. His eyes are locked on mine. I start to slide down from his arms, but my elbow catches the shower tap. Warm water suddenly sprays out, hitting my shoulders and soaking through my white t-shirt in seconds.
The thin fabric goes see-through, clinging to everything. I look down and gasp. My n*****s are hard and you can see everything through the wet shirt. I start to cover myself with my hands.
"Don't." Malcolm catches my wrist and pulls it down. He tilts my chin up so I have to look at him. "Did you mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"When you said sleeping with me was better than anything he could have given you. Do you want to sleep with me?"
I stare at him, speechless. How am I supposed to answer that? My mouth opens and closes but no words come out. The intensity in his eyes makes my heart race.
"I... I..."
Before I can finish stammering, his mouth crashes down on mine.
- Writer
