Page 11

Chapter Eleven

RUTH

P eeling off the damp fabric clinging to me might be the best feeling in the world. I have to stifle a moan as the cold air prickles my skin, chasing away the clamminess that’s been invading my senses for the last four hours. Stumbling into the shower, I sigh as the cold water hits me. These showers take forever to heat up, but today I’m thankful for the way it clears my brain and eases some of the fatigue. I rest my head against the tile, it’s probably filthy, but my neck muscles have completely checked out, so I’m just going to try not to think about it.

I’ve always had trouble winding down after games. In my first season as Gunther, I used to lie awake at night, the adrenaline slowly filtering out of my system as I ran through every moment of the day, picking apart my performance. I’ve gotten better at letting things go and now I let my mind go blank, scanning my body from head to toe and slowly easing the tension out of each muscle. I relax my shoulders, shake out my elbows and wrists, and unclench my stomach and thighs until I’m practically boneless against the cubicle wall. We may not have won the game, but I did a damn good job.

It was a tough crowd out there, Allbreck were down by ten at halftime and the referee made some harsh calls against us. It’s hard to make people care about a toad doing gymnastics when they’re watching their championship hopes teeter in front of them.

I turn the water off and step out, pausing to make sure the changing room is empty before I cross to my gym bag and dig around inside for my hair stuff. My hands knock against my phone and the screen wakes up, Rowan’s name appearing.

I’m hit with a bolt of nerves. I haven’t spoken to him since I finally plucked up the courage to talk to the school admin about what happened. Despite Clara’s offer, I decided to go it alone and talked to the dean last week. He was surprisingly great about it and promised to get in touch with Beaufort to have it dealt with. I don’t know what ‘dealing with it’ looks like, but if Rowan’s still texting me, then he can’t have been expelled or anything.

ROWAN

your team sucks, but you make a pretty great frog.

I laugh as I sit down on the bench, not caring where I’m dripping water.

Ruth

I’m a toad, asshole.

ROWAN

a toad carrying that whole team.

Ruth

thank you???

ROWAN

You’re welcome, they should take a lesson on maintaining energy levels.

He’s not wrong. The team came out hard in the first quarter, but by the time we were nearing the end, it was obvious how badly everyone was flagging. I wince, thinking about how hard the coaches are going to ride them to up their stamina before the Beaufort game.

Rowan seems normal; he’s not talking like anything’s gone down over there. Maybe nothing’s happened yet?

ROWAN

How do you run so much in those feet without tripping over?

Ruth

digging for secrets again?

ROWAN

I don’t need secrets, based on today’s performance we could take a nap at the halfway line and still beat you into the ground.

Ruth

I’m sorry, but remind me who’s beaten you three years running?

ROWAN

a bunch of guys that just graduated.

I scoff at his text. He isn’t wrong. There’s been a sense of tension around campus, the creeping knowledge that most of our best players left at the end of last season and we don’t have the roster to fill their shoes. Beaufort’s been hot on our heels for a while, and some people are betting that this may be their year, that maybe the best days of the Allbreck dynasty are behind us.

Ruth

touché.

ROWAN

at least you’ve got spirit down.

Ruth

Well there’s a reason you keep trying to get me to cave, how old is that Duck costume anyway?

The Beaufort duck is notoriously bad. The costume looks like it hasn’t been washed in at least ten years, and half the students that wear it can barely do a cartwheel. I mean, the Gunthers haven’t always been stellar, but we’ve never stooped as low at that.

ROWAN

it’s a Mallard.

Ruth

Oh, my bad. How old is that ratty, stinky MALLARD with half the feathers missing and the stitching coming loose around the shorts???

ROWAN

You can tell that the stitching is loose?

Ruth

I’m a professional. I notice these things. The question is, how do you about the stitching? Spending a lot of time up close and personal with the duck’s crotch are we?

ROWAN

you’re gross.

Ruth

*middle finger emoji*