Page 14 of Yes, Coach (Bratton Hollow #1)

Taryn

I ’m hanging around outside the sports building, waiting for Murphy, when Principal Morrison walks out into the afternoon sun.

The moment I see him, my stomach turns. Murphy’s text told me that we’re not in trouble, not yet, but clearly something has happened because we’ve been told to be more careful.

I turn away and start walking in the opposite direction, hoping to make it clear there’s nothing going on between me and Murphy beyond the professional, but I hear Morrison’s voice before I can take a step.

“Taryn, a word if you don’t mind?”

My shoulders lift involuntarily at the sound of my voice on his lips. Some teachers call us by our first names, some would default to Miss St. Claire, but the few times I’ve heard the Principal call out a student’s name it’s always been the formal option.

So why my first name, and why now? Is he going to ask me to betray Murphy? Because that will never happen.

“What is it, Mr. Morrison?” I force what I hope is an innocent smile as I turn to face him.

He takes two steps my way, closing the gap and smiling in return. “Oh, Taryn, you can call me Phil.”

I try to stop the grimace before it appears. “Okay… Phil. What’s up?”

“Just letting you know, I don’t think Coach Murphy is going to be bothering you again.” Another step closer to me, then another. “I’ve made it clear that—”

“He doesn’t bother me.”

Morrison frowns, taking another step closer and dropping his voice. “We both know that’s not true. A girl of your intelligence shouldn’t be interested in some former football ogre like him. You need a man of learning. Someone who gets you.”

“Principal Morrison, I don’t know what you mean. There’s nothing going on between me and Coach Murphy.”

“Good. Good. Of course not. Why would there be? I’m just saying, in a few weeks you’ll no longer be a student here, and you’re going to have options. But those options and applications can be a lot more successful with a recommendation from the school principal.”

“What are you saying? Are you…?”

He reaches out to touch my face, and I nearly fall to the ground in my rush to back away, my feet catching on the edge of a paving slab that tries to trip me.

“Oh, Taryn, come on. I’ve seen the outfits you wear. You can’t expect a man not to notice you.”

“That’s... What I wear is my business!”

“I’m not complaining,” he says with a grin. “I just think we can help each other out and—”

“Get away from me!” I scream, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. “Just leave me alone.”

I try to turn and get away, but he grabs the front of my shirt, his fingertips brushing my breast, and I nearly throw up. I try to bat his hand away, but it only tightens more, grabbing a handful of my shirt and trying to pull me closer.

“Taryn, you’re… You’re misunderstanding. I didn’t mean—”

“I know exactly what you meant .” At that moment, Murphy appears in the doorway to the sports building, and I scream. “Help!”

Principal Morrison turns his head to follow my gaze, and instantly lets go of my shirt. In seconds, I’m running, my eyes streaming with tears as I throw myself into Murphy’s arms, glad that at this moment he doesn’t choose to push me away for the sake of appearances.

Instead, he growls in that protective way, and I feel my heart instantly start to calm.

“What. The. Fuck.” He demands, his arm wrapping possessively around my waist. “Tell me what happened. Right now.”

“She’s overreacting.” Principal Morrison sounds indignant. “All I was doing was offering—”

“Not you,” Murphy barks. “Taryn. Tell me what happened.”

I glance between them both, trying to find the words. “He was… I mean, it wasn’t what he said so much as the way he said it. And then he grabbed me, and—”

“He did what?”

“I was just trying to stop the girl from falling! Taryn, come on, you’re being ridiculous.”

“You come in there and lecture me about appropriate relationships, then you’re out here, what? Sexually harassing an eighteen-year-old girl?”

“Sexually harassing? Murphy, that’s slander! I could have you—”

“Do it.” Murphy pulls me tighter to him. He takes a step forward, getting closer to Principal Morrison, right up in his face. “Go ahead. Do it, motherfucker. Let’s see what the school board makes of this incident, shall we?”

There’s silence for a moment. Morrison stares at Murphy, and Murphy at Morrison. The principal is the first to break it.

“What do you want?”

“You’re retiring in the next five years, right?” Murphy says, eyeing him. Morrison nods, but doesn’t say anything. “Bring that forward. After graduation, you’re gone.”

“Murphy, I can’t do that. Be reasonable—”

“This is fucking reasonable, you dumb fuck. The things I want to do to you… Take the fucking easy option, for both our sakes. Claim illness, claim family issues, claim you're fucking chasing your dreams for all I care, but I don’t want to see you here or at any other school again. Because if I do, the school board will be the least of your worries. Do I make myself clear?” Silence.

Then when Murphy speaks again, it’s loud enough that Morrison jumps out of his skin. “Do I fucking make myself clear?”

“Yes. Yes, crystal clear.”

“Now get the fuck out of my sight.”

When he’s gone, Murphy takes me between his hands, meets my eyes and says the words that instantly calm me down.

“Good girl. That’s my good girl, coming to me as soon as there was a problem.

I’ll always take care of you, Taryn. We’ve been sloppy.

That’s my fault, and I’m going to take care of it.

Make sure nobody sees us around school the way we have been.

But as soon as you graduate, all bets are off. Yes?”

I nod. “Yes, Coach Daddy.”