Theo

Chapter 6: Theo

That evil little leprechaun always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone. I'd never met anyone better at reading a room than Mac. There was absolutely no reason for the administration to believe anything other than the truth. Klein and I crashed into one another and fell down. It was an accident. But because we had a history of contention and not too long ago had asked to move rooms so we didn’t have to share, everyone was looking at me like I kicked a puppy across campus. Klein's face looked twice as bad as mine did, and the fact he stuttered and tripped over every single word when trying to explain the situation made it seem like he was scared to death of me.

Technically, any student caught fighting was immediately expelled. Still, in our case, Klein had more of a safety net than I did. I was tolerated, barely, because of baseball. Now that I might not be able to play, it felt like there was a line of people waiting to show me to the door.

I sighed and took my hat off my head so I could drag my hands through my dark hair. I hated having my back against the wall. I hated the thought of having to give in and beg Mac for help even more.

I was more terrified of the petite redhead than I'd ever been of the gangbangers, drug dealers, and ex-cons who used to circle me like hungry sharks. The kind of people I used to be surrounded by at home made it easy to identify just how dangerous and deadly they were. With Mac, it was all too easy to underestimate him because of his elfin appearance and his bright smile. He even had a hint of an Irish brogue, which only added to his overall charm. He was the kind of killer you didn't see coming, but I'd been born watching my back, so I knew better than to get involved with him. I handled Mac as if he were a venomous snake. I knew he could sink his fangs into you at any minute.

"I'll be fine to play this weekend, Coach. Don't worry about it." I gritted the words out between my teeth and forced myself not to grab the wrist I had wrapped so tightly I'd lost circulation hours ago. I could probably power through a few innings, so no one had the right to say I wasn't pulling my weight. But if I got tagged by a stray ball or landed on it wrong, and if I had to slide into a base bracing myself with my hands on the ground, I knew I would be out for the rest of the season.

And not just out as in being off the team. They would throw me out of Castle Pines without a backward glance. If I couldn't play, they weren't about to pretend I could continue to rub elbows with the elite.

Coach sat back in his leather wing-back chair and gave me a condescending look. I'd given this guy state and national titles over the last couple of years. He still had the nerve to look at me like I was something he accidentally brought into his fancy house on the bottom of his shoe. He was lucky I wasn't the hotheaded type. If I were, I would be across that desk and showing him what it looked like when I actually was involved in a fight. I grew up running the streets and keeping myself alive, no matter what it took. These fancy-ass kids with their manicured hands and lawyers on retainer had no idea what an actual brawl looked like. And neither did the pampered teaching staff.

"I don't know, kid. I think it might be best to bench you. After all, you're currently under a conduct review per the headmaster. I don't want your poor behavior to reflect badly on the rest of the team. These are critical recruitment days, and your busted arm and face will be nothing more than a distraction." He gave me a smirk as my fingers curled into my palms, making a fist so tight my knuckles cracked. "If you don't play, it invalidates your scholarship. I would think you would be more careful of your actions knowing that. I would think you’d take more care with your fellow classmates knowing what was on the line."

Wasn't that the way it always was? I had to look out for everyone else. No one was looking out for me.

Klein and I butted heads a lot. We were not a good fit when it came to living in such close quarters. Our personalities clashed, but I knew he was a good kid. Quiet. Too shy and too timid in my mind, but he wouldn't hurt a fly, and there was no way that little collision should have such far-reaching repercussions. Even if he was going to end up getting off far lighter than I was.

Perception was a bitch, and ever since I was dropped into an alternate reality, it was my worst enemy.

Sighing, I bit my tongue to keep from saying what was really on my mind. "I'll go see the team doctor and get a clean bill of health before the next game."

That was a long shot. I'd avoided seeing the doc because I knew I wasn't going to be cleared. I was prolonging the inevitable. Either I let myself get benched and eventually tossed out of school, or I swallowed my pride, silenced every warning siren screaming in my head, and asked Mac to help me out. Both options were shitty and scary, and for some unknown reason, both had me feeling like I was on the verge of losing everything.

Coach climbed to his feet and gave me a condescending grin. "You do that, Sandoval. If you get cleared to play, I'll let you on the field. If your conduct evaluation comes back before then, well, we'll just have to revisit this conversation. There is no room for troublemakers and problematic people at Castle Pines."

I couldn't hold back a snort at his words.

The entirety of this school was made up of “troublemakers and problematic members” of overly wealthy families. This was where the black sheep came to flock. This is where the gossip fodder came to get out of the limelight when they couldn't cover up their latest misdeeds. I was as far from problematic as it came, but because I didn't have a fat bank account, I was always going to be the guy who came up short in any situation.

I followed the older man to the door of his office, glaring daggers into his back the entire way. I was ready to skirt around him to avoid the fake comforting hand I knew he was going to put on my shoulder while telling me to make good choices. The thing was, during any game in any scenario, my choices were always top tier. I played the game with more than just my body and physicality. I used my mind and everything I'd learned from playing ball in busted lots with a bunch of thugs and thieves. However, this asshole never failed to take credit for any and all success the team found thanks to me.

I dropped a shoulder and was about to step into the hallway when a sudden commotion caught both my and Coach's attention.

Raised voices shouting, the sound of metal lockers banging around echoed off the walls.

"What the hell?" I grunted as Coach pushed past me and took off running in the direction of the locker rooms.

I shook my head, intending to ignore whatever was going on and mind my own business, when I caught sight of a head of red hair slipping out the big double doors on the opposite end of the hallway.

There was no way in hell Mac was a sports fan, and I couldn't think of a single reason why he'd be anywhere near the locker rooms unless it was to stir shit up.

Sighing heavily, I made my way to the state-of-the-art locker rooms and walked into a scene of absolute chaos.

The assistant coach was between our short-stop and left-outfielder as they tried to kick and punch one another. Our third-baseman and back-up pitcher were down on the ground in a no-holds-barred wrestling match. The asshole pitching coach had our catcher in a headlock as he kicked out at our center-fielder. The entire team was a mess and at each other's throats. There was blood on the tiled ground, and swear words were filling the air. It was both insane and kind of glorious at the same time. I'd never seen this uptight bunch act anywhere near what regular ballplayers acted like. This was as close to normal as they'd ever been.

I dodged a flying elbow and backed away, not needing any more damage done to my face or limbs should I inadvertently get caught in the melee.

"What the hell is going on with you guys?!" Coach screamed the words and then grunted when he took an uppercut that snapped his head back. "This is ridiculous. You guys don't act like common street thugs. You're all better than this."

The dig was directed at me, but all I could do was chuckle. "Are you gonna bench the whole team and suspend all of them for fighting like you threatened to do with me, Coach?"

Obviously, there was no way the whole team was going to be able to sit out the weekend game. There was no way he could single me out when they were all going to have black eyes and busted lips.

Coach and the assistant coach howled in outrage as they tried to get the unruly group of young men under control. Before I left the locker room, I made sure to stop and take a short video of the unfolding insanity. I'd like to think I had Coach dead to rights about treating me unfairly. Still, I'd learned the hard way; power and money had a way of twisting things in a direction I never saw coming. If he still tried to fuck with my scholarship and didn't drop the inquiry into what happened with me and Klein, I would threaten to make the video public.

There was little the administration hated more than their super-secret happenings being viewed by the general public. This school was for the one percent, and the one percent only. It was absolutely considered beneath every single person on this campus to let commoners know what happened behind the iron gates and marbled entrances.

For a minute, I felt like I'd finally had a moment of victory, but it was short-lived as I remembered that tricky redhead slipping away. I was sure Mac was behind the entire team going nuclear and making it so that I could no longer be singled out.

I hadn't asked for his help, but I got it anyway… and I knew that meant nothing good for me when it came time to ask him what he wanted in return.

He said he would own me, and for someone who'd never been claimed or cared for by anyone, the prospect was terrifying.

Plus, he was crazy and totally unpredictable. I never knew which way the tide was going to turn with him, and I was already struggling to keep my head above water. If I wasn't careful, I knew Mac could pull me under, and I would start to drown within his machinations in seconds.