A Rose to Keep (The Society 1)

“You could have fucking killed her,” Heather said.

“Don’t touch me, you piece of trash.”

“Are you afraid you’ll catch my poorness?” Heather shoved her again, hard.

I got there first, pulling Heather behind me as I glared down at Chloe.

“She fell! I tried to help.”

I got in her face. “You better watch your back, Chloe. I saw what happened. How do you think The Society is going to feel knowing what you did?” I asked.

Saying The Society out loud was a big fucking risk, but Chloe needed to back off before she did something that would get us all killed.

She went pale and glanced over my shoulder. “I … she fell.”

“She was pushed. You think they’re not watching? They don’t know everything that is going on?”

I had no idea if what I said was the truth. The Society had a way of knowing everything we did.

Chloe stepped back and tripped over her own feet.

“Not so fast, Chloe. Get back in your place,” Coach Bilson said. “I meant what I said, Roberts. You will finish this course or we’re not leaving the field.”

“But, Coach, her ankle looks swollen. What if she broke it?” Heather asked.

“Did I ask for your input? Get back in line. I mean it, Roberts, get up.”

“This is horseshit,” Gideon said.

“You may have everyone else in line, Gideon, but you will all get back in line or will I have to get her to do this again?”

Silence fell.

Coach Bilson had never pushed any of us this far. This was close to cruelty.

“I’ve got it,” Sian said. She got to her feet, and I saw the perspiration dotting her brow. “It’s fine.” She nodded. “I can finish.”

She looked like she was going to vomit.

Against my better judgment, I took a step back and had no choice but to go back to my place in line.

Anger rushed through my body. The others had to be feeling it too, and one glance at them told me I was right in my assessment. They were as pissed as I was.

I wanted to beat the crap out of Coach Bilson.

The whistle blew, and I didn’t move to start with, watching as Sian struggled across the obstacle course. Each time she fell down, there was no stopping her. She got back up.

I started to move.

No one was screaming or yelling. All of us were silent as we waited to see if Sian could complete this course. If not, with it being Friday, he could keep us behind. Who would complain? An exclusive academy we may be, but to admit defeat to Coach, that wasn’t going to happen. I had no doubt our parents would demand it of us as well. We were the fucking top of society. No one made us feel small. Everything we were ordered to do, we did it. No questions asked.

By the time Sian got to the end of the obstacle course, I expected her to pass out, but she didn’t. She stood, going to Heather’s side as the rest of the class finished up.

I wanted to go to her, but Coach was already there, putting an arm beneath her shoulders, touching her a little too close to the breasts.

“Good job. It is always great to get a job done. Now, clean up and I will see you next week.”

I didn’t like the possessive way he held her. Sian limped back to the changing rooms and we followed not too far behind.

“Sir, we can take it from here,” Gideon said.

“I’ve got this, boys. I suggest you clean up. It’s the weekend after all. Time for partying and shit.” He waved us off, and it pissed me off that he could just do that.

Sian was ours to take care of, not his.

Gideon stepped back.

“What the fuck, Gideon?” I asked.

“We pick the fights we can win. I don’t need him calling my father right now.”

“Sian could have broken her leg,” Dante said.

“And our hands are tired right now. We have to learn to back the fuck away.” Gideon headed toward the changing rooms, but something didn’t feel right to me.

Coach was a bastard and a prick, but within reason. Why did he force Sian to finish the course only to help her afterward?

None of it made sense.

I rubbed at my head, trying to make sense of what the fuck had just happened, but I was drawing a blank. That obstacle course could have killed any of us.

Gideon was right, though. No battle could be won right now. However, I did make a note to keep an eye on Coach Bilson. My gut told me I wasn’t going to like him a whole lot.

****

Sian

My ankle was killing me. It wasn’t broken. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to finish the course if it had been, but it wasn’t great.

I winced as Coach Bilson applied pressure to it. He’d removed my trainers and socks and he’d placed my foot on the inside of his thigh.