Tough Shit (Rejects Paradise 1)

I pull the drawstrings as tight as they will go and tie my shirt at the back so I look at least a little cute. My long boy sleeves get rolled up and before I know it, I’m good to go.

Milo and I walk out of the staff bathroom and pick up our pace as we hear the rest of our health class down on the field already playing.

We get down there a moment later and Coach Sylvester’s eyes instantly come to mine with a heavy scowl. “Take a seat, Oceania,” he demands, pointing to the grassy field by his feet. I groan under my breath at the use of my full name while Milo mutters an “Oh, shit,” under his breath.

I walk right past the coach and into the center of the field. The boys instantly stop what they’re doing with loud protests for me to get out of their way. I roll my eyes and as the soccer ball is discarded and rolls out in front of me, I pick up my pace, hoping I can still do this.

My foot kicks out and the instep of my foot collides with the ball, sending it soaring through the sky. I watch with a smirk as it sails exactly where I want it to go.

Coach Sylvester’s eyes widen a fraction before the ball slams hard into his chest and a loud grunt is pulled from within. I silently thank Sebastian for teaching me his little party trick all those years ago and make a mental note to tell him all about it.

I hear the chuckles of the guys around me and of course, I feel one set of eyes that are staring heavily into my back. I raise my chin and keep my gaze locked on the douchebag with the ball between his hands. “Just because I am a girl it does not mean that I am lacking. It does not mean that I am going to slow the game down, and it sure as hell does not mean that I deserve any less respect than the rest of the dickheads out here. Got it? Because if you don’t, we’re going to have a big fucking problem.”

His eyes narrow on mine and there’s silence around the field for far too long. Finally, his chin lowers and the heavy scowl fades in defeat. “It’s your funeral,” he murmurs, and just like that, the game picks right back up without another word being said.

Two hours later, I stand under the hot stream of the showers, knowing damn well that this shower is better than the ones the boys are currently suffering through. Hell, they’re probably cold and on timers.

I clean myself off, not wanting to get out. I’m not one for physical fitness but I’ll be damned if I show weakness in front of those boys. I pushed myself harder than I’ve ever pushed myself before and made sure that I kept up with them for the whole two hours. My body is going to hate me for it when I wake in the morning but seeing the glisten of respect in their eyes was worth the pain.

A noise catches my attention and I stand a little straighter only to hear the familiar sound of feet scrambling through the bathroom followed by a wicked laugh. The door slams heavily and I jump.

Fuck, fuck. FUCK. That’s not good.

Shutting off the water, I grab my towel and wrap it around my body before rushing out of the shower. Everything is gone. They stole my uniform, my underwear, my sweaty sports clothes, even my shoes, and socks. My bag is gone with my phone so I can’t even call for backup. All I have is the towel around my body.

How could I be so stupid as to allow that to happen? Here I was, foolishly thinking that I’d earned their respect. Hell, Colton didn’t even mutter a word throughout the whole health class. He just kept pushing himself harder in order to keep the bar too high for me to handle.

With no other choice, I’m left to walk straight out of the staff bathroom into a school full of boys wearing nothing but a towel, leaving my pride and dignity behind. My eyes begin to water as I try to hold my head up high but the further I walk, the louder the laughter becomes.

By the time I reach my target, I have strange boys all around me, each of them desperately trying to get a peek, hoping to the Gods above that I accidentally drop my towel. Hands reach for me, my ass and breasts are groped more than any woman should ever have to endure, and wolf whistles are heard from one end of the school to the other.

My fingers latch onto the towel with everything I’ve got as I step up in front of Colton and his band of douchebags with practically the whole school here to watch. Colton stands with his back to me but there’s no doubt he hears the ruckus behind him, yet he refuses to turn around.