Love Under Quarantine

I shake my head. “No. Without her confession that she drugged me and set me up I’m still in trouble. The only thing this does is prove that she had motive.”

“Unless you call her and leave a message stating that you know the truth and have a copy of her dirty application all signed and approved by Coach Bates. And that you’ll be taking it to the people over his head and her bright and shiny future is all over unless she talks to you. You might also mention that your publicist is looking at releasing this highly incriminating evidence to the press. Then leave it open for her to call back or you’ll also be notifying the police and they can come and investigate. A nice solid triple threat to set her pretty little head to spinning.”

“Damn, baby. You’re good.”

She gifts me a beaming smile and smacks her bare thighs. “I write this shit for a living. Get her freaking out. But tell her only what she needs to believe in order to give her enough rope to hang herself on.” She gets up, finds my phone, and brings it to me.

I don’t waste any time ringing Mindy’s phone.

Shockingly, she picks up. “Hello?”

“Mindy, this is Evan Sparks.”

“I have nothing to say to you, stop calling.”

I put the phone on speaker and Sadie clicks record on her phone to capture the entire conversation. My woman is so smart.

“Oh, I think you have plenty to say and more to hear. I’ve got a copy of your approved cheerleading application right in front of me.”

“You lie!” She is practically shrieking.

“Nope. And right on the section toward the bottom there’s Coach Bates’s signature on the offer and on the part where he approved the application. I know Coach put you up to this and I have your payment right here. A full three-year contract on the Oakland Marauders’ Cheerleading Squad. Worth tons of cash in the future—modeling gigs, corporate appearances, swag, calendars, and the like… Not to mention you’ll become a celebrity overnight.”

“How did you get a copy of that! Coach Bates assured me you’d never find out!” Her voice rises in anger.

“Yeah. Well, I did. And if you don’t tell me everything about that night, and how you came about those drugs or the ones in my locker…” I throw those in for good measure to see if she bites. “…then I’m taking all of this to the press and the authorities.”

“No! You can’t do that. I’ll be ruined! I just wanted to be a cheerleader and he promised no one would get hurt!” she yells and then sobs into the phone like a child.

“Tell me everything. From beginning to end. What happened?”

Sadie smiles, gets up and I watch her body shimmy to the kitchen and pop in a coffee pod. Then she coos at Gloria and gets her food ready.

“Coach Bates reached out to me about three months ago. Saw my application and asked if I wanted a sure way onto the team.”

I grind down on my molars but otherwise stay silent.

“He paid me five thousand dollars to find a guy who would sell me steroids off the street. Told me I could keep whatever was left. I bought several vials that had approximately thirty milliliters. Which was actually really cheap, so I got to bank most of the money. God, I shouldn’t have done it,” she whimpers.

“So, you bought the dope. Then what?” I glance at Sadie’s phone to make sure it is still recording.

“Um, Coach met me at a park and picked the stuff up. Then he gave me a few pills. I was supposed to put two of the pills in your drink later that week at a party he told me to attend. Then he handed me a bunch of other drugs and told me to set the scene.”

“And you did?” I want her to confirm loud and clear.

“I’m sorry, Evan. I really am. I just…I wanted to be a cheerleader since I was a child and I could never get in and…”

“And did you drug my drink that night of the party?” I bring her back to the matter at hand, not giving two shits what she wants. She fucked up my life.

She’s in full tears, her breath hitching every so often. “Yes. I came on to you and after I made sure you were super drunk, I got you a new drink and put the two pills in it. He said it would just make you sleep and promised it wouldn’t hurt you.”

My nostrils flare at the anger seeping into every single one of my pores at a sickening fast speed. “Then what?”

“I-I uh, got you on the bed, we kissed for a while, and then you passed out.”

“Mmm-hmm…and?”

“Evan, really. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”