Coach Me

“I do,” I whisper.

“Good. Make sure she keeps it between you and her.”

I nod, and Torres sighs and pulls out his cellphone. “Here. Add your number to my contact list.”

I take his phone, surprised, and immediately create a new contact and add my number. I didn’t think about how I didn’t have his number, and yet our connection has felt strong, despite not calling or texting one another constantly.

I hand the phone back to him when I’m done and he takes it, slips it into his pocket, and then drops a kiss on my forehead.

“Text me about Ramirez,” he says as he walks away. I watch him go down the hall and around a corner, which leaves only me standing alone in the dark hallway. I pick up my bag and scurry down the hall, heading for the tunnel and leaving the locker rooms.

I don’t see Kendall as I cross the track, so I make my way to our apartment and hope like hell she’s there. What is she going to say? That look in her eyes wasn’t easy to miss. She was shocked, as she should have been, and probably a little afraid.

When I make it to my door, I stick my key in the lock, but it’s already unlocked. I snatch the key out and barge in. Kendall is not in the living room, but her gym bag is on the floor by the sofa.

I go down the hallway and hear music blasting in her room.

I knock. “Kendall?” I call, but the music is so loud I don’t even think she can hear me.

I knock again, harder this time, and in a matter of seconds the door is snatched open and Kendall is standing on the other side.

“Kendall,” I sigh, my shoulders sagging. She looks into my eyes, then presses her lips together. “I—I don’t even know what to say right now.”

She steps back and picks up her phone, pausing the music. She then puts her focus on me and says, “What I saw is none of my business and if you don’t know what to say, then don’t say anything at all. You don’t need to apologize to me. You did nothing wrong on my personal behalf.”

I’m stunned by her response. I expected her to be angry, or confused, or weirded out but she’s…calm about it. I pick at the cuticle of my nail. “Can I…can I come in?”

Kendall steps back and gestures to her bed. “Sure. It’s not much, but it works for me—this room, that is.”

I smile as I walk past her but I’m too nervous to sit, so I just stand in the middle of the room and watch as she closes the door.

“Listen…um, Torres and I…we aren’t—well, we never really intended for it to be like this, you know?”

She seems confused.

I continue. “I just think working with him so much has pushed us to testing boundaries and we went a little too far.”

Kendall sits in the chair in front of her desk. “How did it even start?” she asks.

I avoid her eyes. “The night of the carnival.”

“Oh, shit! Yo, are you serious?” she guffaws, a hand over her mouth.

I nod.

“Did he come onto you or…vice versa?”

“I don’t know. It was kind of a mutual thing, I guess. I didn’t tell you this, but I saw Stephen at the carnival that night. When I left you and Janine to grab something to eat, Torres was working the popcorn stand with his mom. I kind of hung around there a bit, and that’s when I saw Stephen with some other girl. I was disappointed and a little hurt and Torres saw the whole thing go down, so he came to check on me, make sure I was okay. Then I dared him to get on that stupid haunted boat ride and we kissed and…we just haven’t been able to stop since.”

“Shit, Amber.” It’s all she can say. Her hands are in her lap now, but her eyes are still stretched with surprise.

“Kendall, you have to promise not to share this with anyone. Please,” I beg.

“What? Amber, come on! Like I would ever do that to you! I have witnessed shit that is so much worse than that, okay? This is—and no offense to you or Torres—nothing in comparison to some of the shit I’ve seen.”

“Yeah, but it’s wrong. He could be fired for this if anyone we don’t trust finds out.”

“I’m sure he knows that, and yet he can’t seem to stop his tongue from going down your throat.” Kendall snorts.

I sigh and sit on the edge of her bed, dropping my gaze. I want to laugh, but it’s hard for me right now. Kendall is a talker. Sometimes she slips up with the things she says.

She eventually sighs too and then leans forward, taking my hand to get my attention. “Hey. Look at me.” I lift my chin, focused on Kendall’s brown eyes. “I will never tell anyone about this. You are my best friend, okay? We’ve been homies since the beginning. Your secrets are safe with me.”