"I'm sorry, but we've tried too many things to get you back on track. I can't have you back next season." "Coach, I will do anything to make this right. I can't lose this scholarship." Daniel Schwinn was sat in the athletic director's office of USC, a sheen of nervous sweat visible on his face. The sophomore was exhausted, and to put it bluntly, still reeling from his weekend bender. "Daniel, your scholarship isn't even up for retention anymore." The dean sat beside him, his hands folded in his lap. His knuckles were white from the tension of his grip. "You've not kept up a single one of your grades like I've asked, you've skipped almost every class you've been placed in, and you're now in a full-blown investigation for two fatal accidents related to on-campus hazing." "What happened to those freshman was an accident, and I didn't do anything to them. I've had a lot on my plate this semester, Arnold." Danny chuckled uncomfortably. "That's Dean Arnold." The man with salt and peppe
I woke up in Malibu, in the back of a renovated van, next to my sleeping wife. In all of my wildest dreams, I never imagined myself here.Abby slept peacefully beside me, blissfully unaware of my staring at her gentle figure under the white duvet. We'd taken our honeymoon late, as most people seemed to be doing nowadays, and were enjoying the cooler, February air on the beach. As cool as sixty degrees could get, anyway. October felt like a lifetime away, but I replayed our wedding in my head like it was last week. We'd been married now for five months, and I still managed to fall in love with her and learn more about her everyday.I knew how foolish we sounded getting married at twenty three, but with Abby's mom getting sick, we'd rushed our plans a little to let her be apart of our wedding. We didn't know how long we had with her, so we'd held off on our honeymoon for a few months until Abby felt safe leaving her for a week. Her dad was a great bedside nurse, but Abby always worried
I know what you’re thinking. I’ve been there.This is a teen romance novel, yes. But this isn’t the story about how my boyfriend and I overcame the trials and tribulations of high school to have our happily ever after. I don’t battle for prom queen with the popular girl. My boyfriend doesn’t have me hired by his dad to date him and raise his social status. I don’t move from a new town and star in a spring musical with him. No, there’s none of that.This is the story about how I met my boyfriend’s girlfriend.
It was a chilly, Friday night in Autumn like any other. The entire lakeside town of Barton was crammed into the bleachers of the local high school's football field watching their alumna beat the opposing team. There was nothing as small-town as a Friday night high school football game, but it always proved to be entertaining. One player had all eyes on him, as per usual. Daniel Schwinn raced effortlessly across the yard lines, beating the defense to the end zone. Danny was the fastest running back Barton Memorial had seen in two decades, since his late Uncle Daryl, and the entire town was in awe of him. Rightfully so, as he completed the pass from his teammate, scoring for Barton."Just like that, folks, Schwinn's taking us to the playoffs!" The announcer cheered over the PA system, and the crowd joined. They had missed the playoffs last season, and the goal for this past year was to take Barton to state and make up for the lost opportunity. "Abby!" I turned around to see my best fri
Saturday mornings during my senior year were reserved for music lessons, so I could prepare for college auditions. I was going to school to be a music teacher, like I'd dreamt about for the last ten years. I had just finished up my lesson with Mr. Williamson, and I was waiting for Danny to pick me up outside of the church our families attended. Mr. Williamson was the choir and music director of the church, and had been hosting lessons there for years. I had met Danny through church, when my family first switched from Catholicism and I signed up to help with Bible school music. I wasn't the most devout, but I believed. Easter and Christmas were typically my most attended days. Danny was a little more of a firm believer, since his father was the preacher. Danny was taking a little longer than usual to pick me up, and it was starting to get chilly throughout the day now. I pulled my varsity jacket out of my bag and slid into it. Just as I was about to text him, I heard his truck pull in
It was just past eight in the morning, and my dad was pulling the car into the parking lot of Barton Presbyterian Church. Being a committee member, most notably the treasurer, he liked to get there earlier than anyone in the congregation to make sure things were set up beforehand. I didn't see Danny's truck in the lot, so I assumed he wasn't here yet. I'd been waiting all night to see him and ask if there was anything bothering him that he needed to get off his chest, but it would have to wait until after our Sunday School lesson. While my parents headed in the direction of the church office, I went downstairs to the education nook, which housed the nursery and teen center. The church was nearly one hundred years old, and had been remodeled several times since its opening in the 1920s. The "South Wing" was a great addition, since it was made up of the education nook and banquet hall. I unlocked the nursery first, and got to work. I needed to set up the projector and couch cushions, s
I woke up the next morning in a funk, and knew it was not going to be my day at all. I had come home last night and convinced my parents I was exhausted from the weekend, and immediately went up to my room to try and sleep. Of course, I had hardly slept at all, and my back was killing me from sitting up with my laptop most of the night. I tried to Internet-stalk Tessa, after crying and pitying myself, but quickly realized I didn't even know her last name. There was no evidence of any relationship, or even knowledge of her existence on Danny's Facebook, and she and Rhys weren't even friends. I slammed my laptop shut after an hour or two of digging, and tried to sleep it off, to no avail. Tony had been sleeping soundly (at least one of us was) underneath the covers at my feet, and as soon as he sensed that I was awake, he ruffled the covers and tried to shake the comforter off himself. I took a moment to breathe before getting out of bed to get some breakfast and coffee. I was going t
I'd been standing in front of Rhys's car with Stacy for what felt like two hours. In retrospect, it was more than likely only five minutes. In study hall, Stacy had told me I needed to confront Rhys and ask him for details, and advice. I wanted to know more about Tessa, about why Danny had even approached someone else. Practice had ended for cheer in the gym just half an hour ago, and the guys had finished up on the field around the same time. I had texted Danny that I was hanging around after practice with Stacy to do some project for one of our coaches, and I waited for him to leave the parking lot before staking out for Rhys.I had brought Stacy along with me, because I needed some sort of emotional support. There was no way I was going to confront this head on without my best friend. She wanted to interrogate Danny as soon as I told her, but I explained to her that I just needed time. Of course, it didn't stop her from wanting to murder Danny, but she knew I would be upset. "The