Chapter 15

Diana hunkered down into the seat between Georgina and Principal Livingston. Georgina narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils, visibly fighting the urge to scream. Her long red nails tapped out a furious rhythm on the table.

Leaning in, Georgina hissed through clenched teeth, “Exactly what are you doing here?”

If Principal Livingston heard her, he gave no sign.

Diana swallowed hard. “Just helping out with tryouts today.”

“You mean trying to steal another one of my jobs?”

“I didn’t—”

Before Diana could finish, Georgina snatched her clipboard and rounded the table to face the girls lined up on the gym floor.

“There will be two fifteen-minute scrimmage matches,” Georgina barked. “After that, we’re done. Make sure your number is clearly pinned to your back and matches the form you submitted. Three of us will be walking around, taking notes and making decisions. So if your name doesn’t show up on the final list, don’t come crying to me.”

Diana exchanged a glance with Principal Livingston, lifting her eyebrows in a silent ‘See? I told you so’.

Georgina blew her whistle, splitting the girls into two teams. The gym echoed with sneakers squeaking on the polished floor as the first match began. All three judges circled the court, clipboards in hand. Diana jotted observations, trying to focus. She remembered how much making the team had meant to her back in high school and college—it had felt like everything.

After the tryouts wrapped up, Diana handed her notes to the principal.

“That’s it, then.”

He reviewed her rankings and gave an approving nod. “Thank you for stepping in on such short notice. I appreciate your input.” He tucked the papers into his folder. “Do you need directions to get to Equal Opportunity tonight?”

Diana blinked. “You’re going there tonight? I didn’t hear anything about it.”

Livingston slipped his hands into his jacket pockets. “Steve sent an email. We’re cleaning out the building since it’s been closed all summer. Sounds like you’re not on the mailing list yet.”

Diana’s jaw clenched. Steve hadn’t said a word—not during the drive to school, not during lunch. She wanted to throttle him. Just this morning, she’d thought he seemed like a genuinely nice guy—so nice, in fact, she’d warned herself not to get too comfortable around him.

What a joke.

He knew she wanted to be involved. And yet he hadn’t bothered to mention the meeting?

She pulled out her phone, tapped open the Notes app, and typed in the address and time from Principal Livingston. “Thanks. I’ll drive myself.”

Outside, ‘Irv the Pig’ was slouched on a plastic chair, legs stretched out in front of the school’s main entrance. Diana didn’t have the energy to deal with him today. All she wanted was to go home, change into something soft, and spend an hour unwinding before she had to face Equal Opportunity.

She turned down a side hallway, planning to take the long way out and avoid Irv altogether.

“Miss Snow!”

A girl with a long black braid came jogging after her. Diana turned as the girl slowed to catch her breath.