Chapter 29

"Don't you want to say anything?"

I looked up from tying my shoe. Luke Hastings and I were alone in the locker room. I'd been late. Robbie, Tami, Darlene, Mikee and I had been talking about the play.

"About?"

"I passed my drug test Thursday, and you never said anything."

I looked back down and finished tying my shoe, then stood. "Good," I said flatly.

"That's all?"

"What do you want, a pat on the back? Let's be honest, the only reason I care at all is that I put my reputation on the line too. You passed one test. Try passing the next one, and the one after that. Maybe after you've passed fifty, I'll be impressed."

I turned my back and pulled my helmet out of my locker.

"About that?"

I turned back.

"I don't think it's fair that I have to take a test every week. Nobody else does. I'm clean, that should be enough."

I decided that I really needed to stop trying to help people. I remembered deciding not to get involved anymore before dinner at Darlene's last year. How many times have I made that decision? Hell, I never did get my ribs.

"We had a deal," I said simply.

"Yeah, but, I'm clean. I'm already back on the team, and I'm doing great."

That was true. Half a dozen sports writers were saying that he was cinch for all-state.

"We had a deal. You don't want to test, don't come back."

"You can't do that. Only the coach can kick me out."

I sighed. "Try me. Remember my little medical expert? Think she can't tell me how to make your sample test positive?" I wondered if she would - She seemed a little goody-goody, but there was always Cousin Cin. "Then goodbye high school ball, goodbye college."

"You wouldn't."

I looked Luke square in the eyes. "Dude, I put my reputation on the line for you. My reputation means a lot to me. I'll do whatever I have to in order to protect it. You want me to make your name random again for testing, okay. But the first week you don't test, you're gone."

I turned and jogged toward the locker room door. I hoped like hell he believed me.

"Where do we stand?" Robbie asked with a sigh.

"Pretty much square one," I answered with a sigh to match. "We have to cast this tonight, and you and I don't agree on how to do it."

Robbie looked around her living room at the others. "We could put it to a vote."

"Wouldn't be fair to them. It's a tough position. They know I'm right, but they're afraid of you."

Robbie glared at me and I grinned.

The Bradley twins on my lap fidgeted. I think they were worried about being in the line of fire.

"Okay, your way," Robbie said after a minute. "You wrote it. Hopefully you know what you're doing." She dropped her eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far."

Robbie glared again. "Just give Tami the cast list," she said with another sigh.

I smiled and ticked the twins' ribs. "We have four adult roles. Playing Zoe's mother, Roberta Elizabeth Marie 'Monster Girl' Tate."

"The bitch from Hell," Robbie murmured.

"No, she's not a bitch, from Hell or anywhere. She's a mother in an impossible situation. That's why you have to play her. You're the only one who can, at least, since Leslie Villiers is the competition."

Robbie nodded without modesty. She knew only part of that was buttering her up.

"Playing David's mom, Darlene 'Hot Pants' Carter."

Darlene turned red. "Hot Pants?"

I shrugged. "Playing the doctor, Tamarone Elizabeth..."

"Careful," she warned.

"Sharp," I finished.

She nodded and typed in her name. "At least it's a step up from nurse last year."

"I wanted to get Wynter but she has a test that week."

Tami stuck her tongue out and typed something else.