Array
(
[text] =>

-----------------

Dedication: Olivia_taylor_ for voting for so many of the chapters! Thank you!

Recap:

"I have to get back to work. You feeling okay?"

"Fine, mum," I replied, my voice still raspy. "Thanks."

She gave me a tight-lipped smile, before disappearing back out of the room.

"Do you think he's going to come here and see you?" Harvey asked me. "Hayden, I mean."

Biting my lip softly, I swivelled my eyes back to the door.

"I hope so."

-----------------

Mia's POV:

I slid out of my shorts, feeling the sting of the cool air on my bare thighs. I unzipped my jacket and shrugged it off my shoulders, before placing both neatly into my gym bag.

After drawing my blonde hair into a low pony tail, I turned and let out a startled gasp as Coach Brennon stood there, a lazy smirk on his face as he watched me.

"Coach?" I asked slowly, a little uneasy that he was standing there, watching me undress from my casual clothes, into my swimmers.

"Mia," he smiled back. "How are you?"

"Good," I replied curtly, meeting his eyes a little nervously. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," he smirked, his eyes dipping down to my legs. I felt the hairs on my arms bristle under his intense gaze. "Just not right now."

Just as I was about to ask what he meant, I heard footsteps, knowing that the rest of the team were arriving. I pride myself in being the first here every morning. It proved to myself, my parents and the Coach that I'm very serious and dedicated to swimming.

Pulling his bottom lip into his mouth seductively, he winked at me before he sauntered out of the room.

"Morning," I heard him murmur.

"Good morning, Coach," the voice chirped back, just as Carrie rounded the corner, her dark eyes meeting my eyes. "What are you looking at, Mia?"

"Nothing special," I muttered, grabbing my towel and stomping past her. I headed out to the locker room where I lined up.

Coach Brennon's eyes lingered on my mind as I thought about the way he looked at me and the way he stood there, silently watching me undress...

"Hey Mia," Hayden greeted and I felt the thoughts of Coach Brennon disappear from my mind as my stomach fluttered.

"Hayden," I beamed. "How are you this morning?"

"Good," he replied, tossing his bag onto the bench. "Mike coming today?"

"Not sure. I texted him last night and he was still sick."

"Hope he's all right," he frowned and I watched, lips parted, as he shrugged out his jacket, having no shirt on underneath.

Hayden is by far the hottest guy in school. He is gorgeous and that smile... That smile made my entire day.

He stepped out of his track pants and I looked away, feeling a blush kiss my cheeks.

"Not even first period and I've already got your pants off," her annoying voice smirked as she brushed past me like I wasn't even there, zeroing in on Hayden.

He rolled his eyes. "Hello to you, too."

Carrie wrapped her arms around Hayden's neck, before placing a sloppy kiss on his lips. They began openly making out and I cringed, looking anywhere but at them, feeling sick.

I hate that he can't see the other side to her. She acts so nice to me when he is around but when we're alone, she is horrible.

I turned my head and watched Coach Brennon. His eyes were focused on them and they were narrowed.

"Break it up, love birds," he snapped. "We have a swim practise to get on with."

Carrie stepped back with a smirk on her lips. Their eyes met and she gave him a small, coy smile.

I frowned. What the hell is that about?

"Morning Mia," she sang in a warm, polite tone as she noticed me staring.

"Morning," I muttered with a frown, looking to the front where Coach was standing.

"I want us to start with some laps before we work on times. This afternoon we will be doing work outs in the gym. Any questions?"

We shook our head in response.

"Good, get to it," he said before clearing his throat."Carrie, a word?"

I glanced over my shoulder as she hung back, a playful smile on her lips.

Is it just me, or does it really seem like something beyond Coach-student relationship is going on there?

The way he stared at me this morning...

"That is just awful," I hear my mother say with a frown, drawing me from my thoughts, as she read over an article in the newspaper.

"What is?" I ask, glancing down at my untouched breakfast, unable to stomach any food since I found out Grace was attacked and Hayden was arrested for it.

"That poor girl in your class being attacked," she sighs, shaking her head, before taking a sip of her morning coffee. We had discussed this topic multiple times in the past two days. "You've never known Hayden to be aggressive, have you?"

"I fucking hate your guts, Mia." His words rang in my head for the thousandth time.

I can still hear the distinct sound his fist made against the metal of the school locker beside mine.

"No," I lie. "Not that I can recall. I don't think he is the one who hurt her."

She peers at me over the newspaper. "You don't?"

"No," I shake my head. "I really don't."

"Guess you never know the full story," she says softly, taking another sip of her coffee.

I push back from the table, feeling sick.

"Mia," his voice said, making me jump. "Have I done something to upset you?"

I looked up at Coach Brennon as he leaned against the door frame. I was halfway through undoing my jacket.

"Why do you ask that?"

"You have been very quiet in practise. Almost like you're avoiding me?"

"Why would I?" I asked, trying to keep my voice relaxed as my heart began to frantically beat inside my chest.

He stepped closer and I instinctively took a step back.

"Mia," he frowned, noticing, coming closer. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I whispered as he stood in front of me.

"You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?" he asked me, his voice low and sensual as his eyes darkened, dipping to the exposed skin on my shoulder.

I nodded weakly, feeling my eyes become wet.

He leaned out, running his finger down my cheek, his eyes never leaving mine.

"I'm here for you. For anything."

"Good to know," I whispered, my mouth feeling hot as I held back tears.

He gave me a slow smile, before he turned, leaving the room. I let out an exhale, leaning against the wall for support.

Coach Brennon is seriously starting to scare me.

"What's up with you?" Carrie's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Looks like you've seen a ghost."

"None of your business," I snapped back.

"Prissy bitch," she muttered, shredding her clothes confidently. "Oh and while I have you here, back off my boyfriend. You pining over him is embarrassing to watch."

"I don't pine over him." I retorted, my cheeks reddening, still shaken up with what just happened.

"Pining, obsessing, whatever you want to call it," she replied sweetly. "Just stop. Enough is enough. Got it?"

I sneered at her, becoming angrier by the second. How dare she speak to me like that when she doesn't treat Hayden anywhere near he deserves. She could also be hooking up with our creep of a coach, to top things off.

Ignoring her threat, I slipped out of my clothes and left the room, wanting nothing more than to be away from her and the Coach right now.

"Morning," Hayden greeted and I hardly met his eyes as I lined up.

I'm here to swim. Don't get involved.

I looked up, to see Coach Brennon smirking at me.

I felt myself grow pale as I stared back at him.

"Mia?"

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts, looking back at mum. I had made it to the kitchen and realised I was leaning over the sink.

"Are you all right?" she asks, a concerned look in her eyes.

In answer, I throw up, my entire body trembling.

Hayden didn't attack Grace.

Ashton did.

***

Letting out an exhale, I lightly knock on the door.

"Come in," a raspy voice calls.

Opening the door before I could back out of it, I step inside Grace's hospital room, shutting the door behind me.

"Wow," she says dryly. "Didn't expect you to be on the top of my visiting list."

Walking over to the blinds, I quickly shut them and I hear her let out a quiet cough.

"Is this the part where you're going to suffocate me with a pillow or something?" she asks.

I turn to her, facing her for the first time and an audible gasp left my lips. Her face is bruised and cut and there are deep, purple bruises around her neck. She looks like hell and her injuries have had two days to heal.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," she says with a sigh.

Blinking, I control my face. I am usually good at it but the extent of her injuries took me by surprise.

"Sorry."

She whips her head to me, her eyes widening. "Who are you and what have you done to Mia?"

I roll my eyes at her and walk towards the chair pulled up near the bed, taking a seat.

"Funny."

"Seriously," she says slowly, narrowing her eyes at me.

"You stood up to Hayden and told him the truth. You could have gotten away with it. You could have said it was Carrie in those photos and thrown me under the bus, but you didn't. Why?"

She drops her eyes to her hands. "The best thing to do was to be honest. I'd been lying to myself in thinking he would be better off not knowing."

"I get why you didn't want to tell him," I murmur, too weak to hold up the cold front I usually would. I am going to have an honest conversation with Grace for the first time since I've met her. I'm tired of the hate, the threats, the competition. She's not Carrie and I have to remember that. "I know what it's like to know how great Hayden is and then not be able to be with him. It's a horrible feeling."

Her eyes are sympathetic as she looked at me and I glance down to my nails, wanting to pick them but I only just got a fresh set put on.

"Yes, it is," she whispers.

"Grace," I start, not entirely sure how to word what I want to say. I take a moment to collect my thoughts. "I'm not going to apologise for the way I've acted because I'm still annoyed at you and we have both done things wrong. That's not why I'm here. But, I am going to be honest. I think Coach Brennon is a child predator. He went for Carrie, he went for you and honestly, I think he tried to go for me too and considering we're the only females on the team, there would have been others if the rest of the team weren't boys."

She inhales sharply at my words.

"Nothing ever happened, but he used to watch me, make comments, touch my face, run his hands down my arms... Creepy stuff. I was scared to tell anyone because, honestly, who would really believe me? I see this stuff happen all the time. No one ever believes and besides, he never forced himself on me. I knew him and Carrie were having an affair. No one noticed. No one realised. But I did. I had to make it stop."

"So, you took photos," she whispers.

"I thought if they got caught, he would get in trouble. No one would have to know I was involved. But, he didn't... Hayden found out, Carrie moved schools and Brennon acted like nothing ever happened. Then, you came along and it happened all over again."

"You took photos again?" Grace questions.

"I should have done more, but I was still in the same situation. Once he had his attention on you, it was off me. I was fine. I focused on swimming, things were back to normal. Until you broke it off with him. Then he started trying with me again, saying these things to me..." I trail off, my cheeks warming. "Saying I was his number one, he was always here for me..."

I see her face paling at my words.

"I should have done something sooner but I didn't know what to do. I just tried to ignore it." I let out a whoosh of air as I lean back in my chair, lifting my eyes to meet hers once more. "He attacked you, didn't he?"

She nods. "Yes. He did."

"Fuck," I breathe, running a hand over my face. "I should have complained about him. I should have said something."

"Mia, this isn't your fault. I appreciate your honesty, but no one could have predicted he would do this," she assures me, giving me a gentle smile. I blink at her in shock. Carrie would never have said that.

"You don't blame me?"

"Of course not," she replies earnestly. "I got involved with him, knowing it was wrong. I paid the consequences."

"If you're going to testify him in court, I'll make a statement," I say to her, hoping this would ease some of the guilt I am feeling, for keeping quiet about him for so long.

"Thanks, Mia."

I nod at her. I get to my feet, running my hands down the skirt I am wearing, attempting to remove the creases.

"Well, I'm going to go now. I just wanted to tell you that."

"Thank you," she says softly. "You didn't have to."

"You didn't have to, either," I say to her, thinking back to when she helped me with Hayden.

She offers me a weak smile as I walk to the door. As my hand touches the door knob, I look over my shoulder at her.

"I still don't like you."

She rolls her eyes. "Whatever you say, Mia."

As I walk out of her room, I am surprised at the genuine smile on my face.

-----------------

How do you feel getting a bit of Mia's perspective? Feel any different about her and the Coach at all?

★ ★ ★ Please take a second to vote for this chapter if you enjoyed it! (Just by clicking the star on the bottom left of your screen. Thank you!) ★ ★ ★

[text_hash] => 660367d3
)