Free Rush by Shae Ross Page B

involved her, there’s no way I’m going to let her take the fall. I’m going to fix this mess if it kills me—or worse, if it kills my football career. I close my eyes, feeling the vow I’ve just made like a million pounds of pressure on my chest. Fuck.
    My insides are completely shredded, and I’m whispering anything I can think of to help settle her. “You should be able to file an appeal. Did they say you could?”
    “Only if I have new information to present.”
    “That’s what we’re going to do then. We’ll file the appeal, and I’ll talk to my coaches and see if they can help. We’ll find as many witnesses as we can.”
    A voice echoes from over the walls. “Priscilla, are you in there?” She flinches in my arms then straightens, wiping her fingertips across her cheeks.
    “Yes,” she calls, stepping away from me. I grab her wrist.
    “Can you meet me Wednesday at three?” She pauses, and for a minute, I think she’s going to say no, but she nods once and disappears into the maze of giant inflated pillars. My complicated life just tightened the ratchet. Hard.

Chapter Seven
    Priscilla
    “Oh My God, is that a copstache?”
    Jace has come into the kitchen with Rasputin tucked under her arm, and they’re both staring at Marcus. Rasputin flicks a quick flash of blue tongue as Jace examines him. I’m sitting on a bar stool in front of my laptop, pinning ideas onto my “Winslow Thanksgiving” Pinterest board. So far, I have a turkey-shaped cheese ball, with pretzel tail feathers and Rice Krispies treats shaped like drumsticks. I should be studying, but I’m meeting Preston in a half hour, and I needed something to distract my nerves.
    Marcus reaches over Jace, opens the cupboard, and grabs a box of Corn Pops. He moves toward the refrigerator, trying to ignore her, but judging by the mischievous look on her face, she’s not going to let it go.
    “It’s a goatee,” he says, smoothing a finger over his lip.
    “You do realize your missing the tee , right?”
    He rolls his eyes and tries to step around her, but she mirrors the move, blocking his path.
    When Marcus called and told me he was accepting a last minute transfer to SEU and needed to find an apartment to stay in for a semester, I talked Jace into letting him have the spare bedroom she had planned for Rasputin. I think hassling Marcus every chance she gets is her way of punishing him.
    “You have to get rid of that lip-brow,” she demands, swishing her index finger like a windshield wiper as he throws a handful of Corn Pops into his mouth.
    “Mm hmm,” he responds.
    “You can’t roll with a seventies look right now—people will think you’re a creeper!” Jace explains.
    “Mm hmm,” Marcus hums again, ignoring her completely. I press my lips tight to stifle a blast of laughter.
    It takes a lot to get a rise out of Marcus. He is the most laid-back guy—always moving at a slow, easy pace, always pausing to contemplate before he speaks. He extends a Corn Pops pebble to Rasputin, and Jace gasps, hiking the lizard high on her shoulder. “You can’t feed her that processed stuff.”
    “It’s corn,” Marcus says, throwing the remaining handful into his mouth. “She loves it. We watch Fallon together, and she gets hungry. Keeps licking her lips.”
    “She’s a lizard. That’s what they do.”
    “Well, we didn’t have many lizards in the D. Now could you Texas two-step yourself aside. I need some milk.”
    She pauses, trying to decide if she’s done, then lowers her head, pinning him with a warning look. “If she gets sick because of you, I will climb your skyscraper ass faster than King Kong on the Empire State Building and take you down.”
    “Mm hmm,” he says, opening the door and pulling out a gallon of milk.
    My cell buzzes, and I examine the unfamiliar number. “This is Priscilla,” I say. There’s silence for a moment, and then a deep voice comes through.
    “Uh, I was looking for Cate. This is Armando. I met her