CHAPTER 28
Friday morning Angel sat in the kitchen going over last night’s Spanish homework. After switching his schedule around to get out of his physics class he got stuck with the same Spanish teacher as the previous semester. At the time he hadn’t cared, all he could think of was getting out of seeing Sarah every day. Now he was seriously regretting it. The amount of homework this lady packed on was unreal.
Alex was fixing himself a protein drink when Sofia walked in. “So, dad said if one of you can come into the restaurant for me tomorrow morning I can take the morning off.”
“I’ll go in,” Angel said, without looking up from his homework.
“Where you gonna be?” Alex asked.
Sofia stuck her head in the refrigerator and said something Angel couldn’t make out.
“Where?” Alex asked again.
“Running with the team.” She poured herself a glass of orange juice.
Angel looked up. Sofia avoided looking at him. “On a Saturday?”
“Ah hu,” she pulled out the toaster and plugged it in.
Angel frowned, she was being weird. Ever since she’d told him about her feelings for Eric and been so brazen about going through dad to get her way, he’d wondered how long it would be before she’d start to get sneaky.
“Why on a Saturday, Sof?”
Alex poured himself his drink from the blender and leaned against the counter. “Yeah, your track meets don’t start yet, do they?”
“It’s not a track meet. We’re just going to go run the trails at Mount Soledad.”
“So, it’s a field trip?” Angel asked, feeling the tension release.
“Well, no,” Sofia buttered her toast and spoke with her back to them.
“Well, what the hell is it?” Alex asked.
Sofia exhaled but didn’t turn around to face them. “The coach is taking a bunch of us to run the trails. That’s all.”
Angel’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re going in his car?”
“Oh, hell no,” Alex’s scowled in Sofia’s direction but she still hadn’t turned around.
“Sofi, what did I tell you about watching out for this guy?” Angel stood up.
Sofia finally turned around. “You said not to be alone with him. I won’t be. There’s going to be other people from the team there. Sarah will be there.”
That only soured Angel’s mood further. “So, he’s taking a bunch of girls up to the mountains with him?”
“I don’t know. Sarah’s the one that told me about it. I figured if she would be there it would be okay. We’re just running.”
“Forget about it,” Alex’s tone was final.
“But why?” Sofia looked up at the ceiling frustrated. “You guys are SO unreasonable. Dad said it was okay.”
“Does dad know he’s a pervert, Sof?” Angel demanded.
“Don’t worry I’m sure he’ll agree with us when I’m done talking to him.” Alex said on his way out the kitchen. “You’re not going Sof.”
Sofia looked at Angel exasperated. “Don’t bother going into the restaurant tomorrow. I’ll be there.”
She threw her toast in the trash and walked out.
Angel was fuming. What the hell was Sarah thinking? He thought about what Eric had said. Maybe his warnings hadn’t been enough. If he hadn’t heard the rumors about the perv being accused of rape and he’d been at this school a lot longer, maybe she hadn’t either.
His only consolation was that she wouldn’t be alone with him. Sofia said there were a bunch of them going. The guy wouldn’t risk doing something stupid after being chased from one school already, and not with a bunch of kids around. Sarah should be okay.
*
Sarah woke up late Saturday morning. She had waited until yesterday to tell Sydney about going to Mount Soledad with the coach. And as expected he wasn’t thrilled. They stayed up pretty late talking. He gave her the usual warnings, but in the end was glad she was finally getting out with friends even if the coach would be there also.
The coach had texted her late last night to let her know three of the other’s going had cancelled but that it would still be four of them all together. Sarah was fine with that but was kind of uneasy when Sofia told her there was no way she was going. Knowing that Angel was dead set against it made her speculate what he must be thinking of her going. She’d seen the way he looked at the coach the day he showed up at her practice.
She’d just gotten out of the shower and was drying up in her room when her phone rang. It was the coach. Sarah glanced out the window as she answered.
“Are you guys here already I didn’t realize I was running that late?”
He chuckled. “No, actually I was calling to ask if you still wanted to go, or if we should try this another time.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Nobody called you?”
Sarah looked at her phone. She had no missed calls. “No, nobody called.”
He was quiet for a moment then spoke again. “Yeah, looks like it’s just you and me. The other two flaked out at the last minute. But if you’re not okay with that we can totally do this some other time when everyone else can go.”
Sarah’s stomach stirred. She knew what Sydney would want her to say, but she felt bad. “I um.”
“It’s okay, Sarah. We can try again next week with the whole team, if that would be more comfortable for you.”
Sarah felt silly. He could’ve just picked her up without telling her and not given her a choice. And she’d looked forward to it all week. “No, I’m fine. If you’re still up for it, I am.”
“Are you sure?”
Sarah smiled feeling more relieved. “Yeah, totally. Just give me fifteen minutes.”
Sarah went over all the possibilities while she dressed. She knew Coach Rudy was harmless but something still gnawed at her gut. She was glad Valerie and her aunt had taken off early for a day of shopping. Valerie would’ve probably made her feel bad about going.
Last night’s conversation came crashing in her mind again. One of the only reasons Sydney had finally been okay with her going on this run was that it was a group trip. She felt like a liar now somehow.
Maybe that’s what was bothering her so much. If she didn’t tell him now it would bug her all day. She picked up her phone and called him. She’d learned a huge lesson about coming clean. Her motto now was no matter how bad it is, it’s best to come out with it sooner not later.
“Hey, Lynni.”
“Sydney, I don’t have time to talk, the coach will be here any minute. Just wanted to let you know, it’s gonna be just me and him today.”
Sydney didn’t say anything then she heard the unmistakable censure in his tone. “What?”
“Everyone flaked out, he called to ask if I wanted to just reschedule for another time when everyone could go.”
“So, why didn’t you say okay?” Sarah could almost picture his eyebrows furrowed.
“Because I looked forward to this all week, and it would be silly not to go. We’re going to be in broad daylight at a park. What’s there to worry about?”
“Sarah,” he uncharacteristically raised his voice, “isn’t this the same park you said has a lot of abandoned trails and you could walk for miles without ever seeing anyone?”
Sarah sighed. “I’m sure we won’t be running on those, Syd. I just called to tell you because I didn’t want you to be mad later. Not to worry you. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“How did it just so happen that everyone else flaked out?” Sydney paused and then in an even louder tone said, “Are you sure he didn’t plan it like this in the first place?”
“Will you stop?” Sarah saw the coach’s car pull in the driveway. “Why would he plan it then call and ask if I would rather reschedule?”
“Maybe that was part of the plan?”
“He’s here Syd, I gotta go.”
“I don’t think you should, Lynni. Seriously, I got a bad feeling about this.”
“Sydney, please stop worrying,” She blew a couple of kisses in the phone and hung up.
Coach Rudy waited for Sarah without getting out of his car. Sarah leaned in the open passenger window. “Morning, coach.”
“You look good.”
Sarah looked down at her sweat suit and shrugged. “You know me, coach. I got all fancy for the occasion.”
She got in and put her seatbelt on.
“Sarah, if you don’t mind, I don’t have a problem with you calling me Rudy,” He pulled out of the driveway. “Up to you though, I’m just saying I’d be cool with it if you did.”
He stared straight ahead as he drove and Sarah took it into consideration. That wasn’t so unreasonable. It would feel a little weird at first but it was no big deal. She could get used to it.
“Okay, Rudy.”
He turned to her and smiled. “I like that.”
The ride to the park was cold. The clouds were really swallowing up the mountain. All the times she’d come here with Angel had been in the fall with beautiful blue sky’s and rays of sun shining up every angle of the park. Now it seemed so dark and ominous. A tribute to how she’d been feeling lately.
“Didn’t figure on the weather being so bad,” Coach Rudy peered out the front windshield at the sky. “Forecast is calling for rain later but we should be out of here by then.”
Sarah stared out her window. She focused on relaxing. She couldn’t shake the unease she felt after hanging up with Syd. Everything about the day seemed wrong. Her gut feeling was telling her she should’ve listened to Sydney but a huge part of her still wanted to believe the coach, Rudy was a good person.
They parked in an open area. Only a handful of cars where in the parking lot. She didn’t really remember this part of the park but it was so huge she was sure there was plenty she still hadn’t seen. They got out and he opened the hatch in the back. It was much colder up here than it had been when they left her house. He grabbed a small back pack and their water. He handed her a bottle and Sarah flinched when his finger caressed her hand.
Their eyes met. “You Okay?”
Sarah’s face flushed. She felt like a goof. “Yeah.”
“Is it too cold for you?” His words were gentle and there was earnest concern in his eyes.
Sarah took a deep breath and smiled. “A little, but I like it. It’s so crisp and clean.”
They walked over to the grassy area near one of the trails. Coach Rudy put the back pack and water down and began stretching. He reminded Sarah to make sure she moved her ankle around enough.
After loosening up for a few minutes Sarah felt more relaxed and cursed herself for being so damn jumpy. This was supposed to be a day to relax and forget about all her worries and she was ruining it with her anxiety. She jumped in place a little more and shook her hands.
She glanced up and Coach Rudy had a smirk on his face. “I’ve never seen you warm up that way.”
“I’m trying to shake the cold.” She smiled silly.
“You sure it’s not gonna be too cold for you?
Sarah shook her head and continued to jump in place a few more times. The coach finished stretching and picked up the backpack, he threw both water bottles in there and put it on his back. He stood and watched Sarah for a moment. His eyes moved up and down her very slowly, making Sarah feel a bit invaded. She stopped jumping and he smiled. “You ready?”
“Sure am.”
*
Angel was supposed to just drop Sofia at the restaurant but ended up hanging out and helping out. That happened a lot lately. He had nothing better to do and the last thing he wanted was to sit around the house drudging out painful memories.
Eric and Romero stopped by to grab breakfast. They sat in the bar area that normally wasn’t open that early in the morning, but the restaurant was pretty busy and Alex told them he didn’t want them taking up space in the dining room. Romero had snorted that he was a paying customer but shut up when Alex told him to pay his tab.
After showing a few more patrons to their tables, Angel walked over to where Romero and Eric ate. They were talking about going to watch some extreme fighting later that evening. Romero’s dads’ friend was promoting it and he could get free tickets. Angel considered it. He hadn’t gone out since he’d broken up with Sarah.
He was trying to snap out of the nasty mood he’d been in lately but knowing Sarah was spending more time with the perv as they spoke did nothing to help.
Alex slipped his head out the office door. “Hey, Angel, some guy Sydney is on line one for you. Isn’t that Sarah’s friend?”
Romero chuckled and his voice went high pitched, “Whoa, drama!”
Eyes closed, Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath. “What now?”
He ignored Romero and didn’t respond to Alex’s question. Instead just walked over to the bar phone. “I got it.”
“This is Angel.” Both Romero and Eric were staring at him with stupid curiosity so he turned his back to them. Through the mirror on the back wall of the bar he could see they were still gawking and he flipped them off.
“Sorry to call you at the restaurant but I didn’t know how else to get a hold of you,” Angel couldn’t be sure but he sensed panic in his tone and it unnerved him.
“What’s up?”
“Not sure how much you know about this coach of hers, but from what Sarah’s told me he sounds like a real prick.”
“She said that?” Angel almost smiled.
“Well, no, she told me about the things people say about him, but she’s convinced he’s a good guy.”
Angel frowned not sure what Sydney was getting at but immediately lost his patience. “Yeah, so?”
“I personally don’t think it’s a good idea for her to be around him so much, especially alone,” Sydney paused. Angel thought he heard him grunt. “He convinced her to go running with him today on some isolated trails up in the mountains. I don’t like it. I think he’s up to no good.”
Angel gripped the edge of the bar and gritted his teeth. “I heard about the run. But they’re in a group.”
“That’s why I’m calling you,” Angel definitely heard a door slam that time. “She called me this morning. Conveniently, everyone else cancelled at the last moment. So she’s up there with him now. Alone. I don’t think he ever intended for there to be anyone else. I think he planned it this way.”
Everything after the word alone was muddled. Angel hadn’t heard a word of it. The tension he’d been feeling for the past weeks peaked and he felt ready to explode. Every muscle in his body was on edge. He spoke through his teeth. “Did she say where?”
“No, only that it was the same park you took her to in the fall.”
The park couldn’t be too crowded on a day like this and he knew the car that asshole drove. He’d find them and when he did Angel was going to relieve all the pent up tension he’d been building up since he broke up with Sarah. He felt ready to kill.
“I’ll find her.”
After hanging up Angel stormed past Eric and Romero. He heard Alex ask them, “What’s with him?”
He was almost at his car when Eric called after him. “Hey, Angel. What’s up? Where you going?”
“Gotta go find, Sarah,” He reached for door handle on his car.
“What’s the matter?” Romero asked.
Angel turned just before getting in the car. “That pervert Rudy has her up at Mount Soledad, all by herself.”
He saw Eric and Romero run to Eric’s car just as he gunned the engine started. The image of Rudy walking away with Sarah at school and the snide way he’d looked at Angel fueled his already murderous temper and he stepped on the gas.
*
After running for about four miles, the coach slowed down and stopped near a grassy area. They’d been running along a trail that wound along the side of the road. At times the trail veered a bit far from the road but they were always within eyesight of it. Sarah hadn’t seen a car drive by the entire time they ran.
Coach Rudy grabbed the bottles of water out of his back pack and handed one to Sarah. In between heavy breathing he reminded her not to drink too fast or too much. Sarah walked over to a giant boulder off the side of the trail and leaned against it. She was glad for the cold weather, now the cool air felt good in her nose.
He walked over and joined her on the boulder. His thigh touched her leg when he leaned on the rock. “How’s the ankle feeling?”
“Good,” Sarah looked down and wiggled it. “I was a little nervous but it feels fine.”
The coach took a sip of his water “Can I ask you something personal?”
Sarah put her foot down and turned to him. “Go ahead.”
“You’re boyfriend last semester; he seemed pretty crazy about you. Just wondering what in the world would make him let you go?”
He must’ve seen the hurt in her eyes because he put his hand on her leg. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring you down, I was just curious.”
Sarah shook her head and stared at her feet. “No, it’s okay. It’s just been hard, but I’m getting over it.”
The coach patted her leg then rubbed it gently. “Was he your first?”
Sarah looked up at him.
“I mean first love.”
She hadn’t really thought of it that way. But he was. No other boy had even come close to the way she felt about Angel. And she had an aching feeling that no one ever would.
She nodded and turned her attention to her water. “It was my fault.” She took a small sip. “I was really stupid.”
Sarah stood up. The pain was still so raw she was afraid she might get all sentimental. But the coach grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
“Come here. It’s okay.” He spoke softly. His words were kind and his touch felt warm. Except for the night of the awful scene, and the day she went to see her mom, all the times she’d cried for Angel she’d done it alone in her room. Sydney was usually on the other end of the phone but she still couldn’t help feeling alone.
She sat back down next to him. He kept her hand in his and spoke to her looking directly in her eyes. “Listen you don’t have to talk about it. But you’re a beautiful girl not just on the outside and I hope you know that there are plenty of guys out there that would be dying to be with someone like you.”
Sarah wasn’t sure about that. She didn’t care either. There was only one guy she wanted to be with but she knew the coach meant well. The lump in her throat was getting heavier with every word he said. She could feel her eyes welling up. Damn it. That was exactly what she didn’t want. Especially not today, the day she was supposed to getting away from all the sorrow. She gulped hard trying to hold it together.
“Can I hug you?”
Sarah leaned against his chest without answering. And he put his strong arms around her. She felt him kiss the top of her head and somehow it felt right. It’s what Sydney would’ve done. The tears ran down her cheek as she took in the clean smell of his shirt.
She pulled away a little to face him and he wiped the tears from her face. “Do you have any idea how special you are?”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Sarah knew he was just trying to make her feel better but it made her uncomfortable. The level of tenderness in his eyes had changed a bit. He kissed her forehead softly and then the corner of her eye.
“You have the most beautiful eyes.” He whispered.
Sarah felt an icy shiver up her spine. He was just consoling her, she told herself. But his kisses continued down her face and his strong body leaned a little heavier against her. He pulled her against him by the waist and his lips caressed hers.
She put her hand on his chest. “Coach?” But he didn’t even budge.
“Call me Rudy,” he said and kissed her on the side of the mouth.
“What are you doing?” She pushed him harder but was no match for him.
“It’s okay, Sarah. Don’t fight it. I felt the attraction all along.”
The heated craze in his eyes alarmed her. It was almost as if she were looking at a different person. The reality finally sunk in. “What are you talking about? You’re scaring me!”
His grip on her loosened for just a moment “C’mon, Sarah. We’re both adults. This has been building between us long enough.”
The panic she’d began to feel spiked and she used her foot to push him away. He stumbled back awkwardly but caught his balance and reached for her again. Sarah moved away. The sorrow she’d felt earlier was now replaced with anger and fear. She’d trusted him “How dare you?”
“You can drop the act now, Sarah,” he said coldly. “We both want this.”
“What? You’re crazy! I can’t believe you would even think that,” Sarah moved away from him cautiously but he never backed down.
“Crazy?” He grabbed her hand and thrust her to him. In an instant she was locked in his arms and she squirmed with all her strength to get away. “Don’t act stupid. Why else would you be up here with me?”
Sarah kneed him missing his groin by just an inch but it was enough to stun him, causing him to let her go. The second she was loose she bolted back toward the parking lot.
“Sarah, wait!”
Without looking back or the slightest hesitation, Sarah was in the run of her life. She did what she did best and turned on the wheels. Her mind raced and the tears streamed down her face. How could she have been so stupid? Even with all the warnings she had put herself in this horrific situation. She thought of the few cars in the parking lot and prayed someone would be around when she got there. She still hadn’t seen a soul.
Halfway to the parking lot she realized the coach was still running after her. He was yelling something but her ear hummed with the wind, or maybe it was dread. Rain drops began to bounce off her face. The adrenaline thrashed through her body and she picked up the speed.
When she finally turned the corner and saw the parking lot her heart sank. Of the few cars that had been there when they arrived, only two were left. Her heart pounded as her eyes searched around for anyone. She heard a car’s engine and tried to make out what direction it was coming from.
The car sped around the corner up toward the direction she’d just come from.
“Hey!” She yelled waving her arms in the air. But the car was going too fast. It was out of sight and she dare not run back in that direction. She could barely catch her breath and didn’t think she could run anymore anyway. Her stomach bottomed out when she saw the coach turn the corner.
“Sarah, wait. I wanna apologize.”
He ran slowly and Sarah could see he was just as exhausted as she was. She looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. There was nothing and still no one in sight.
“Don’t come near me,” Sarah could barely get the words out she was breathing so hard.
But her words did nothing to deter him. He charged at her with that crazed heat still in his eyes.