I walk through the wooden doors and take out my ID handing it to the officer behind the table. “I’m here to see David Cooper.” The officer takes one look at me, slides his pudgy fingers across the table, and starts to write my name on a clipboard.

“He’s in the detention center,” the officer says. His chair creaks as he gets up and waves me over to the door. He holds up a finger in front of a camera, there’s a buzz, and then he opens the door for me.

“Why were they arrested?” I ask. Half an hour ago, I got a call from Melissa to let me know that David was arrested. I was half asleep when I got the call, but I rushed over here as fast I could. The whole time, the worst possible scenarios were running through my head.

“He was fighting with his room-mate.” He walks me to the end of the hallway, holds a finger in front of the camera, and opens the door for me. The detention center is a small and has a couple wooden seats along the wall. At the center of the room is a table, which is occupied by Melissa, Coach Vaughn, Dwayne, and David. Dwayne and David are facing away from each other while Coach Vaughn looks like he wants to rip them a new one.

I wave my hand at David, but he doesn’t even look up in my direction. He has a cut at the right side of his forehead and a bruised cheek. Dwayne, on the other hand, is worse off, with a swollen right eye and a hand that’s wrapped up.

What the hell were they fighting about?

Melissa gives me a half smile as she turns her attention back to David and Dwayne. She looks down at the report in front of her. “I don’t know why the two of you were fighting and I don’t care.” She’s about to continue when Coach Vaughn stands up and slams his hands on the rickey wooden table. I’m surprised the table doesn’t break under his force.

“I’m going to have both of you running laps until you wish you were dead. Teammates do not fight. Not on my team, at least.” He walks away from the table and runs his hand through his hair. Every second that passes, his face turns a little redder. He clenches and unclenches his head, throwing daggers at Dwayne and David. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Neither of them look up from the table. They just shake their heads. It’s funny how the both of them look like little kids being scolded by their parents.

Melissa clears her throat. “Unfortunately, gentlemen there will be consequences. Dwayne, you will be suspended for the next two games.” Dwayne looks up from the table, opens his mouth to object, and reconsiders when he sees how Coach Vaughn is staring at him. He ends up just nodding. Melissa turns her attention to David. “Before this happened, Coach Vaughn and I were discussing the possibility of letting you back on the field for practice. With tonight’s development, that possibility is gone.” David nods.

Coach Vaughn walks around the table to David’s side. I never realized how tall and wide Coach Vaughn is. He makes David look small. He holds his spot until David looks up to him. Coach Vaughn stares him down before letting out a sigh. “As of this moment, you are no longer the team captain.”

David shoots up, his chair clattering to the floor. “That’s not fair, Coach. I worked hard for that spot. You can’t just take it away.”

“I can and have. I won’t have my team captain fighting with his own teammates. It doesn’t set the example that I want.” Coach Vaughn nods to himself before he walks over to Melissa. “That’s it. I have nothing else to say to these numbskulls.”

Melissa nods and gets out of her seat. “On top of the school’s punishment, both of you will have court-ordered community service.”

Nobody says another word. The door buzzes and the officer holds the door open. Everyone shuffles out of the room with their heads down.

“Thanks for coming,” Melissa whispers in the hallway. “At least, David will be able to concentrate on his studies now.”

David has several forms to sign so I wait for him outside the station. The cold air nips at my cheeks. The door to the station opens several minutes later and David strides out. I reach out and grab for him, wanting him to get rid of the cold on the tip of my fingers.

“What happened between the two of you?” David looks at my hand and then up at me with disgust on his face, my stomach drops. This isn’t going to be good. He yanks his arm away and turns away from me. His stride is long and fast. I practically have to run to catch up to him. My heart hurts and my hand shots to my chest. I rush behind him and grab at this shoulder. “David, talk to me.”

He rolls his shoulder from my grasp, his face burning red. “Don’t touch me!” he shouts. He looks at me and shakes his head. “Don’t you dare touch me,” he mutters.

“What did I do?” The pang in my heart grows as he puts distance between the two of us. I don’t follow him. He’s several feet away from me when he turns around, runs his hand through his hair, curses under his breath, and stomps back toward me.

“I know,” he mumbles. “I know about all of it.”

I tilt my head. I don’t understand what he’s talking about. None of this is making any sense.

“You know what?” I want to close the distance between us. I want to just apologize for whatever I did. To tell him that we can move passed it. Instead, I hold my ground. I don’t know if my heart can take being rejected again.

“Dwayne.” His face turns into a scowl. “He told me everything.”

The tears bite as they start to fall. “I was going to tell you. I really was.” I reach out for his hand. He needs to know how sorry I am. How much he means to me. “There just wasn’t a good time to tell you.” My throat breaks and I’m on the verge of breaking down. I take in a breath and my body shakes.

I don’t want to lose him over this. I can’t lose him over this. I pull at him and press my head against his chest, letting my tears fall into his shirt.

He doesn’t move. He doesn’t say anything. When I look up at him, there’s only hurt in his eyes. And something else.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you. I know that now.” I run toward him and bury my head into his chest. His body is warm and I can smell the light fragrance of his cologne. “It’s all in the past. He means nothing to me now,” I plead.

David doesn’t wrap my in his arms. He doesn’t say or do anything. Just stands there as my tears fall on his jacket. I shudder and plead with him.

He makes the first move. He pulls his body away from me and takes a step back. I bring up the sleeve of my coat to wipe away the tears.

“I don’t believe you. Who else are you sleeping with?” He looks at me with hurtful eyes, unsure of what to believe.

The words sting at my heart. I grab for him instinctively and my lower lip shudders. “No one. You’re the only one.”

“Liar! You’re always keeping secrets from me.” He kicks the side of the building, clenching his hand into a fist.

I take a step forward and reach out for him. David swats my hand away. “David, you have to believe me,” I cry.

“I don’t have to do anything. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

And just like that, I fall to my knees. Everything around me starts to spin and I burst into tears.

“I never want to see you again, Casey Boone. Not now. Not ever.”

His words penetrate me and hurt me at my core. With my legs trembling, I get up and take off.

I rush down the street and back to my dorm. I don’t look back once. I can’t bring myself to do it.

Thoughts of the last couple months stream into my head. None of this makes any sense.

By the time I make it to my dorm room I’m nothing but a bumbling mess. I slam the door behind me and drop onto my bed.

Why won’t he believe me? Why won’t he let me explain it to him?

His words echo inside my head, reaffirming one thought inside my head.

I never want to see David Cooper again.

Not now. Not ever.