They waited until they heard the door slam then burst into laughter.

“Whoa, that chick is intense!” Dustin said, holding his stomach from laughing so hard, then going back to rubbing his jaw. She hit hard. That bitch.

“Seriously,” Alex said. “What she needs is a good lay.”

“I hope she doesn’t really tell all the cheerleaders, though,” Hayden said.

“Yeah, that would kinda mess up our contest,” Dustin said.

“Meh,” Alex said. “There are ways around it. Convince them you’re different or they’re different. Like they changed you or something. It’s worked for me before.”

“Oww, that’s a good one,” Dustin said. “I’ll use that next time.”

Dustin hadn’t thought that much more of Brooklyn or her threats. He was going to try to talk to Rachel next and see how far he got. He had a thing for redheads. But after practice the next day, Coach did not look happy when it was time for their morning meeting.

“Something has been brought to my attention,” Coach said. He waved a piece of paper in the air. “This is an email from Brooklyn Wells, the Polar Princess captain. She outlines in this very angry email a scenario which I’d like to believe is quite an exaggeration. She claims that not only are several members of this team making contests to sleep with the most cheerleaders but have also posted naked photos of them online and said other derogatory things. Now, I haven’t observed this and I’ve not seen any proof, but know this. Should there be any proof, there will be hell to pay. We don’t have room for a scandal. Anyone caught involved in something like this will be removed from the team immediately. Is that understood?”

He looked around the guys as they took turns nodding. Dustin gritted his teeth but nodded anyway.

“She did name names, and I will be watching those players especially closely. Keep your junk in your pants and your attention in the game where it belongs. I’m starting to wonder if maybe this isn’t the reason some of you aren’t quite living up to your potential.”

He met Dustin’s eyes, and Dustin felt his face go hot. How dare she name him in this and cause him this trouble? That bitch.

Once the meeting broke up, Dustin made a point to seek out the coach. “I just want you to know,” Dustin said, “that I take these accusations very seriously. I don’t feel I’ve done anything less than honorable when it comes to the cheerleaders, but I will make sure that my behavior is even more exemplary than it’s been.”

Coach narrowed his eyes slightly. “You talk a lot of talk, Perry. You have yet to prove yourself. I suggest you follow my warning. Keep your head in the game and out of your pants.”

“Yes, sir,” he said as Coach Kent walked away.

He stood there for a moment, basking in his pure rage. Just when he’d started to pick up a bit, to rise up in the rankings, now this. She had to come over here and ruin everything, when all he was trying to do was have a little fun with his teammates and get laid a few times. Where was the harm in that? She was severely overreacting.

But now the coach was aware of things, and they’d have to be much more careful about how they went about this. As he walked back to his locker to check his phone, he had a thought. Alex and Hayden were there, ready to walk out on the field.

“Guess our fun is over,” Hayden said. “And I was just getting started.”

“Well…” Dustin leaned in close to them. “Maybe our original contest has to be put on hold for now, but I have a better idea.”

Alex chuckled. “Okay. What is it?”

“Instead of all the cheerleaders, we focus on just one. Brooklyn.” Dustin pulled his lips to the side in a snide smile.

“Dude,” Hayden said. “That chick hates you.”

“She hates all of us,” Alex said.

“Exactly,” Dustin said. “That’s what makes the challenge so good.”

“I don’t know, man. Maybe we should just let it go,” Hayden said. “I don’t want to get in trouble with the coach.”

“Oh, I see,” Dustin said. “You’re not up for it. You don’t think you can convince Brooklyn to change her mind about you? Or any of us?”

“Didn’t you say Holly was pretty pissed at you over this?” Alex asked.

“Yeah,” Hayden admitted.

“Perfect. If you can get Brooklyn to crack, you can also convince her to talk to Holly and make her see reason,” Dustin said. “This is your way to get Holly back.”

“I doubt that will work,” Hayden said.

“But if you’re not dating her, then you have nothing to lose,” Alex said.

“We’re still dating.” Hayden gave him a quick glare.

Alex shrugged.

Dustin put a hand on his shoulder. “Who knows what poison Brooklyn will feed them about us over the coming weeks. Your only chance is to get her to come around.”

“I guess,” Hayden said.

“Then it’s on,” Dustin said. “First one to fuck Brooklyn wins. And there must be a naked photo as proof. None of this selfie crap with clothes on.” He put his hand in the middle and held it there, waiting.

Alex put his hand on top. After a moment, Hayden sighed and added his hand to the pile.

“Let the fun begin,” Dustin said. They broke hands and headed out to the field. Dustin started planning his next move.