Bluegrass Undercover (Bluegrass Brothers)

didn’t happen. It just didn’t happen. But, the evidence was right there in front of him. Not one, not two, but three of his players had tested positive for S2.
    They had had an alright practice on Tuesday, and besides Bonner being an ass, practice today went well too, not good, but not as horribly as Monday’s. Now, though, he was going to have to get rid of three of the team’s best players. The starting wide receiver was out, Bonner was out, and the only offensive lineman with any experience was also out. The team went from a five hundred team to a “we’ll be lucky to win a game or two” team. Worse, he was going to have to tell these kids that their dreams of college ball were over because he was left with no other choice but to kick them all off the team.
    Cade shoved his long legs out from the desk and paced around his classroom. What would their parents say? He knew they would all be asking to talk to him. He paused by one of the large rectangular windows and looked out into the almost empty parking lot. Corey Bonner and Lee Faust, the starting senior center who also tested positive for S2, were standing by their cars. Cade watched as Bonner shoved Faust and started waving his hands around angrily.
    Faust calmly looked at Bonner and said something that made Bonner freeze. Faust was always the one you had to worry about when he was quiet. Cade watched as Bonner pulled out his cell phone and made a call. As soon as he put it away, Cade pushed up the window and leaned out.
    “Boys, I need to see you a minute. Come on into the room.” Cade didn’t wait for them to acknowledge him before closing the window and heading back to his desk.
    Cade picked up the drug test reports and put them in his desk drawer as the door to his room opened. He looked up and into the face of Faust who clearly looked guilty and ashamed. Bonner, on the other hand, looked cockier than ever.
    “What did you want, Coach?” Bonner asked as he leaned his large body against the wall by the door.
    “I wanted to know if you boys had anything to tell me?” Cade folded his arms behind his head and waited. Faust looked like he was about to confess all.
    “Yeah,” Bonner pushed himself off the wall and walked over to Cade’s desk. He put his hands on the top of Cade’s textbooks and stared right into his eyes. It was hard for Cade not to break eye contact. He was just so shocked at Bonner’s appearance. His eyes were bloodshot, his face flushed. Beads of sweat dotted his brow. “You’re not letting me blitz the quarterback enough.”
    “Is that it?” Cade slowly put his arms down and stood up and walked around the desk to face the boys.
    “What kind of question is that? Of course that’s it. If there was more, I would have told you.” Bonner folded his arms across his wide chest and glared at Cade with such anger it rolled off of him and hit Cade in the face.
    “Then, I’ m sorry to tell you, you both are off the team for testing positive for S2. Go clean out your lockers immediately.” Faust hung his head and nodded once. Before Cade could say anything more Bonner exploded.
    “You can’t do that! Football is my life. It’s my way out of here. I have scholarship offers to some of the best schools in country!” Bonner yelled. The sweat on his brow was now rolling down his cheeks as his face became redder and redder.
    “What did you expect, Bonner, you were taking illegal drugs? You knew if you were caught you’d be off the team. Why risk it?”
    “You asshole! The drugs were to get me into LSU. I was so close to a scholarship offer and you just ruined it for me!” Bonner took a step toward him and glared pure hatred.
    “There is no reason for me to ruin you. You ruined yourself. Now go clean out your locker.” Cade stared him down. The situation was so volatile he knew Bonner might snap. A flicker of color appeared behind Bonner, and Cade glanced quickly to see if it was a threat.
    That split second was all Bonner needed. He pulled back his right arm, curled his hand into a fist and planted it right on Cade’s cheek.
     
    Annie stepped further into Cade’s classroom and sighed. Here we go again. Could he not see that he was about to get…punched? Ow. Annie didn’t wait to see what happened next. She kicked out her leg and hit Bonner in the back of the knee, sending him falling to the floor. She was afraid Cade might collapse to the floor in dramatics, but when she looked up, she saw that he was staring