Dirty Little Secret

Chapter Nine - Blindfolds & Trust Issues

The scorching hot sun blinded my vision and caused beads of sweat to roll down my face as I ran towards the changing rooms on the far end of campus near the school's training fields.

It was an exceptionally hot day in Capitola for the time of year, with temperatures reaching up to 99 degrees Fahrenheit and a boiling hot sun that made you feel like your skin was on fire.

The soft breeze blowing through the bottom of my dress did little to cool down my system as my feet hit the concrete ground in a steady pace, my breath coming out in labored pants. I didn't have time to pause and catch my breath or else I would be late for class.

By the time I reached the small brick building, specifically the door with the female stick figure printed across it, my dress was sticking to my back and my throat felt like sandpaper.

I stepped into the changing room where the hushed chatter of a small remaining group of my classmates echoed down the hall. Thank god, I wasn't late.

I spotted Jenna in the right corner of the changing room, stuffing her bag into her locker. I walked towards her and plopped down onto the bench in the middle of the row of lockers, letting out an exhausted breath as my body finally relaxed.

Jenna looked me up and down and smiled sympathetically "You look like you just ran a marathon."

"I feel like it." I sighed as I opened up my gym bag and pulled out a heap of unfolded clothes along with my bottle of water. I had been in a hurry this morning so I hadn't had time to properly pack my bag. I took a few long gulps of the cold refreshment before standing up to find myself a locker. Though as my eyes scanned the rows of grey metal I realized that they had all been taken.

"Ugh." I groaned and looked back at Jenna who was just about to shut her own "Can I put my stuff in with yours?" I asked her.

"Sure, but please hurry." She glanced towards the clock on the wall and I followed her gaze to see we only had five minutes left before class begun, and Mrs. Harrison didn't tolerate tardiness.

I thanked her and quickly pulled off my dress and flip flops and shoved them into my bag before handing them to her. She shut the locker and told me she would see me later before disappearing out of the changing rooms with the remainder of the girls soon following behind.

I hurried as I pulled on my gym shorts and went to reach for my gym shirt when I realized it wasn't there. I felt my heart drop a little as I glanced underneath the bench in the hopes that it had fallen to the floor by accident, but I found nothing besides an old toffee wrapper and a layer of dust.

I sighed and ran a frustrated hand through my hair. I must've forgotten to pack it in my rush this morning.

I felt myself beginning to panic as I stood up and started pacing back and forth across the empty changing room. There was no way I was going to be late again, and Jenna had the key to the locker with my clothes in it. My only real option was sneaking into the coach's office and using a shirt from the lost and found bin, but it would be very risky considering I had to walk through a public hallway linking the girls, guy's and coach's changing rooms to get there first.

Glancing at the clock one more time, I decided the risk would be worth avoiding detention and another flaw on my otherwise perfect attendance list. One tardy was more than enough.

I cracked the exit open and peeked out to find that the hallway was empty. I took a deep breath and counted down from three in my head before jumping out of the door and sprinting across the hall towards the coach's office. I quickly got inside and shut the door behind me, letting out a breath of relief because I had made it.