Secrets//Jake Jagielski

~6~

"Please Nate, can't I just go for an hour" Brighid begged. The two were driving over to the school for the game.

"Dad would kill me, you want that?" Nate asked.

"Can you talk to him at least? For me can you find out how she's doing?" Brighid pleaded once more. Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes.

"Enough Brighid, you agreed to dad's terms. We all did. He's already mad at me, I won't jeopardize making him mad again" Nate said with a stern voice.

Brighid quickly turned her head embarrassed that she was crying. She looked out the window of the car trying to stop the tears.

When the car pulled into the parking spot Brighid quickly wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her varsity jacket before jumping out of the car and running across the parking lot.

"C'mon on Brig, you have to understand" Nate called out.

"I think it's the other way Nathan. You need to understand how I feel. You care about basketball and  that's it" Brighid yelled back. She looked around to see people staring. She turned around and headed inside to the gym.

"Brig, hey you okay?" Brooke asked as Brighid passed by her wiping up the tears that had once again began to roll down her face.

She ran into the hallway bathroom crying over the sink.

"Brig?" Brooke called out again. She looked up to face Brooke, her mascara running down her face.

"What's the matter?" Brooke asked all concerned.

"It's nothing" Brighid lied, sobbing in between every word. Brooke rubbed Brighid's back trying to relax her.

"I'm fine, really" Brighid said grabbing a paper towel and blotting away all the makeup that had ran.

"I have some coverup in my bag" Brooke called out as she rushed out of the bathroom. Brighid stepped out when the mascara that had ran was no longer visible.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked behind her.

"I'm fine" she responded turning around. To her surprise it was Lucas.

"Brig, come on we have like a few minutes to fix your makeup" Brooke called from the double doors that led to the gym. Brighid slowly turned around before sprinting over to Brooke.
———
The game was complete shitshow. Lucas had missed every shot. The once famed river court star was nothing but a choke on the basketball court. This fueled Dan's and Nathan's ego even more. The two were practically on cloud nine.

Brighid was far from happy.

She walked into the house to find her dad not home yet.

"Dad?" Nathan called out dropping his gym bag by the front door.

"Thank god" Brighid mumbled.

"Come on Brig, you act like he's so bad"

"Are you for real Nathan? He's always on your case and in his eyes I'm never good enough"

"Whatever, I'm going to pick up Peyton" Nate said all frustrated. He slammed the door behind him.

Brighid frustrated herself went to the kitchen for a snack.

"Where's Nate?" Dan asked as he walked in through the kitchen entrance.

"Out"

"I was about to rewatch tonight's game. Want to watch with me? I could use a second pair of eyes, see all the mistakes the new kid made" Dan commented with a laugh.

"You mean your son, and no thanks. I'm going to bed" Brighid sassed grabbing an apple and heading upstairs to her room.

"You're skating on thin ice" Dan shouted back annoyed with the attitude she had been giving lately.

"Whatever" Brighid muttered under breath closing her bedroom door behind her.