she and Dhiraj had hunted Daly down, he'd been sent to prison on a host of charges. She regretted that he couldn't be tried for murder, since to most people's knowledge, Erica LaPlante was alive and well. But he'd still be locked up for over 20 years.
Jennifer had cut out and read the article from the local paper more than a dozen times. The black and white picture of Daly in his prison jumpsuit made her squeal with glee the first time she saw it. While it still made her feel warm to see his suffering, the joyful sensation diminished with each read. He'd been her obsession. Catching him had become her entire life. She'd been surprised to find that the realization of her revenge had failed to fully satisfy her for more than a couple of weeks.
Jennifer closed the binder, changed into her uniform, and drove her car a few blocks out of her way to pick up a teammate. Jeannie Moss was a hotshot freshman who would probably play varsity. She looked closer to 20 than her 14 years, and her skills spoke as loudly as her entitlement. Coach Fowler had told Jennifer to look after her. She reluctantly agreed.
Jeannie slammed her duffle bag on top of Jennifer's in the back and hopped into the front seat.
"Hey, Captain Norris. You still slow as hell?"
Throughout training camp, Jeannie had destroyed Jennifer in their three-mile runs. Jeannie had the delightful habit of gloating in the face of each captain she'd beaten.
Jennifer made a face at her passenger. "I don't know. Are you still terrible company?"
Jeannie crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. "You're just mad 'cuz your boyfriend cares more about money than you."
Jennifer glanced over at the hateful girl beside her. She could tell why Jeannie was one of the most popular girls in the freshman class. She was smoking hot with perfect proportions, and most of the guys she spent her time with didn't seem to care much about the bile that frequently spilled out of her mouth.
Jennifer smiled. "You've got me there, Jeannie. I'm sure your relationships are much more substantial."
Sometimes the subtle insults are the ones that cut the deepest, and Jeannie's lack of response showed it. There were a few minutes of silence before either of them piped back up again.
"You're pretty." Jeannie's eye twitched at the complement. "It's not like you couldn't do better than Mr. Moneybags."
Jennifer took in a deep breath. "Dhiraj is hot in his own way."
Jeannie smirked. "The kind of way that doesn't register on film?"
Jennifer ignored her. "I've dated some hot guys in my time." She glanced over at Jeannie. "Guys even you'd be jealous of. But it's totally different when a person likes you for something deeper. Dhiraj would like me even if I was as butt-ugly as you."
Jeannie's stink eye made Jennifer chuckle.
"You suck."
"I learn from the best." Jennifer pulled the car into the Treasure High backlot. "You ready?"
"More than you'll ever be."
For all her terribleness, Jeannie was right about the last point. About halfway through the exhibition, Treasure High was up by two goals. Jeannie had scored one and assisted on the other. Jennifer couldn't believe how fast the girl could move. The only person she'd seen run that quickly on the field was Natalie. Maybe Jeannie would be the former captain's heir apparent.
Jennifer was playing on the opposite side as Jeannie when the freshman got another breakaway. Her ponytail oscillated back and forth as she ran, with Jennifer doing her best to catch up to the action. Jennifer could feel her heart pounding. Jeannie had just one defender to beat and was about to juke her out. The defender took a frustrated swipe, slamming her stick directly into Jeannie's knee. The hotshot freshman fell face-first into the ground, a scream of pain filling the field. As the girl lifted her head, the onlookers could see a mouthful of blood from where her teeth had clamped down on her lip.
Jennifer continued running despite dimly hearing the whistle blow. Even though she
Jennifer had cut out and read the article from the local paper more than a dozen times. The black and white picture of Daly in his prison jumpsuit made her squeal with glee the first time she saw it. While it still made her feel warm to see his suffering, the joyful sensation diminished with each read. He'd been her obsession. Catching him had become her entire life. She'd been surprised to find that the realization of her revenge had failed to fully satisfy her for more than a couple of weeks.
Jennifer closed the binder, changed into her uniform, and drove her car a few blocks out of her way to pick up a teammate. Jeannie Moss was a hotshot freshman who would probably play varsity. She looked closer to 20 than her 14 years, and her skills spoke as loudly as her entitlement. Coach Fowler had told Jennifer to look after her. She reluctantly agreed.
Jeannie slammed her duffle bag on top of Jennifer's in the back and hopped into the front seat.
"Hey, Captain Norris. You still slow as hell?"
Throughout training camp, Jeannie had destroyed Jennifer in their three-mile runs. Jeannie had the delightful habit of gloating in the face of each captain she'd beaten.
Jennifer made a face at her passenger. "I don't know. Are you still terrible company?"
Jeannie crossed her arms and stared straight ahead. "You're just mad 'cuz your boyfriend cares more about money than you."
Jennifer glanced over at the hateful girl beside her. She could tell why Jeannie was one of the most popular girls in the freshman class. She was smoking hot with perfect proportions, and most of the guys she spent her time with didn't seem to care much about the bile that frequently spilled out of her mouth.
Jennifer smiled. "You've got me there, Jeannie. I'm sure your relationships are much more substantial."
Sometimes the subtle insults are the ones that cut the deepest, and Jeannie's lack of response showed it. There were a few minutes of silence before either of them piped back up again.
"You're pretty." Jeannie's eye twitched at the complement. "It's not like you couldn't do better than Mr. Moneybags."
Jennifer took in a deep breath. "Dhiraj is hot in his own way."
Jeannie smirked. "The kind of way that doesn't register on film?"
Jennifer ignored her. "I've dated some hot guys in my time." She glanced over at Jeannie. "Guys even you'd be jealous of. But it's totally different when a person likes you for something deeper. Dhiraj would like me even if I was as butt-ugly as you."
Jeannie's stink eye made Jennifer chuckle.
"You suck."
"I learn from the best." Jennifer pulled the car into the Treasure High backlot. "You ready?"
"More than you'll ever be."
For all her terribleness, Jeannie was right about the last point. About halfway through the exhibition, Treasure High was up by two goals. Jeannie had scored one and assisted on the other. Jennifer couldn't believe how fast the girl could move. The only person she'd seen run that quickly on the field was Natalie. Maybe Jeannie would be the former captain's heir apparent.
Jennifer was playing on the opposite side as Jeannie when the freshman got another breakaway. Her ponytail oscillated back and forth as she ran, with Jennifer doing her best to catch up to the action. Jennifer could feel her heart pounding. Jeannie had just one defender to beat and was about to juke her out. The defender took a frustrated swipe, slamming her stick directly into Jeannie's knee. The hotshot freshman fell face-first into the ground, a scream of pain filling the field. As the girl lifted her head, the onlookers could see a mouthful of blood from where her teeth had clamped down on her lip.
Jennifer continued running despite dimly hearing the whistle blow. Even though she
Similar Books
