There are rumblings

Walking into the gymnasium, you could see the girls were already downstairs and stretching.

Maddie and Jennifer, who were talking, saw you come into the room and started walking over to meet you.

"I hear you were counseling a pretty blonde, Daddy," Jennifer said in greeting. Of course she used air quotes at counseling. So...

Shaking your head, you murmur, "Robyn told you I take it?"

Maddie, who had her clipboard clutched to her chest, broke into a smile, saying. "That's not all she said. "Maddie reached up, tugging on her hair. "There also was something about her being a slut and loving what she did with Bailey Hutchinson."

Not caring if anyone was watching, Jennifer stepped in close and idly dragged a finger up your forearm. "Mmmmnnnnnn Bailey is such a delicious addition, even if you haven't brought her over yet. But damn, this new girl has been at our school for only two days... I'm impressed."

You shrug, replying. "You know these things happen." Then before Jennifer could start teasing you some more, you get serious. "What's going on with your text that Reese might be up to something?"

The smiles fade from both their faces. Jennifer looks at Maddie, who nods, and then she lets out a sigh, saying. "Jake has been talking with me the last few days."

Not knowing who this 'Jake' was, you but in asking. "Who's Jake?"

"Jacob Peele, the team's QB," she clarified. You nod, remembering Jacob from the powwow at the pool party.

"This morning he gave me a heads-up that Coach Reese was, in his words, losing it." She continued.

Jennifer then looked around before lowering her voice. "Apparently during weight training yesterday. He ordered T.J. to go out and find 5 sluts for the team to fuck, and he didn't care how."

"Great, just great," you groan. That was all you needed. A horde of horny and possibly hopped-up-on-steroids football players unleashed.

"What the fuck is that man thinking?" you growl. Having his players start grabbing girls would put eyes on everything.

Jennifer nodded at Maddie, who then wordlessly started walking back to the girls. As soon as Maddie was out of earshot, she whispered.

"Carries uncle Vitto has a couple old friends looking into where the coach lives for me."

You nod, murmuring. "Did they get it?"

"Yes, Daddy, they sure did," she corroborates before adding. "There's more."

"There always is," you mutter under your breath.

Jennifer flashes you a sympathetic smile before dropping the other shoe. "Vittos's friends passed on a warning. The coach is friends with a guy named Carlos Nunez who owns an 18+ year old club called the Kitty Club."

"The Kitty Club..." you repeat with a raised eyebrow.

Jennifer nods before adding. "Cute name, I know, but according to Vittos's friends, it's a front for drugs and prostitution; also, not all the teens that enter its doors leave."

Great sex traffickers are potentially involved in all this. After a moment Jennifer, without her normal banter, asks. "What do you want to do?"

You think for a minute, coming to a decision, say. "Hmmm, next week we have a home game. So I'll be conveniently ill and pay his place a visit while everyone's at the game."

"And the coaches' friends?"

You glance up at the gymnasium's upper floor, where the football office is. "Well, I don't plan on going by this Kitty Club." Your gaze shifts to Jennifer, and in a dead serious tone, you say. "And you better not get any bright ideas about scoping the place out."

Jennifer shakes her head, replying. "I'm not that stupid?"

SSSSKKKKRRREEEERRRRRRRR

"Okay, girls, that's enough stretching; we have a home game next week and need to give them a banging show," Maddie called out.

You nod to the team. "Go practice, baby girl."

You watch as Jennifer jogs over to the squad to start working on their choreography. Watch for several minutes, but your mind was a whirlwind of thoughts that prevented you from enjoying watching them.

You head over to the double door leading outside; maybe some fresh air will calm your racing thoughts.

Heading outside, you were surprised that the football team wasn't practicing today. Then you remembered that today was normally a walkthrough for tomorrow's game. But with it being a bye week.

Walking briskly, you followed the concrete path that leads around the home team stands past the locked gate to the side parking lot and the concessions stand.

The more you learned of Andy Reese, the deeper the hole went. Not only did the man pimp out Dallas and her friends, drug and gang rape your predecessor, but he was also apparently involved with a sex trafficker. "It never rains but it pours," your grandfather used to say.

You decide this new information wasn't going to change your plans. The best thing you could do was ransack his place, find some evidence, and then have it appear to the police.

You were almost to the concession stand when you heard the crackling of a radio. You stop and creep close enough to give you a glimpse of the area behind the stands.

From your quick glance you see Leonard, standing with him was George Patrick, Claras' ex-Toby.

You see, Leonard takes a small bottle and plops it onto Toby's outstretched palm. He then looked at the students' sayings. "Andy said to give these to you. Now after they are in their system, you have 10 to 15 minutes tops before they are incapacitated. So for Christ's sake, don't use them unless you are sure you can get them somewhere private before they conk out."

"Do you think we're stupid or something? We've done this before." George Patrick sullenly replied.

Rage flooded in at what you were seeing, but making yourself known would be the stupidest thing you could do. So you bottled it and crept away while they were still talking.

Once you were far enough away, you made a beeline for the gymnasium.

"Fuck." You swore out loud. Of course Reese would be giving his player roofies. Arriving at the double doors into the gymnasium, you jerk one open hard enough that pain shoots out from your right shoulder.

"Good damn it," you grunt as you massage the abused joint while you walk. The girls were doing a variety of tasks as you came in under full sail. Some were doing lifts, others were working in the footwork, and a few were even doing cartwheels.

Walking up to Maddie, you point at the floor and call out, "Girls, I need a school circle."

Every teen on the gymnasium floor froze in surprise. You rarely talked, and after more than a month, even the airiest of airheads knew Maddie was the one really in charge.

Just as surprised as the rest of the team. Maddie quickly shook it off, calling out. "You heard him; bring it in."

They quickly moved to comply, and soon, you had 60 pairs of eyes all staring at you. Ranging from the curious to the apprehensive. You solemnly scanned the crowd of varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders.

"Time to be a sheep dog," you think to yourself.

Taking a deep breath, you ask. "Have any boys been especially pushy of late?"

The girls all blinked, and Renae Jackson, a junior, raised her hand, announcing. "Yes, Mr. C. I had, like, four different members of the football team come around." She made a scoffing sound, adding, "They kept saying I needed to dump the loser I'm dating for one of the elite."

Several other girls all raised their hands and had similar stories. Interestingly enough, all the girls raising their hands were sophomores and juniors. After what you heard outside, your next question is.

"Now, I know it might sound paranoid, but have any of you noticed anyone new hanging around who seems to be paying more attention to you than usual?"

There was a long pause while the team all looked at each other before Aishs Rice perks up, saying. "Now that you mention it, Mr. C, I've seen that creep George Patrick hanging around at lunch with that creepy smirk of his."

Several other girls start nodding and then mention that they've seen Patrick and several other players sitting nearby at lunch just staring at them. One even said, "It felt like he was stripping her with his eyes."

Taking it all in, you get a feeling that the whole team wasn't involved. More like a cadre of 6 players, with George Patrick being a central player.

"Thank you for telling me," you say with a forced smile. "Now, you're all beautiful girls, and I'm sure most of you have gotten the advice that at a party never leave your drink unattended for any reason."

From the nods, you see most of the girls had gotten that advice. "I'm glad you can never be too careful. "You pause before adding. "Now, I don't want to sound alarmist, but that should also apply to here at lunch... never leave your drink unattended. Also don't take a drink from anyone you don't trust."

You watch them change in them as your warning lands. You'd just told them without explicitly saying it. Don't trust anything from the football team.

You give Maddie a nod as she raises her voice, calling. "Okay, get back to it. Ladies were burning daylight."

The team breaks apart and goes back to practicing. When the team is once again doing their thing, you lean close and whisper.

"I came across Leonard giving some players Roofies and advice on using them."

Maddies give you a double take, and her eyes harden. "Really..." she angrily growls.

It may mark you as a hypocrite, seeing as you were sleeping with several of your girls. But there were some lines you just didn't cross.

An hour and a half later Maddie blew her whistle, calling out. "Great practice, ladies hit the showers."

You gingerly rotate your shoulder as you watch the girls go upstairs. Your stomach was rumbling, and it would be close to 5pm when you got home. Yet the question that nagged you was, would Clara show up?