Broken Beautiful Hearts(17)

I scoot closer to the headboard and sit up straighter. “She actually said that?”

Mom nods. “Among other things. There was lots of nonsense about how Reed would never use drugs or hurt you. I stopped listening after she told me he used to volunteer at an animal shelter.”

“That’s actually true.”

“Then I feel sorry for those dogs.” Mom has been on a rampage since she saw me in the emergency room and I told her who put me there. That was before we found out the extent of the damage to my knee. “I still think we should’ve pressed charges against him.”

“It would hurt Tess more than Reed. Mrs. Michaels already works two jobs and she still can’t cover their rent and the bills without his help.”

“I care about Tess, but she’s not my daughter,” Mom says.

I’ll never forgive Reed. The moment he pushed me, a switch flipped inside me. It severed the bond between us along with the feelings I had for him. But I still can’t send Reed to jail—not when Tess loves him so much and he’s the only thing standing between Tess and an eviction notice.

“When the drug test comes back positive, he’ll get kicked out of the league. For Reed, that’s worse than spending a few months in jail,” I remind her.

Mom gathers a pile of dirty clothes. “I’m going to toss this load in the wash and do a little stress baking. Any requests?”

“You choose.”

She leaves my door open on her way out. “Yell if you need anything.”

I check the time. Three o’clock. Classes ended for the day at two thirty.

Tess should know the truth soon, if she doesn’t already. But what will that do to our friendship? Will things ever be the same between us if Reed gets banned from the league? I’m the one who reported him. Will Tess think about that every time her mom works an extra shift?

My cell phone rings and Tess’ number appears on the screen. This won’t be an easy conversation. She’s probably hysterical.

I take a deep breath. “Hey.”

Tess sniffles on the other end of the line. “How could you do this to me?”

“Do what?”

“Lie to me,” Tess says between ragged sobs. “You were supposed to be my best friend. I trusted you.”

Were.

The word knocks the air out of my lungs. “I didn’t lie.”

“The results of Reed’s drug test came back, Peyton. They were negative.”

For a second, I’m not sure if I heard her correctly. “Then the results are wrong. They need to test him again.”

My head spins like I’m stuck on a ride that’s moving too fast.

“Did you even think about how this would affect me?” Tess chokes back a sob. “Reed would’ve been banned from competition and the gym. And I would’ve ended up sleeping in the car, with my mom, in the Walmart parking lot. Without my brother’s help, her paychecks would last us two weeks.”

“I’d never do anything to hurt you, or your family, Tess.”

“You already did.”

“But I—”

The line goes dead.

The test came back clean.

How is that possible? Even if Reed stopped doping—which I don’t believe for a second—the drugs would still be in his system three weeks later.

I flip open my laptop and type in a search for beating drug tests for performance-enhancing drugs. Dozens of blog posts and articles pop up: BODYBUILDING TIPS: DRUG TESTS YOU CAN (AND CAN’T) BEAT, MASKING PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING DRUGS, and URINALYSIS: AN ATHLETE’S BEST FRIEND.

The articles lead me down a rabbit hole of forum posts outlining different ways to conceal PEDs in a test, including the most effective cleanses, ointments, and herbal concoctions to get the job done. From consuming ridiculous amounts of water and taking diuretics to dilute any traces of PEDs in your urine to using testosterone patches or an ointment called The Cream to mask steroids—the options are endless and readily available online.

Lucia told me that Reed had willingly agreed to the test. Now I understand why.

A blood test was the only real threat—and passing the urinalysis basically guaranteed that Reed wouldn’t have to take one. His trainer wouldn’t push for a blood test and risk losing his best fighter, not when he has Reed’s clean test results to wave around.

My phone pings and I check my texts. Unknown. That means it’s Reed. I blocked his phone numbers, so now he calls from his friends’ phones.

test came back clean. it’s all good.

It’s all good?

What is he referring to, exactly? Getting away with pushing me down the stairs and lying about it? Beating a drug test and destroying my credibility? Or ruining my relationship with Tess?

I want to respond with a cruel comment that will hurt him, but I stop myself. Not because I want to be the bigger person in the situation. I just want him to stop texting and calling, and anything I say to him—positive or negative—will just encourage him.

So I do nothing.

A minute later, he texts again.

miss u. can we talk?

The house phone rings in the hallway.

“Reed? Is that you?” I hear Mom say. “Hello? Whoever this is, stop calling my house.”

“Was it Reed?” I call out.

“I don’t know.”