I nod, and this time a tear slips free anyway, hot on my cheek.
“I’m scared,” I whisper, like saying it out loud will make it real in a way I can’t undo.
Coach’s expression softens. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “That makes sense.”
I wipe at my face with the heel of my hand, annoyed at myself, at my stupid body.
Coach reaches for a box of tissues on the corner of his desk and slides it toward me without making a thing of it.
“I’m going to ask you one more thing,” he says. “Are you safe? Do you have people around you to supportyouthrough this?”
My mind flashes, first to Jade and Blakely, then to Logan’s hand on my back, Logan’s stupid steady presence, the way he doesn’t try to fix it, just stays.
“Yes,” I say, and it’s the first thing that comes out that feels certain. “I do.”
Coach nods once. “Good.”
He pauses, then adds, “You’re a hell of a player, Sloane. But more than that—you’re a hell of a human. Don’t try to carry this alone just because you’re used to being strong.”
My throat burns again.
“I’ll—” I clear it. “I’ll come to practice. For now.”
Coach gives me a small nod. “Okay. And if that changes at any point, you come tell me. Or you text. Or you have someone else tell me. You don’t have to be brave with me.”
I nod, clutching one tissue in my hand like it’s a lifeline.
When I reach for the door, Coach’s voice stops me.
“Sloane.”
I turn back.
He looks at me, eyes steady. “I’m proud of you. Not for showing up—don’t get it twisted. For being honest.”
My chest aches.
I nod once, tight, then slip out of the office and shut the door behind me like I didn’t just hand someone the most fragile part of my life.
But my steps feel a little less shaky walking down the hall.
By the time I get to the gym, I’ve rebuilt my armor.
Hair in a tight ponytail. Face neutral. Body moving like I’m fine.
Jade and Blakely are already there, both in warmups, both too awake for the hour. Jade has a coffee the size of her head and the energy of someone who should not be allowed near caffeine.
She spots me and immediately narrows her eyes like she’s scanning for cracks.
“Morning, Customer Service Bot,” she says brightly.
I glare. “Good morning, Human Headache.”
Blakely smiles, soft. “Hey.”
Jade leans in, whispering loudly because subtlety has never been her brand. “So…the party?”
My stomach drops. “What about it?”
