JADE
Newport was lit—literally.Twinkle lights wrapped around every streetlamp, carolers staked out every corner like they were auditioning for a Hallmark movie, and the historic mansions flung open their doors for their holiday tours. Picture-perfect. Like something out of a glossy travel blog.
And I was in the middle of it. Sort of.
Aunt Susan had gone full cookie mode—there were at least four dozen gingerbread men cooling on every surface in the kitchen. The cats were already batting sprinkles across the floor like festive hockey pucks. And Christmas music was playing in a constant loop, even while I bundled up in a knit beanie and scarf and slipped out the front door with my therapist’s address in my phone.
Session five. Still felt weird saying that out loud. We skipped one last week because of a scheduling mix-up, but I hadn’t missed it. Not really. Not with everything swirling like a snowstorm around me—Leo, Kannon, the rumors, the lawsuit, the winter ball that everyone assumed I’d be at.
“Let’s talk about Kannon,” My therapist said after we’d settled in. Her office was warm and smelled like peppermint tea and cinnamon. Safe. Neutral.
I blinked. “Kannon?”
She smiled lightly. “You brought him up last time. Said he’s been spending time with you.”
I exhaled through my nose, tugging the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my hands. “He’s nice. Solid. Normal.”
“Do you think it’s wise to get romantically involved right now?”
“Is that what I’m doing?” I asked, half laughing, half exhausted. “I’m just trying to be a normal high school girl. That’s all I’ve ever tried to do—be normal. Not the lawsuit girl. Not the scandal girl. Not the one people whisper about. Just… me.”
She didn’t interrupt. She was good at that. Letting the silence stretch long enough for the truth to bubble up.
I picked at the hem of my sleeve. “He doesn’t judge me. Not like everyone else does. And he knows what it’s like being on scholarship. Being different.”
She nodded, scribbling something in her leather-bound notebook. “Have you talked about your future with him? What comes next after graduation?”
“Sort of,” I said, sitting straighter. “I’m waiting on offers. A few D1 schools are interested. I should hear something soon, but…” I trailed off.
“But?” she prompted gently.
“But everything’s paused.” I hated the way my voice thinned out. “Because of the attention. The lawsuit. The media. It’s like they’re all holding their breath, waiting to see if I’m worth the trouble.”
She tilted her head. “Do you think you are?”
I met her gaze dead-on. “I know I am. But I’m tired of having to prove it every single day.”
And that was the truth. No matter how many awards I won, how many goals I scored or articles were written about how brave I was—it never erased the pressure. The expectations. The spotlight.
And now, with the holiday break coming up and my family asking me to come home—to Ohio—I didn’t know what to tell them.
They couldn’t afford to fly out again. And even if I did go back, it’d feel like giving up. Like running. I’d built something here. A life. Friends. Shani. Aunt Susan. And Leo—whatever was or wasn’t happening with Leo.
Not to mention... Aunt Susan couldn’t do the holidays alone. She was scared of flying. She needed me, even if she’d never say it.
I needed her too.
She tapped her pen lightly against the side of her notebook, the soft click-click-click echoing through her cozy little office. Outside the window, snow flurries smudged the view of the wharf—gray sky, gray ocean, gray mood. Perfect.
“Tell me what’s happening with the suits,” she said calmly.
I let out a breath, watching it fog in the cold light that filtered through the old glass panes.
“Well… they’re waiting on me,” I said, sinking deeper into the couch. “Waiting for it to be over. Waiting for me to just… sign something and disappear.”
“What exactly are they asking you to sign?”
I swallowed. My voice sounded thin and brittle. “A settlement. High six figures. Low seven, maybe. They’ll make it sound generous. Like charity.” My jaw tightened. “In exchange for my silence.”
