Paul looked at me. “You're back on the bench tomorrow. Full practice. No more disappearing acts. No more decisions I find out about secondhand. You run things through proper channels, or I'll find a coach who will.”
“Understood,” I said.
“Good.” Paul moved toward the door, stopped. “One more thing. If I catch even a hint of something inappropriate between a coach and his player, I will bury both of you so fast you won't know what hit you. Are we clear?”
I felt Jace tense. Felt my own hands curl into fists. But I kept my voice level. “Crystal.”
Paul nodded and walked out. June lingered, eyes moving between us.
“I hope you know what you're doing,” she said quietly. “Both of you.”
Then she followed Paul out, closing the door behind her.
The silence was suffocating. I stood behind my desk, jaw clenched, trying to breathe through the fury.
“Grant—” Jace started.
“Don't.” I held up a hand. “Just... give me a minute.”
I turned to the window, forced myself to calm down. When I could speak without yelling, I turned back.
“You okay?”
“Are you?”
“I will be.” I moved around the desk. “That could have been worse.”
“He basically threatened to destroy us if anyone finds out.”
“Yeah.” I met his eyes. “You still sure about this?”
“I already promised him. I'm not backing out now.”
“Even if it costs you?”
“Even then.” He stood carefully. “I've got Tess. If anyone can get me ready, it's her.”
I wanted to argue. But we'd already had this fight.
“Alright. Let's go see Tess. Get you started.” I grabbed my jacket. “The sooner you begin, the better your chances.”
The training roomwas empty except for Tess, who looked up from her computer when we walked in. Her eyes moved between us, taking in Jace's limp and my tight jaw, and I saw understanding flash across her face.
“Hartley,” she said. “Heard you were back. Ready to get to work?”
“Yeah.” Jace moved toward the treatment table. “Grant said you're going to fix me.”
“I'm going to get you functional.” She pulled out a folder, flipped it open. “But you're going to do the hard part. This is going to hurt, it's going to be frustrating, and you're going towant to quit halfway through. But if you stick with it, you'll be ready.”
“For prelims?”
Tess was quiet for a moment, studying him. “Maybe. If you do everything I say. If you don't push too hard. If the healing continues at your current rate.” She paused. “But it's going to be close.”
“Close is good enough.” Jace sat down on the table. “Let's get started.”
I watched Tess begin the evaluation—range of motion tests, pain assessments, strength measurements—and felt the worry settle heavy in my chest. Twelve days wasn't enough time. I knew it. Tess knew it. Probably even Jace knew it.
But we were doing it anyway, because Paul had left us no choice.
