Chloe tsked, rolling her eyes. “Don’t overreact.”
I stared at her.Was she serious?
“That is not an overreaction.” My voice was sharper than I intended. “They were out of control. We never should’ve left the van.”
She looked at me, and for a second, her mask slipped. Enough for me to see what she was trying to hide. She had been scared.
“Dad’s just going to worry.”
“That’s his job,” Calvin snapped. “Let him.”
I stepped closer, sensing her reluctance and wanting to take her hand, to let her know I was there, that I would protect her as best I could. But I never got the chance.
Chloe stopped suddenly, turning towards reception. “Wait, I need to pick something up.”
Calvin frowned. “Now? Is that even safe?”
“Security’s keeping them outside,” she said, waving off his concern. “Besides, it’s my medication refill. I have to get it.”
“Fine. But I’m coming with you.”
Before she left, Chloe glanced at me, a small, reassuring smile on her lips. “I’ll let you know when I’m in my room.”
I didn’t have a second to respond before she turned away, Calvin following, still lecturing her about not taking things seriously.
I wanted to follow. Nearly did. But then the elevator dinged, and before I knew it, Zackary, Maya, Mallory, Selene and I were inside, the doors sliding shut.
We’d all been staying at the same hotel for convenience. My team’s floor was on a lower level, with Selene and I on the same floor a few levels up.
As soon as we started moving, Maya murmured, “That’s interesting.”
Zackary frowned. “What is?”
“The medication.” She glanced between us. “Don’t you think it’s a little... suspicious? Given what people are saying online?”
My eyes narrowed on her. And after today, I was too exhausted to entertain anyone believing whatever rumors and lies they’d seen online. “No. It’s justmedication. We’ve talked about it before.”
“Do you trust her enough?” Maya folded her arms. “Don’t you think it’s weird how good she got in such a short span of time? She went from losing in the first round to finals in the space of a year.”
“We’ve been working together for months,” I said, not giving it a second thought. “Of course I trust her.”
The carriage fell into a tense silence, nobody saying a word. I kept looking at Maya, expecting her to explain herself.
“She’s supposed to report her medications to me while we work together,” Maya said. “And she never mentioned more than an ibuprofen.”
I looked at her dead on. “This isn’t physical. It’s mental.” I hated having to justify it, giving up more details of Chloe’s private life than they needed. But this kind of rumor? It was better to shut it down.
“If you’re sure,” she said, with a rise of her shoulders. The elevator doors slid open on their floor. Maya looked to me. “I’ll grab mythings, and then I can come up to your room and we can finish off our physio work.”
“You know what?” I said lightly. “I’m feeling okay tonight. I can do my stretches on my own.”
Maya hesitated. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “We did plenty at the stadium. That should be enough.”
She seemed satisfied, following Zackary out.
The moment the doors shut again, Selene turned to me. “What was that about?”
