Mountain is in front of me now, using his large frame like a barrier. “Eyes on me.”
I nod, inhaling deeply, but it does nothing to settle the raging emotions.
“Boys,” a deep voice slices through the air.
Every head turns to the sound of it. Chancellor Williamsburg strolls into the locker room with Coach Barrett only a few feet behind him. He walks like he owns the place. The effect is immediate—an invisible leash that tightens around every throat.
Alex stiffens beside Kane, and for the first time, I see it—that barely perceptible shift. A crack in the composure they wore like armor. Both of them straighten.
“Our focus needs to be on being ready to take home another championship.” The chancellor peers around the room into the faces of everyone here.
Everyone but me. No, he treats me as if I’m invisible. Typical.
“Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” the team responds in unison. Except for my guys. They can’t… won’t make that promise.
“Make the school proud. As you know, we host a celebratory dinner in honor of your efforts each year. I’ve come to formally invite you all to our estate this Saturday at seven-thirty. There will be some very important benefactors in attendance, so make sure you’re presentable.” He turns his gaze to Alex. “And on your best behavior.”
Alex clenches his fist but manages to keep his composure.
“That’s it. You boys have a good practice. Coach Barrett, can I have a word in your office?” He glances back at the coach, whose only response is a nod.
The two men leave the room, and the tension thickens again. But thankfully, Ryker steps in front of his brother and escorts him out of the locker room. Others grab their gear and begin to file out. The moment we’re alone, Kane and Alex stomp toward Mountain and me.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?” Kane glances between the three of us.
Mountain looks at me, using his eyes to ask permission. I nod.
“Jackson tried to drug Sam the night of the party, but she fought him off.”
Kane snaps his head in my direction. Anger builds behind his irises.
“And he’s been harassing her, calling and sending threatening messages,” Alex adds.
Mountain’s whole body goes stiff.
Kane aggressively peers at me. “Why’d you keep this from me?”
“Because none of you would’ve pickedmeover him.”
“I don’t know how I can do this anymore,” I tell Evan as I hold the phone up to see his face, my desperate strides taking me away from the rink.
Practice is nowhere near over, and once Coach realizes I’ve abandoned post, he’s going to be pissed. But there was no way I was waiting for Jackson to sneak back into the locker room while I was alone.
It’s early, and because of that there aren’t many other students out in the quad. The first thing I did after getting out of the locker room was FaceTime Evan. He’s the only one who can calm me down right now.
“Wait. Slow down. What are you talking about? Can’t do what?” Evan questions, his voice still groggy from sleep.
“Everything. This school, the people… I can’t do it. I want to come home.”
Evan sighs and sits up in bed. “Okay. Relax, Sam. You didn’t get into that school just to throw it all away before the end of the semester. What’s going on?”
I can’t tell him everything, not when I barely know what’s happening myself. All I know is, I’m not going to survive this school. Too much has happened, and every day it’s looking more and more like none of it is worth it. And if he knew what I’ve been through, if he knew about Jackson, Evan would burn the world for me, even if that meant burning himself, too. That can’t happen, so I tell him the only thing I can tell him.
“I miss you. I miss my brother and just want to be with him.”
Evan rubs his eyes. “We miss you, too. But something tells me it’s more than that. Did something happen? The team still giving you a hard time?”
