It’s done.
My heart does a complicated flip, caught between hope and confusion. I read it again. And again.
It’s done.
What’s done? The post? Jake? Them?
I’m still staring at it when another buzz pulls my attention back to the pile.
I open my dad’s text first.
Papa Fisch
Son, I don’t know what happened, but call me.
Then my sister’s.
Liesel
LUCAS! What is going on?
I feel like I’m sinking, but I don’t even know into what.
Coop’s text is the first one that’s helpful.
Coop
You up? Check socials, buddy. You’ve got a big problem. Let me know what I can do.
The quicksand starts pulling me faster.
I pull up socials.
FIREBIRDS LOVE TRIANGLE EXPOSED
Insider claims Scottie Quinn “sneaking around” behind Rodgers’ back
I sit up and swing my legs to the side of the bed.
The floor vanishes.
I’m not sinking anymore.
I’m in free fall.
The picture is the one Jake took of Scottie and me in the video room, dangerously, stupidly close, but it’s cleverly cropped to make it look worse than it was.
“An exclusive source close to Rodgers says Quinn has been seeing the popular rookie reliever behind his back. Rodgers is reportedly devastated.”
“No, no, no,” I whisper. I scroll as fast as I can, and that’s when I see it—below the photo, the paparazzi who posted also screenshotted a post from Scottie’s ReelTime page.
It’s a picture of her and Jake both flexing at the camera when they were teens—looking chummy but not romantic—timestamped at 3:00 a.m.
After a lot of thought, Jake and I have decided to go our separate ways. We’ve learned we work better as friends, and I’ll always be grateful for the time we spent together. And he'llalways be family. He's one of the most talented people I know, and I can't wait to watch what he does this season. Wishing him nothing but the best. Go Firebirds!
I go back to the hit piece, read the “jaw-dropping exposé” in light of Scottie’s breakup message.
Her post is generous and generic. The kind of statement a publicist would write. The kind that goes up when something’s already over.
