“No one’s here, don’t worry,” Blake reassures him. “The team isn’t scheduled for practice, the coach already left, and I told the rest of the staff to take an extended break,” he explains.
This is a side of Blake I don’t see often, but when it comes to the people he cares about, he shows up without hesitation.
“I thought we were going to play some hockey, man. I didn’t do anything,” Holt says, looking at me with pleading eyes.
“But you know your sister did something, right?” I ask. He tilts his head. “After the party?”
“I know there was something about some girl at a party, but I didn’t really pay attention. She always has those gossip stories, man. I have no idea what she did, but I had nothing to do with it. I swear,” Holt insists, trying to defend himself.
“And how do we confirm that? How do we know you’re not lying? How do we know you’re not trying to go after Zane’s spot on the team? How do we know this isn’t some kind of revenge play?” Blake presses.
“What?” Holt says in shock. “I would never do anything to take his position. Not like that. I’m not even playing for the Grizzlies next year. I made a deal with the Ravens,” he explains.
Blake and I exchange a look, both surprised. Holt has shown up for the team at every game. I never would’ve guessed he planned to leave.
The fact that he no longer has ties to the Grizzlies makes it even harder to understand why he’d be involved in whatever mess his sister created.
“I’ve been a fan of yours since day one, you know that, Zane. I don’t know what she did, but I would never try to hurt you,” Holt says earnestly. “Definitely not by using your girl.”
“Can you text her?” Leo asks, and I watch closely, curious about where he’s going with this.
“Sure. What do you want me to say?” Holt replies as he reaches for his phone. The moment he unlocks it, Blake quickly snatches it from his hand and tosses it over to Leo.
“Can’t have you calling for help,” Blake says with a shrug when Holt gives him a confused look.
“What was her name again? Jessica?” Leo asks as he scrolls through Holt’s messages. “So the last thing you asked her was whether she was going to your aunt’s birthday party. That seems harmless,” he notes. “Let’s see how she responds to this,” he adds, typing a message and sending it.
“What did you ask her?” Holt asks nervously.
“I asked her what she did last night and why she lied,” Leo replies casually. Something in his tone tells me he didn’t phrase it exactly like that.
“I thought you guys had a good time at the party,” Holt says quietly. “Even your old friend Julian was there with his boyfriend,” he adds.
“Boyfriend? What do you mean?” I ask, confused. “Julian doesn’t have a boyfriend.”
“Maybe he hasn’t told you yet, but I know for a fact he does. I saw him kissing a guy before he left last night,” Holt explains.
“What guy?” Leo asks, just as confused as I am.
“The guy in the suit. He looked like some kind of businessman. I think his name was Rey or something like that,” Holt tries to recall.
“You mean Rex? Rex Chen?” Leo asks, visibly surprised.
“Yeah, I think that was his name. I remember thinking it sounded like something I’d name a dog,” Holt adds, which makes me chuckle despite everything.
Leo glances at me, clearly about to say something, when Holt’s phone buzzes.
JESSICA: Don’t worry about it. Wanted that girl to learn a lesson. All good.
JESSICA: Are you bringing anything to Aunt Sylvia’s place?
“I guess Holt is telling the truth,” I sigh as Leo hands him back his phone. “I’m sorry about all of this.”
“What happened for you to go full mafia psycho?” Holt asks, still confused as he looks between the three of us.
I explain everything to him, and by the time I finish, he looks genuinely shocked. His reaction feels sincere, which makes me feel bad for holding him in the locker room like this.
“Jessica has always been a bit of a bully. I’m sorry she hurt your girl like that,” he says, clearly meaning it. “Is there anything I can do?”
