Reading it three times steadied me and made the hallway feel less like it was closing in.
I took a breath and kept walking.
This was happening. Tonight at seven o’clock, I’d sit across from my father at his dining table and tell him the truth.
The waiting would finally be over.
By four o’clock, I’d finished the opponent breakdown and sent it to the coaching staff. I’d responded to six different requests for footage from various assistant coaches.
Working felt better than sitting and spiraling.
My laptop bag sat on my desk, packed and ready. I’d draped my jacket over the back of my chair.
Leaving early meant I could go home, change, and arrive at my father’s place with enough time to not feel rushed. I’d rehearse what I’d say one more time in the car before I knocked on his door.
The plan felt solid.
I grabbed my jacket and bag, heading for the door.
Voices carried from down the hall as I stepped into the corridor. One of the equipment staff’s offices sat twenty feet away, and I’d pass it on my way by.
As I approached, two male voices echoed from inside, one my father’s.
“Jim, I don’t know how to bring this up,” one of the assistant coaches, Adam Bryant, was saying. “There’s been some talk among the guys…”
My feet froze to the floor.
“About Haley,” Adam said. “And Nosh.”
Silence dropped.
Then my father laughed. “What kind of talk?”
My vision tunneled. The fluorescent lights overhead felt too bright, washing out the hallway until all I could see was thedoorway twenty feet ahead and all I could hear was my father’s voice.
Laughing.
He waslaughingat the idea that I could be involved with Tolrek.
“That they’re involved or getting there. I don’t have details, but a few of the guys have noticed they’re close.”
My father laughed again.
The sound hit me hard. This wasn’t angry or concerned laughter. No, it wasdismissive. The kind of laughter that said the very concept was so absurd it didn’t need serious consideration.
Because I was Haley. His daughter. The good one who always did the right thing and never caused problems and understood how this world worked.
I’d been invisible for so long he couldn’t imagine I might want to be seen.
“Haley knows better than that.” He sounded so certain. “She’s been around this sport her whole life. She’d never compromise her position or put me in that kind of situation.”
“I’m just saying, you might want to check in with her before it becomes a thing.”
Papers shuffled.
“I’ll talk to her,” Dad said. “But I’m sure it’s nothing. Haley’s professional, and Nosh is a good guy. He wouldn’t cross that line.”
Panic shot through me. My heart pounded so hard I felt sick.
