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I leaned back in my chair and folded my arms. “Asking questions isn’t the same as looking at the proof. This won’t be enough.”

“At this stage, it won’t really matter because you are trying to bring attention to the matter, not have him arrested.”

The more she spoke, the more I cringed internally. This wasn’t just about exposing Frank anymore. She was suggesting I go against everything I believed in when it came to journalism. I wouldn’t feel right about throwing speculations around, but that was exactly what she wanted to do.

“It should matter,” I said.

Penny scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You’re not writing a court case, Dakota. You’re pretending to be a sportswriter for a season, and this is a topic worth reading about.”

I didn’t respond because the problem was right there in her words. This wasn’t just an article anymore. It was an exposure piece that I was warned to stay away from. And I wasn’t the only one who could be harmed by its contents.

This started out as an assignment I didn’t want, turned into one of the most thrilling investigative pieces I’d ever had, and now… I didn’t know if I even wanted to go through with it anymore.

Penny leaned forward. “If you play this right, it could boost your career to the next level.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that things like this get real attention. This isn’t just campus buzz or a local scandal. It goes so much further than that. And your professor,” she said with a sinister laugh. “He won’t have a choice but to give you top marks.”

My fingers dug into my arm. An A+ had been my goal from the very beginning. I looked down at the folder, reading the names and remembering the lines I had drawn between them.

“This could ruin people’s lives,” I whispered.

Penny didn’t show a hint of hesitation. “They should’ve thought about that before they gave you something to use against them. It’s not our fault if people fall into a system like this one.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Except it is. Do you think anyone who forms a link in that chain is losing sleep over doing the right thing? Do you think they’re worried about what’s right or wrong? The only thing they think about is getting to where they want to be.”

When I started this project, I saw things the same way, but things had changed since then. Trace had a bigger impact on my thought process than I was willing to admit. He made me think about the other side of the paper. Things weren’t that black and white. Sometimes players did things because they didn’t see another way out.

“That’s not the point,” I said, trying to stall.

“It’s the only point worth caring about. They made their choices. You’re just reporting them.”

“What about the ones who didn’t make the choice? There are some of those guys who can’t see this for what it is.”

Penny looked like she was considering it for a moment, but the idea put her off. And in that moment, I had to look at myself and my own behavior. Was I that bad? Is that why Trace was so against talking to me in the beginning?

“Like who?” Her curious gaze made me squirm.

I couldn’t get the words to leave my mouth, but my hesitation gave it all away. Penny quirked a brow, and I could feel a blush spreading over my cheeks. She saw right through me, and she knew Trace was the one I was trying to protect. As unbelievable as that may be.

She leaned back with a sigh. “Look, I get it. You’ve spent a lot of time with the guys and you’ve gotten to know them on a more personal level. That does make things messier, but—”

“That’s not it!”

“Yes, it is. You’re too close to your story, and now you’re looking for an out.”

“I haven’t gotten too close.”

I wished I could be firmer and make the words sound more real, but the lie was evident even to my own ears. It had been a while since my opinion about all this changed, and it had nothing to do with the kiss! It started before that, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when.

All I knew was that Trace’s safety had become more important than Frank’s corruption.

“If that’s true, you need to start acting like it,” Penny said. “Follow this story to the end and prove that you haven’t sold out.”

My stomach twisted and sent a wave of sickening guilt to burn the back of my throat. It had been a dilemma I had been trying to solve for weeks, but then he had to kiss me and make things worse.