Page 61

Penny gave me one look and softened as much as she could. “You want to be taken seriously, right? This is what serious looks like. You need to choose between those you care about and the stories that matter.”

I looked down at the folder of my work again, hoping it had transformed into something less damaging, but no, it was still the same old paper stack with exactly the same information. I really would have to choose between Trace’s future and my own. It was the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

“I need to think this over,” I mumbled as shame overwhelmed me.

“Just don’t take too long because your deadline is looming.”

I stepped out of the editorial office feeling like a fool. The campus was buzzing around me with students crossing the quad and conversations coming from every corner. Everything was going on as it usually did, but I didn’t feel like the same person I was the first day I’d walked in.

This was all I had ever wanted. A real story about something that actually meant something. A big opinion piece and safe angles. But now that I had permission to run with it, it felt so wrong. I leaned against a railing and let out a deep breath. This wasn’t about Trace. It couldn’t be.

I kept telling myself that, being firmer each time I felt myself weakening. This wasn’t personal. It had to do with ethics and the truth. I had to do my job the right way, but if I published this, it wouldn’t just touch Frank. It would bring the entire team into the spotlight, and it would cast a very bad light on Coach Harris and his program.

And that was without mentioning Trace. Even if he hadn’t technically done anything yet, the interactions with the TA were enough to drag him under, and that didn’t sit too well with me.

I tried to shake it off and pushed forward across the quad, but I slowed when I saw a crowd gathered near the center lawn.

There were a couple of cameramen and folks with microphones. It was the local news. What were they doing here? My steps faltered, and I grabbed onto the nearest person I could find.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“It’s some or other press thing. They’re here for the football team.”

My heart kicked into the next gear as I moved closer to get a better view, but the crowd was packed so tightly I had to squeeze past along the edges. It was a mission to get anywhere near them, but I managed to get a glimpse over a few shoulders in front of me.

Coach Harris stood on a makeshift podium, and a few Havenport banners fluttered behind him. His voice carried just enough to reach the edges of the group, and from the sound of it, I had already missed quite a lot.

“… proud of what this team has built. Not just in results but also in character.”

I tried to stop myself, but I couldn’t. My gaze shifted to the players who stood off to the side, and I searched for him. I found Ethan, Lucas, Malik… and there at the end of the row was Trace. He stood with loose arms and an expression that was as composed as mine should’ve been during the discussion with Penny.

I had never seen him so closed up before. He looked so polished and controlled, which was so unlike him. But then I saw Frank Delaney, and my stomach dropped. He didn’t stand in the front like he usually did, and he hadn’t said a word. He was watching with hands loosely folded and a satisfied look plastered across his devious, stupid face.

My pulse quickened as I realized that this wasn’t just a press thing. This was about positioning. It became clearer when Harris wrapped up his remarks and stepped back slightly to gesture toward the team.

“Trace,” he said. “Why don’t you say a few words?”

My breath caught in my throat as I watched Trace step forward. He took the mic and for a moment he just looked over the crowd, but then he spoke and there was no way his words could be mistaken. They were confident and far too damaging to be spoken out loud like that.

“Being part of Havenport has been one of the best opportunities of my life. The support from the staff and program is more than any athlete can ask for.”

My gaze drifted to Frank, who was still watching, but his smile had widened.

“And the way this team has been built is not by accident. It’s because of people who believed in what we were doing, and no one has done more for us than Mr. Delaney. He has given this team opportunities we would never have had otherwise, and we’re just getting started.”

I felt like I was going to be sick. Trace had just said that in public, in front of the press. It was a statement that was permanent. He’d have to carry this for the rest of his life. And the worst part was that the cameras were still fixed on him. They captured his every word. It was so bad that I barely registered what else was being said.

All I remembered was the applause and the movement as the crowd scattered. Everyone was so happy about what they heard and how Trace handled the situation, but all I could hear was that one life-altering line. All I could see was Frank Delaney’s smug face as he stood there looking even more proud of himself.

I didn’t wait a second longer than I needed to. The second he was alone, I pushed my way through the rest of the crowd and pulled him to the side.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?”

Trace blinked in confusion. “What are y—?”

“That was on camera, you moron! That means this isn’t just campus gossip anymore. It’s public. It’ll be on the news.”

“Take it easy. It’s just a statement.”