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“This isn’t a job… I’m not a journalist,” I said, echoing Trace’s words from earlier in the season. “It’s an assignment that will cost me my grade. That’s not something I’m willing to risk.”
“Whoever believes that doesn’t know you like I do,” he said, eyeing me carefully. “Dakota Hayes doesn’t back down, and she doesn’t care about the consequences. So don’t think you’re pulling the wool over my eyes with that. I’ve seen it all.”
“I would never,” I said as a sarcastic laugh pushed past my lips. “And I’m not trying to bullshit you either. I’ll be turning in a fluff piece about the beloved Highlanders and their second season.”
Professor Adler gave me a look that made it clear he didn’t believe a word that came out of my mouth. But I just pulled my bag onto my shoulder and made my way to the front of the lecture hall.
“I want to believe you, Dakota,” he said as my hand reached for the door. “So please don’t make me regret this.”
That was all that was needed. A few reassuring words and a couple of believable lies. And all of a sudden, he seemed satisfied. It made me feel sick, but I didn’t let him see that part. I just walked out and sank down next to the door. Unshed tears stung my eyes, and my mind threatened to push me into an emotional breakdown.
Professor Adler might’ve been happy with what I had told him, but I still didn’t know if I was going to go through with it or not. Everything was just so messy after I hooked up with Trace, and I was feeling so many things that I was unfamiliar with. Something that should’ve been straightforward and simple became the most complicated situation I had ever been in.
“Looks like you’re about to have your ass kicked, Hayes,” Darrel said, drawing me from my thoughts. “You didn’t go up, and that can only mean you’re asking for an extension. So either you have something really big brewing, or you’ve been slacking. I’m betting on the latter because you can’t stay a teacher’s pet forever.”
I pushed to my feet and bit back my tears. “Fuck you, Darrel. My assignment is none of your business, and this isn’t a competition. But if it were, I’d be wiping the floor with you. So leave me the fuck alone, because you are seconds away from getting punched in the face.”
“Ooh, feisty,” he said, but I raised my fist before he could continue, and he quickly scurried off.
I let out a shaky breath, trying to purge the heavy silence of the lecture hall from my lungs as I turned the corner toward my apartment. My head was a mess of ethics and adrenaline. I needed to be alone. I needed to figure out if I was a girl with a conscience or a reporter with a career, and I needed to do it before I saw him again.
I was staring at the cracked pavement, lost in the “what-ifs,” when the air in front of me suddenly shifted. I didn’t see him so much as I felt the heat radiating off him. I looked up, my heart doing a stuttering kick against my ribs as I collided with the solid, familiar breadth of Trace’s chest.
“Trace,” I breathed, the relief of seeing him momentarily eclipsing the guilt. I reached out, my fingers instinctively seeking the hem of his jacket. “Hey. How was it? How did your parents take the news? Are they... are they going to be okay with you staying on the team?”
Trace didn’t reach back. In fact, he recoiled.
His expression was a fortress. The same eyes that had been soft and clouded with fever just nights ago were now cold, flat, and entirely unreadable.
He took a deliberate step back, putting a chasm of concrete between us.
“No comment.” His voice was a dead, hollow rasp, stripped of every ounce of the warmth we’d shared.
My jaw dropped, a sharp sting of humiliation flaring in my chest.
He didn’t blink. He didn’t even look at me like I was a person. He just shifted his weight and pushed past me, his shoulder brushing mine with indifferent force. I stood there, rooted to the sidewalk, watching as he disappeared into the shadows, leaving me shivering in the wake of a ghost.
28
Trace
The day had started off so well. I was ready for the game when I arrived at the stadium, and in good spirits. But as I made my way to the locker room to change and get ready for what was to come, I was intercepted.
“Trace!” Frank called as he stepped around the corner. “I’m so glad I got a chance to see you before the game.”
“I appreciate it, Mr. Delaney, but I’m already running late, so I should get going,” I said, pointing at the locker room, but he didn’t budge.
“It won’t take long.” He handed me a set of car keys. “I just wanted you to have this because I thought it would inspire you to do your best out there.”
The keys rolled through my fingers as I tried to comprehend what had just happened. Delaney couldn’t really have given me a car, right? That would be insane even on the best of days. Yet, there I stood with a set of keys in my hand, and when I looked up, all I saw on his face was a sinister smile.
“Those are for your new Jeep,” Delaney added. “It’s out in the school parking lot. The red one up front. You won’t miss it.”
“Why?” I finally found the voice to ask. “Why are you sending my family checks and buying me a new car? It’s not like I’ve done anything for you.”
“Don’t look so surprised, young man.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and walked me in the other direction. “I just so happen to be the kind of sponsor who takes care of his recruits. You’re welcome to tell the other guys about it if you want. The further the word spreads, the better.”
“When did I become one of your recruits?” I shook his hand from my shoulders. “I didn’t sign any deals or agree to anything that involved the two of us.”
