Chapter 31 What if ?
The photo in Leo’s locker wasn't a threat from a stalker. It was a screenshot of the university’s biggest sports blog, The Viper Pit.
In the photo, there was a picture of Jaxson from the last game. But across his face, someone had edited a giant red "X." The headline was simple and cold:
"THE TRAITOR IN OUR MIDST: WHY JAXSON MILLER MUST BE STRIPPED OF HIS JERSEY."
My heart sank. This wasn't just a locker room fight anymore. The whole school was turning against him. Even the alumni were calling for his scholarship to be canceled.
"Leo," I whispered, handing the paper back to him. "Everyone knows. How did it get to the media so fast?"
Leo looked at the photo, his jaw tight. "Must be someone from the team. Maybe one of them have been talking to the student reporters all afternoon. He wants to make sure that even if Coach doesn't kick Jaxson off, the school forces him to."
Leo crumbled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash. "They’re trying to make it impossible for him to ever play again. Even if we prove he didn't leak the plays, his reputation is gone."
The drive back from the hockey rink was the quietest thirty minutes of my life. Usually, Leo played music or talked about the game. Tonight, the only sound was the hum of the car tires on the wet road.
I looked out the window. The campus was glowing with streetlights, but I felt like I was sitting in a dark hole. My head was spinning. I kept seeing that screen in the locker room, the big red "X" over Jaxson’s face. I kept hearing Marcus’s mean laugh.
We pulled into our driveway. The house looked big and cold. Leo turned off the engine, but he didn't get out. He just stared at the steering wheel.
"Leo," I said. My voice was small.
"Not now, El," he muttered. He looked exhausted.
"No, we have to talk," I said. I felt a lump in my throat. It felt like I was choking on all the secrets we were keeping. "This is all my fault."
Leo finally looked at me. He frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Jaxson," I said. A tear ran down my cheek, and I wiped it away with my sleeve. "The leak. The team turning against you. The fans burning jerseys. If I hadn't shown interest in him, none of this would be happening. If I had just stayed in my lane and been the perfect Vance daughter, Dad wouldn't be hunting him."
Leo sighed and leaned back in his seat. "El, don't do this."
"But it's true!" I cried. I was talking fast now. "Think about it. Before me, Jaxson was just a talented rookie. He was safe. He was just playing hockey. But then my dorm flooded. I moved in here. I started liking him. And because I liked him, Dad noticed him. And because Dad noticed him, he decided to destroy him."
I looked at my hands. I was still wearing my medical school ring. It felt heavy.
"I'm a medical student," I whispered. "I'm supposed to fix things. I'm supposed to help people get better. But all I’ve done is make everyone’s life worse. You’re losing your team, Leo. You’re the Captain, and they called you a traitor today. Because of me."
Leo reached over and grabbed my shoulder. He squeezed it gently. "Elena, look at me."
I looked up. His eyes were sad, but he wasn't angry at me.
"Dad was always going to find a way to control us," Leo said. "If it wasn't Jaxson, it would have been something else. He doesn't like it when we have something he didn't give us. You didn't choose for the dorm to flood. You didn't choose to fall for a guy Dad hates. That’s just life."
"But I’m the one who sent the money," I reminded him. "I'm the one who used my trust fund. If Dad finds out, I lose my medical career. I lose everything. And I dragged Cooper into it, too. If Cooper gets kicked off the team, that’s on me."
"We are a team, El," Leo said. "You, me, and Jaxson. We’re the only ones who know the truth. If you start blaming yourself, you’ll stop thinking clearly. And right now, we need to be very smart."
We got out of the car and walked into the house. It was late, but the lights in the kitchen were on.
We walked downstairs to the basement.
Jaxson was sitting on the floor. He had his phone in his hand, but he wasn't looking at it. He looked like he was waiting for bad news. When he saw us, he stood up fast.
"What happened at the rink?" he asked.
Leo told him about the thumb drive. He told him about the name "MILLER" scratched into the metal.
Jaxson sank back down onto the bed. He put his head in his hands. "A thumb drive? I don't even own a silver thumb drive. I keep all my stuff on the cloud because I can't afford hardware."
"We know," I said, sitting next to him. "But the team doesn't know. They want someone to hate, Jax. And Marcus is giving them a reason."
Jaxson looked at me. He saw that I had been crying. "Elena, what's wrong?"
"She thinks this is her fault," Leo said from the doorway.
Jaxson took my hand. His skin was warm, but he was shaking. "El, look at me. If I could go back to the start of the semester, knowing all of this would happen... I would still choose to meet you. I would still choose to sit with you in that library. This isn't your fault. It’s the people who are trying to tear us apart."
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But then I remembered the letter from the housing office.
"I have to move back to the dorms tomorrow," I said.
Jaxson froze. "What?"
"The repairs are done," I explained. "Macy came by. She told me the dorm is ready. If I stay here, Dad will know I'm staying for a reason. He’ll know I’m hiding something."
"She’s right," Leo said. "She has to go back. It’s the only way to make things look normal before the dinner on Friday."
TBC
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