Chapter 58 Never ending betrayal
Jaxson backed away from the boards. He looked at Leo like he was seeing a stranger. "You're just like your father, Leo. You care about the image. You care about the win. You don't care about the people."
Leo winced, but he didn't apologize. "Go home, Jaxson. Come back when you're ready to be a teammate, not a victim."
Jaxson turned and walked away. He didn't look at me. He didn't grab his bag. He just walked out of the arena, his shoulders slumped.
I turned to my brother, my eyes burning with tears. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Leo."
"Elena, stay out of it," Leo said, turning his back to me. "Let’s go, Julian. From the blue line again."
Julian gave me one last, tiny smirk, the mask slipped for just a second before he turned and followed my brother back into the center of the ice.
I stood there alone in the cold, watching the two of them skate. The Civil War wasn't between the players anymore. It was between us. And as the sound of their sticks hitting the ice filled the room, I knew that the bond between my brother and my boyfriend was officially dead.
The smell of the rink was usually something that made Jaxson feel alive.
The cold air, the scent of the rubber mats, and the sharp smell of the ice used to mean home. But on Friday afternoon, as the Vipers prepared for their first game since the big peace deal, the air felt like poison.
Jaxson stood in front of his locker, pulling on his socks. His head didn't ache anymore. His vision was clear. He had passed every medical test the school doctors threw at him. He was ready to play. He was ready to take back his spot on the first line and show the fans that the Rookie wasn't broken.
I was waiting for him in the hallway just outside the locker room. I wanted to give him a quick hug before the game started. I wanted him to know that even if the school was divided, I was 100% on his side.
The heavy door to the coaches' office opened, and Leo walked out. He was already in his jersey, looking every bit the Captain. But he didn't look happy. He looked like a man carrying a secret.
He saw Jaxson and stopped.
"Jax," Leo said, his voice tight. "Can I talk to you for a second? Alone?"
I stepped back, but Jaxson shook his head. "Elena stays, Leo. We don't have secrets anymore, remember? That’s what you told Julian on the ice, isn't it? Total honesty?".
Leo winced. He looked at me, then back at Jaxson. "I just came from a meeting with Coach Reed. We were looking at the lines for tonight’s game against North Tech."
"And?" Jaxson asked, standing up straight. "I’m cleared. I’m ready."
Leo looked at the floor. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I told Coach that I didn't think you were ready for the first line tonight. I suggested that you start on the bench. Maybe play a few shifts in the third period if we’re ahead."
The silence that followed was so heavy it felt like it was crushing the air out of the room. Jaxson’s hands, which had been reaching for his jersey, dropped to his sides.
"You did what?" Jaxson whispered.
"Jax, listen," Leo said, stepping closer, his hands out like he was trying to calm a wild animal. "You just had a concussion. North Tech plays dirty. They’re going to target your head the second you step on that ice. I told Coach that your 'mental focus' wasn't there yet. I told him you were still stressed from the locker room stuff."
"My mental focus?" Jaxson’s voice was rising now, turning from a whisper into a growl. "You lied to the Coach about my health? After I spent all week proving to the doctors that I’m fine?"
"I didn't lie!" Leo snapped back. "I gave him my opinion as the Captain! My job is to protect this team. If you go out there and get hit again because you're distracted by your grudge against Julian, the whole season is over!"
"This isn't about protecting me, Leo," Jaxson said, stepping right into Leo’s space. "This is about Julian. If I’m on the bench, Julian stays on the first line. If I’m on the bench, Julian gets the power play. You didn't tell Coach I was hurt. You told Coach I was weak so your new best friend could keep his spot."
"That’s not fair, Jax!" Leo shouted.
"What’s not fair is my best friend stabbing me in the back so he doesn't have to deal with an awkward locker room!" Jaxson grabbed his gloves and threw them into his locker with a loud bang. "You’re a coward, Leo. You’re so afraid of Julian’s dad and your dad and the Board that you’re willing to ruin my career just to keep the peace."
"I'm trying to save your career!" Leo argued.
"No," I said, stepping forward. I couldn't stay quiet anymore. "You're trying to save yourself, Leo. You don't want to have to choose. By putting Jaxson on the bench, you think you can please everyone. But you're just losing the one person who actually stayed loyal to you when things got hard."
Leo looked at me, his eyes full of hurt and anger. "You too, Elena? You think I’m the bad guy here?"
"I think you’re making a choice, Leo," I said. "And it’s the wrong one."
Leo didn't say another word. He turned around and walked back into the locker room, slamming the door behind him.