Chapter 144: The Wrong Ally

Theo's POV

She followed me. I didn't look back to make sure. If Aveline Carter was walking behind me, it wasn't because she trusted me. It was because she was terrified of being exposed.

I led her past the team buses and around the corner of the brick equipment shed. Nobody comes here during the day because of classes; either way, it was completely hidden.

I stopped moving and turned around. Aveline almost ran right into my chest before she caught her balance.

She looked so different in her winter jacket that I wondered why I hadn't noticed all along.

"Where is Asher?" I asked. My voice sounded flat in the quiet. I did not use any big words. I just wanted the answer.

A long silence sat between us. She clutched the front of her jacket, her mouth opening slightly as she tried to find a lie. But her jaw stayed frozen. She couldn't. Instead of only begging, she became defensive.

"Why do you suddenly care?"

"Because he was my friend," I said, confused about how she was trying to switch up on me

She snaps. "Were you his friend?"

That question hurts more than I imagined, even though I have always tried to protect hum I always end up hurting him.

She keeps going. You keep asking me where Asher is."Did you ever ask him how he was... or were you too busy pretending nothing was wrong?"

"Now you want to judge me, please," she whispered. Her voice was shaking, and completely human.

"Please... just do not tell anyone about my secret."

I looked at her for a long time. I should have laughed. I should have walked away since she wasn't ready to tell me where Asher was. My hand stung inside my white bandage, the sharp pain reminding me of why I was here.

But then the reality hit me. If I exposed her cover, the school board would call the police. They would open a massive fraud investigation. They would trace the team files, the old roster list, and the night Oliver Thorne was paralysed. And sooner or later, those questions would lead right back to the water cooler and the extra pills I added to the bottle.

"Fine," I said quietly, leaning my back against the brick wall. "Your secret stays buried."

Aveline let out a loud breath. Her shoulders dropped, and she looked like she was about to cry with pure relief.

"But you are going to help me," I added.

Her eyes widened slightly. "Help you with what?"

"Silas," I said, my voice steady. "He is hiding something, and I want him off this team. I want to expose him."

I reached into my pocket with my left hand and pulled out my phone. I hit play on a video file and turned the screen toward her. The video showed Silas in the corner of the hallway, brutally shoving and abusing a junior player against the wall.

Aveline watched the screen, her brow furrowing. "Theo... as much as I really want to stop him, this is not enough evidence to kick him out of Crestwood. The board will just give him a suspension."

"Can you help me find out what Silas's real connection to the betting app is?" Aveline asked, her voice dropping lower as she stepped closer. "If he's using it, we can prove he's fixing games."

"I can," I answered carefully, watching her eyes. "But I need something first."

"What?"

"The password," I said. "The master password to the app admin logs."

Aveline froze completely. She stared at me, her mind racing. She took a breath and looked up at me.

"Theo..."I don't know if I should trust you, but..."

I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. Someone was walking toward us around the edge of the shed.

Silas.

He didn't just walk up; he had a wicked, ugly smile on his face, like he had been standing in the shadow and listening to us for several seconds.

"Look at this," Silas mocked, crossing his arms as he looked from me to Aveline. His voice was dripping with spit. "The line-mates are having a little private meeting. What's the matter, Mercer? Still chasing after teammates? We all know what you think in that little heart of yours."

My chest tightened. My blood ran cold, a pure, toxic anger hitting my stomach.

"Shut up, Silas," I spat, taking a step forward.

Silas just laughed, stepping closer until he was right in my face. He shoved his hand hard into my shoulder.

"Or what? You going to cry because he doesn't want you? Everyone knows you're a freak, Theo. You're obsessed with him."

Before I could even raise my fists, Aveline lunged forward. She used all her strength. She shoved her hands brutally into Silas's chest, throwing him back with full force.

Silas lost his footing. He stumbled backwards and fell hard, his head hitting the edge of the metal equipment rack with a loud, sharp crack.

He groaned loudly, clutching the back of his head as he struggled to sit up. Fresh blood started to seep through his fingers. Under the immense pain, his face twisted into pure rage, and his mouth completely unravelled.

"You two idiots think the board only checks skates and grades?" He laughed, a cruel, breathless sound as he glared up at us, his eyes wild. "Wait until they ask why a heart patient suddenly became the best player in the state.

Enjoy the drug screening, you freaks! I already gave them enough to start digging."

He stumbled to his feet, clutching his bloody head, and walked away, cursing under his breath.

The silence rushed back, heavier than before. Neither of us knew exactly what he had reported. The uncertainty was scarier than a full explanation.

Aveline turned to me, her face completely crashing as she finally cracked. "Theo... the medical documents I submitted to the school so I can finally play weren't real.

If the board does a full drug screening test or checks the old hospital files, they will eventually start connecting the dots. That he wasn't healed and it is more serious".

Drug screening. Prescriptions. Hospital files.

My pulse sped up. If those records still existed... I needed to see them before anyone else did.

"Do you still have Asher's pharmacy records?" I asked. My voice was low and calm.

Aveline frowned at me, looking totally confused. "What do you need that for? His heart medicine has nothing to do with Silas."

"Listen, Aveline," I said, stepping closer and looking straight into her eyes so she wouldn't see the panic in mine. "If you actually need my help to survive this investigation, you will bring me that paper as soon as possible. Because if the board starts checking those drug records before we do, we are already too late."

Aveline stared at me for a second, then slowly nodded, completely believing that I was trying to protect her.