Chapter 70: The Weight of Whispers

Aveline’s POV

Inside the pitch-black trophy room, it was really hard to breathe. Kieran’s hands were wrapped around my waist. His grip was tight, holding me against the wall. I could feel the rapid, uneven thumping of his chest against my own. I did not like being trapped. I did not like feeling his body weight pressing down on me.

I brought both of my hands up between us. I pressed my palms against his shoulders. I used all my strength to push him away, trying to not to get hurt. My fingers dug into his jacket.

"Let go of me, Kieran," I whispered.

Kieran refused to let go. He didn't even move back an inch. Instead, he leaned his head forward until his forehead was resting directly against mine. I could feel the warmth of his skin and the shaking breath against my face.

He felt weak, desperate, and broken in a way I had never seen before.

"Just listen to me for one second, Aveline," Kieran pleaded.

"You have to listen to me. I did not want to hurt Asher. I swear to you, I did not want any of this to happen."

I stopped pushing for a brief second, my eyes trying to see his face through the shadows. "Then why did Silas say that ?"

Kieran let out a shaky, painful laugh. He shook his head against mine, his hair brushing my forehead. "I did not know anything about Silas shenanigans," he whispered desperately.

"I swear I didn't. I knew nothing apart from the school funds. Asher was just cut up in all these. It was just a naive play, Aveline.

We were just stupid kids messing around with things we did not understand. It was supposed to be a small joke, a naive play to teach him a lesson not to cut his school funds. I never wanted it to go this far. I never wanted him to get hurt."

I listened to his words, but they did not touch my heart. It was filled with anger instead. I did not care about his excuses. I did not care about his regrets. To me, his words were empty.

"A naive play?" I asked. "You think ruining someone's life is just a game? Every single word that comes out of your mouth right now sounds like a cheap cover-up. You are just a bully, Kieran. You and your friends are all bullies trying to protect your own skin because you got caught in a dirty lie."

"That is not true," Kieran choked out, his grip tightening for a second as if he was begging me to believe him. "I am trying to fix it. I am trying to protect you now."

"I don't need your protection," I snapped.

With a sudden twist of my body, I used a specific defence move. I struck the inside of his wrists with the sides of my hands. His hands dropped away from my waist. Before he could reach out to grab me again, I took a large step back into the centre of the room. I stood looking down at him against the wall.

" Stay the fuck away from me Hampton enjoy your shiny trophies, captain," I said coldly, my voice dripping with pure disgust. "Look at them closely tonight. Because very soon, they are going to be the only things you will have left in your life."

I did not wait for him to respond. I turned around, grabbed the door handle, and pulled it open. I stepped out into the hallway without looking back even once. Behind me, the door clicked shut, leaving Kieran completely alone and ruined in the room.

The next few days passed. The entire atmosphere of Crestwood High School completely transitioned into full Homecoming mode. The halls were louder as usual, filled with a frantic, excited energy.

Everywhere I looked, students were wearing bright blue and Crestwood jerseys.

They walked down the corridors in groups, laughing, shouting, and singing the school fight song. The teachers gave less homework, and the students did not care about classes at all. Everyone was focused on the big upcoming game and the traditional celebrations.

Out on the massive field, the preparation was already happening. A huge group of students and workers were building a massive stack of wood right in the centre of the green grass. They were piling up old wooden pallets, thick tree branches, and heavy logs.

It was growing higher and higher every afternoon, looking like a giant wooden tower. This was for the annual Homecoming bonfire night. It was the biggest event of the year, where the whole town would gather to watch the fire burn before the Friday night game.

I stood by the glass windows of the school library, looking down at the field. I watched the students drop more wood onto the pile. To them, the bonfire night was a time for fun, romance, and drinking. To me, it was the perfect cover.

"Hey, Asher."

I turned around quickly. Theo was standing right behind me.

"Hey, Theo," I said, my voice rough and casual. "What's up?"

Theo walked closer, his eyes drilling into mine with a look of deep suspicion and hidden anger. "I need to ask you something, man. Why aren't you and Hampton talking? In the game night, you practically threw a bomb in the middle of the room and walked away."

I shrugged my shoulders carelessly. "It is just a hockey rivalry, Theo. You know how Hampton is. He thinks he knows what everyone is thinking. I just wanted to remind him that he doesn't."

Theo did not buy my lie. He stepped even closer. "Don't lie to me, Asher. I am not stupid. I noticed something else that night. You disappeared at the game night right at the exact same time Kieran did.

You both were gone for a long time. And when Kieran came back, he looked like he wanted to kill someone. What really happened ?"

A small spark of alarm went off in my mind, but I did not let it show on my face. Theo was watching me too closely but why?.

"Nothing happened, Theo," I said firmly, staring right into his eyes. "I went to use the bathroom. I don't care what Hampton does or where he goes. You need to drop it."

Theo stared at me for a long, silent moment. He looked like he wanted to argue, like he wanted to scream at me, but he finally let out a harsh breath and turned away.

"Fine. But stop acting weird, Asher. The team needs you focused."

He walked away, leaving me alone by the window.

Theo's questions made me realise that my time was running out very fast. People were starting to notice my movements. If I did not find the proof I needed soon, my disguise would be ruined, and the mission would fail completely.

I began to think about the upcoming bonfire night. It was going to happen in two days. On that night, the entire school, all the coaches, the security guards, and the townspeople would be out on the field. They would be watching the massive fire, screaming, dancing, and making an incredible amount of noise. The main school building and the sports complex would be completely empty.

That noisy, chaotic bonfire night was going to be my only chance.

When everyone was distracted by the flames, I would slip away. I would break into Asher Carter's old locker room inside the empty sports complex.

I knew from my research that Asher had a locker there . I needed to open that locker and find Asher's old personal laptop. The laptop held the true truth about everything. the real secret of what happened to Oliver Thorne.