Chapter 79: The Unholy Alliance

Theo’s POV

Late that evening, the school parking lot was completely empty and dark. The big stadium lights were turned off. I sat all alone inside my car, staring blankly through the front windshield. My hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles were white. I felt completely humiliated. My chest was tight, and my heart was heavy with a mix of sadness and anger.

I thought about what happened in the restroom this morning. The memory made my blood feel hot with shame. I had grabbed Asher's collar because I was so angry.

I was angry that he was ignoring me. I was angry that he was spending so much time with Kieran Hampton. But when I pulled him close, everything went wrong. I felt his chest. I wanted to kiss him badly, pull him close to me and make him feel every inch of me but it did not make any sense if he wasn't feeling me.

I had loved Asher for a very long time. I loved him as my best friend, and I loved him as something more. But now, that love was turning into something ugly. It was turning into pure, toxic jealousy. Asher was changing. He was acting cold, he was keeping secrets from me, and he was letting Kieran protect him. He was throwing away our friendship for the team captain.

Suddenly, a loud knock came on my sidecar window.

Tap. Tap.

I jumped in my seat, my heart racing fast. I looked through the dark glass. Silas and Barrett were standing outside in the shadows of the parking lot.

They were wearing their school jackets. Silas gestured with his finger for me to open the window.

"Come out so we can talk, Brooks," Silas said, his voice cutting through the glass.

I turned the key in the ignition just enough to get power. I rolled the window down halfway, keeping my guard up. I did not like these two transfer students. They were dangerous, and they always caused trouble.

"What do you guys want?" I asked, my voice rough and tired. "I am not in the mood for games tonight. Go away."

Silas let out a small, mean smirk. He leaned his arm against the top of my car door, looking down at me.

"We saw what happened in the hallway today, Theo. We saw you crashing out in front of the whole team. Everyone was laughing at you."

"Shut up," I snapped, clenching my teeth.

"I know why you did it," Silas said, his smile getting wider and meaner. "You crashed out because you love Asher. You have a massive crush on him, and he is just not seeing it. He is ignoring you for Hampton."

My face went hot. I felt a wave of panic hit my stomach. I did not want anyone to know my secret. "I don't know what you are talking about, Silas. You are making things up. Asher is just my friend."

Barrett stepped forward out of the dark shadows. He leaned his big frame closer to the window, his eyes looking straight into mine. "Stop lying, Mercer It is not weird. We know you are gay. We are not stupid. Why are you hiding your true identity from everyone? You should just embrace it. Go and tell fucking Carter how you feel. But you can't do that right now, can you? Because Hampton is always in the way."

I stared at them in silence. My mind was spinning fast. I did not expect them to know the truth about me. They knew I was gay, they are going to use that secret to trap me. They knew exactly where to push to make me hurt.

"How?" I asked quietly, my voice shaking a little bit. "How can you help me?"

Barrett looked at Silas, and then he looked back at me. "It seems like we have a common enemy, Mercer. We all want the same thing. Let us work together as a team."

"Why do you care about Asher?" I asked.

"We don't care about Asher," Barrett said, his voice dropping low and serious. "We need Hampton out of the way. Kieran Hampton thinks he owns this school and this hockey team. He thinks he can protect anyone he wants. He is causing problems for our plans. If we remove Hampton, your path to Asher is completely clear. No one will be left to protect him from you."

I looked at Silas, and then I looked at Barrett. The anger inside my chest was growing bigger than my fear. I hated Kieran Hampton so much. He had humiliated me today in front of Milo and the rest of the varsity guys. He had made me look like a crazy person who was making up stories. He was taking Asher away from me every single day. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to lose everything.

"Tell me what you need me to do," I said, looking right into Barrett's dark eyes.

The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. I did not care about the consequences anymore. I just wanted my revenge against the captain, and I wanted Asher back. With those simple words, the alliance was formed. I was working with the enemy now.

Silas let out a loud, ugly laugh that echoed in the empty parking lot. He reached his hand through the open car window and placed it heavily on my shoulder, patting it twice.

"Easy, boy," Silas laughed, his eyes full of malice. "Do not be in such a big hurry. We will let you know what to do very soon. Just keep your eyes open and watch them for us."