Chapter 90: Sidelines

Aveline’s POV

The air in the narrow equipment hallway felt freezing. My hands stayed frozen around my hockey stick as Cassian’s words settled into the quiet space between us.

He was in. The cold, quiet player everyone at Crestwood feared had just officially become my partner. He was not doing it as an enemy. He was doing it as a friend who finally wanted the real truth about his brother, Oliver.

“We need to be smart about this,” I whispered,

dropping my voice down. I glanced over my shoulder at the locker room doors to make sure nobody was lurking in the shadows. "Silas, and Barrett are watching my every move. They are waiting for me to trip up.”

“Let them watch,” Cassian muttered, his eyes tracking my nervous movements. He straightened his large frame, his face completely flat and unreadable. “They are small problems, Carter. They think they run the ice because Hampton is sitting in a hospital room, but they don't intimidate me. I will handle the physical side of things. You just keep your head down and play centre.”

“Kieran is trying to risk his own career to protect me from them,” I said, my chest tight under the heavy padding. The raw guilt of what happened to Kieran was still burning in my stomach. “I promised him I would keep him out of this danger. I am going to finish this so he doesn't have to break any more bones for my sake.”

Cassian let out a short, quiet breath that looked like steam in the cold corridor. “Hampton is a fool for taking that hit, but he is a loyal fool. I will give him that. But you cannot run the first line if you are constantly looking backwards, Carter.

If we are going to find out who rigged the play that ruined Oliver’s life, we have to look forward.”

“Where do we start?” I asked, looking straight into his eyes.

“The old school registries,” Cassian said, leaning in closer so his voice would not echo down the cement hall. “The people who funded the mascot position before the Hampton family cut it. The money always leaves a paper trail. I will get the keys to the administrative office after the late-night cleaning shift.”

I nodded slowly, a sudden feeling of relief washing over me. For the first time since I stepped into Crestwood Academy under my dead brother’s name, I did not feel like a solitary ghost fighting a losing battle. I had a line mate.

“Thank you, Cassian,” I said quietly.

He didn't answer. He simply gave me a firm nod, turned on his heel, and marched out the back doors, his large shadow disappearing into the dark parking lot.

I stood alone in the hallway for a few seconds, letting out a long breath. The tight chest binding was making it hard to breathe, so I walked back into the main locker room to finally strip out of my heavy gear. The room was completely empty now. The rows of silver lockers looked dull under the dim fluorescent bulbs.

I walked over to my stall, unbuckling my helmet and setting it onto the wooden bench.

“You look cosy with Thorne.”

The sharp, bitter voice cut through the silence like a knife.

I spun around instantly, my heart doing a violent flip against my ribs. Theo Mercer was standing near the entrance of the shower stalls.

He had his civilian jacket gripped tightly in his right hand, his face bright red with a mixture of intense shock and curdling jealousy. He hadn't left with the rest of the team.

He had stayed behind in the dark, hiding, watching my entire conversation with Cassian.

“Theo,” I rasped, forcing my posture to broaden into Asher’s stance. “What are you still doing here?”

“I was waiting for you,” Theo spat, taking a fast, aggressive step toward my stall. His eyes were burning with a dangerous obsession. “I thought with Kieran gone, you would finally come back to your senses. I thought you would realise who your real friends are. But instead, you throw yourself right at Cassian Thorne? The guy who used to bully you?”

“Cassian is my line mate, Theo,” I said, keeping my voice steady and cold. “Coach Hale put him on the first pair to cover my blind spots. We are a team. We are trying to win the finals.”

“Don't lie to me, Asher!” Theo shouted, his voice slamming. He stopped just two inches away from me, his breathing heavy and erratic. “I saw the way he was looking at you. I heard him say he is in. What is he in for? What secrets are you keeping from me now?”

“It is none of your business,” I snapped, refusing to step back.

“I made it my business the second you threw our friendship away for the golden captain!” Theo yelled in my face, his hands trembling with pure, toxic rage. “I protected you from everyone in this school. I was the one who stood by you when you were nothing but a sick kid playing dress up on the sidelines. And now you replace me with Hampton? You are making a huge mistake, Carter.”

“The only mistake I made was trusting you,” I whispered, my voice dropping into a lethal register. “You sabotaged my play on national television, Theo. You tried to ruin my future because of your own personal feelings.

Kieran benched you because you were a liability to the team.”

Theo let out a short, ugly laugh that sounded completely unhinged. He shook his head, a cold, venomous smirk cutting across his lips.

“Kieran benched me because he wanted to play the hero,” Theo whispered, his eyes flashing with a terrifying malice.

“But the captain is broken in a hospital bed now. He cannot save you anymore, Asher. And Cassian Thorne won't be able to shield you either when the whole school finds out what you really did.”

Before I could answer, Theo turned around and marched out of the locker room, slamming the double doors shut behind him with a deafening bang that shook the entire row of lockers.

I stood frozen in my stall, my hands shaking as the silence returned to the room. Theo was completely gone. His jealousy had curdled into pure hatred. He was actively looking for the weapon to destroy me.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, my fingers flying across the screen to check the encrypted chat line with Cassian.

The alliance was formed, the new lines were set, but the threat was standing much closer than either of us realised. The hidden truth of Crestwood was about to get bloody, and the first final match was only days away.