Chapter 155 The wednesday ledger
Chapter 155 The wednesday ledger
Chapter 156: The Wednesday Ledger (Liam’s POV)
The humidity inside the Northview ice rink was thick enough to leave a film of moisture on the glass shields. It was Wednesday afternoon, and the athletic department was conducting its final equipment check before locking the facility for the summer.
I was sitting on the wooden bench in the locker room, cutting the old grip tape off my hockey stick with a small pocket knife. The room was mostly quiet, save for the hum of the vending machine in the corner and the occasional shout from the varsity track team practicing out on the field.
The locker room door squeaked open, and Coach William walked in, holding a heavy clipboard and a stack of athletic clearance ledgers. His face was completely grim, his eyes fixed on the paper in front of him.
"Vance," Coach William said, not looking up. "Is your gear completely cleared out of the top locker?"
"Yeah, Coach," I said, setting the stick down between my knees. "Everything is packed in the truck except for the spare skates. The Boston office said they’re shipping the summer camp uniform to my apartment by next Monday."
Coach William let out a low grunt, finally lifting his eyes. "Good. You earned that spot, Liam. Don't let the noise in the hallway take your mind off the ice."
Before I could answer, the side door that led to the athletic training room opened, and Jax stepped out. He was carrying his duffel bag over one shoulder, looking like he was trying to slip past Coach William without being noticed. His eyes were bloodshot, and he hadn't even shaved.
"Jax," Coach William called out, his voice dropping into that deep, authoritative tone he used when someone broke a team rule. "Drop the bag. Sit down."
Jax froze, his fingers tightening on the canvas strap of his duffel. He looked at me, then at Coach William, his jaw working silently before he walked over to the bench opposite mine and sat down.
"Is there a problem, Coach?" Jax asked, his voice shaking just enough for me to notice.
"We just finished the midday audit with the district security team," Coach William said, dropping the heavy clipboard onto the table between us with a loud smack. "Julian’s father sent over a formal request to review the athletic storage logs from last semester, claiming there was a discrepancy in the equipment budget. They wanted to see if Elena’s student account had accessed the sports files."
Jax swallowed hard, his face turning an unhealthily pale shade of gray. "I... I don't know anything about Julian’s requests, Coach."
"Don't lie to me, Jax," Coach William snapped, stepping closer to him. "The IT department tracked the digital request token back to the master key code that sits right inside my desk drawer. The only person who had access to that drawer during second period yesterday while I was on the field was the varsity defenseman who claimed he needed to borrow a spare knee brace."
The room went completely dead silent. The knife in my hand felt heavy. I looked at Jax, remembering his promises at the party on Monday night. He had sworn he was out, but the desperation to keep Julian’s money had clearly pushed him over the edge anyway.
"Julian promised it would just be an internal check," Jax muttered, his head dropping into his hands. "He said it wouldn't touch the school board. He was just trying to find proof that Elena broke the handbook rules so they could freeze her transcript."
"Julian doesn't run this department, Jax," Coach William said, his voice cold and flat. "And because you used my personal security code to facilitate an illegal data audit for an outside academy student, the athletic board has officially met. Your varsity status for the current term is revoked. Your name is being pulled from the regional selection roster at 4:00 PM today."
Jax snapped his head up, his eyes wide with panic. "Coach, please! The state division scouts are supposed to finalize the partial scholarship tomorrow morning. If my varsity status is pulled, the funding won't clear!"
"Then you should have thought about that before you became Julian’s errand boy," Coach William said, turning his back on him and picking up his ledger. "Get your gear out of the building. You’re done here."
Jax stood up, his legs looking unsteady beneath him. He looked at me, his eyes full of a mixture of anger and complete defeat. He opened his mouth to say something, but he realized there was absolutely nothing left to weaponize. His hockey career at Northview was dead, his scholarship was gone, and he was walking out of the gym as a total nobody. He grabbed his bag and stumbled through the exit door, slamming it behind him.
I let out a long breath, standing up from the bench and tossing my old tape into the trash bin. "Thanks, Coach William."
"Don't thank me, Liam," Coach William said, looking back at me with a slight nod. "Elena was the one who flagged the security token trail before the district could cover it up. She’s three steps ahead of those idiots. Now go find her. Mason said Chloe and Maya are trying to corner the guidance director before the final senior seating chart is locked in for Thursday."
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked out of the ice rink into the main corridor of the school. The afternoon light was pouring through the high windows, cutting through the dust motes in the hallway.
The circle was officially breaking. Jax was finished, and as I walked toward the administration block to meet Elena, I could feel the momentum shifting completely in our favor. There were only forty-eight hours left until graduation, and the villains were running out of places to hide.