Chapter 65 Mocking Wave
Maddie Pov
I climbed the stairs to the very top of the stands and found a seat in the last row. The opening ceremony for sports week was about to start and the stadium was filling up fast with students from both schools. I wanted to be as far away from everyone as possible.
Elara had tried to get me to sit with her closer to the field but I made up some excuse about needing a better view. The truth was I needed distance. I needed space between me and Jace. Between me and everyone who might recognize me from Silverthorn.
The stands were packed now. Keane students wore blue and gold. Silverthorn students wore silver and black. The two colors clashed across the stadium like opposing armies preparing for war.
Music started playing over the loudspeakers. The announcer's voice boomed across the field welcoming everyone to the annual Keane versus Silverthorn sports week competition. The crowd erupted in cheers and chants.
I pulled my hood up and slouched down in my seat. I wanted to be invisible. I wanted to disappear completely. But I couldn't skip the ceremony because attendance was mandatory for all team members.
The teams started walking onto the field. Keane entered from the left. Silverthorn entered from the right. Both sides lined up facing each other. It looked dramatic. It looked intense. It looked like everything I wanted to avoid.
I scanned the Silverthorn lineup looking for one specific person. It didn't take long to find him. Jace stood near the front with the other team captains. He looked exactly the same as I remembered. Tall and confident and dangerous.
My stomach twisted with old betrayal. I could still see him in my mind. Lying in bed with Lila. Smiling at me like he didn't care that he had just destroyed everything between us. Like I meant nothing to him at all.
"You should have stayed home," Gory said quietly in my head. "This was a bad idea."
"I didn't have a choice," I reminded her. "Participation is mandatory. If I skipped they would ask questions."
"Better questions than exposure," Gory said.
The announcer was introducing the team captains now. Calling out names and achievements. When he got to Jace the Silverthorn section exploded with cheers. Jace waved to the crowd with that same cocky smile I used to think was charming.
Now it just made me sick to my stomach.
I tried to focus on the Keane captains instead. Calix was down there somewhere. I could feel the bond pulling faintly even from this distance. But I didn't let myself look for him. I kept my eyes away from the Keane lineup completely.
The ceremony continued with speeches from both school deans. They talked about sportsmanship and healthy competition and representing your school with honor. Standard stuff that nobody really listened to.
I just wanted this to be over. I wanted to go back to my dorm and hide until the whole week was finished. But I had events tomorrow. I had to run. I had to compete. I had to be visible when all I wanted was to disappear.
Then I felt it. That horrible sensation of being watched. My skin prickled with awareness. Someone was staring at me.
I looked down at the field almost against my will. My eyes went straight to Jace like a magnet pulling metal. He was looking directly up at me. His eyes locked on mine even though I was sitting in the highest row of the stands.
How did he find me? How did he know where I was sitting?
Jace smiled slowly. Then he lifted his hand and waved at me. It wasn't a friendly wave. It was mocking. Deliberate. A wave that said I see you and you can't hide from me.
Old betrayal crashed into new fear. My chest tightened. My breathing got faster. Every instinct screamed at me to run. To get out of here. To put as much distance as possible between me and him.
But I couldn't run. Not now. Not with thousands of people watching. Not without drawing attention to myself.
So I did the only thing I could do. I looked away fast. I stared at my hands in my lap and tried to calm down. Tried to breathe normally. Tried to pretend that wave didn't just shake me to my core.
"He knows," Gory said. "He knows you're scared of him."
"Of course he knows," I said. "He's counting on it. That's why he's here. That's why he came to Keane. To make me suffer."
"What are you going to do?" Gory asked.
"Survive," I said. "Just survive the week. Keep my head down. Avoid him as much as possible. Get through this without exposing what I am."
"And if he doesn't let you avoid him?" Gory pressed. "What then?"
I didn't have an answer for that. I didn't know what I would do if Jace cornered me. If he forced a conversation. If he tried to hurt me in front of everyone.
The ceremony finally ended after what felt like hours. The teams filed off the field. The crowd started dispersing. Students headed toward the exits talking excitedly about tomorrow's events.
I waited until most people had left before I started making my way down from the stands. I moved slowly and kept my hood up. I scanned every face I passed looking for Jace. Making sure he wasn't nearby. Making sure I had a clear path to escape.
I made it to the ground level without incident. The area under the stands was quieter now. Just a few stragglers heading toward the parking lot or back to campus.
Then someone grabbed my arm from behind. I spun around ready to fight or run or do whatever it took to get away.
But it wasn't Jace. It was just a girl from my dorm. She looked annoyed.
"You dropped this," she said. She held out my phone.
"Thanks," I managed to say. My voice came out shaky. I took the phone from her with trembling hands.
The girl walked away without another word. I stood there trying to get my heart rate under control. I was jumping at shadows. Seeing threats everywhere. This was exactly what Jace wanted. He wanted me scared and paranoid and constantly looking over my shoulder.