Chapter 25 Back Home
The arena felt cold, even after the crowds were gone. The hum of the refrigeration units under the ice was the only sound left. Jaxson sat on the wooden bench in the locker room, slowly pulling off his jersey. His ribs were throbbing, each breath feeling like a small stab from a knife, but his mind was somewhere else.
He was thinking about Leo.
When Leo had raised that stick, Jaxson had expected the worst. He had expected to wake up in a hospital. But Leo had surprised everyone. He had stood up for Jaxson. He had protected him from Marcus and the others.
Maybe we can fix this, Jaxson thought. Maybe if I just say the right words, I can get my friend back.
Jaxson stood up, wincing as he pulled on a clean shirt. He walked toward the back of the locker room, where the Captain’s stall was. Leo was there, already dressed in his street clothes.
He was staring at his phone, his face unreadable.
"Leo," Jaxson said quietly.
Leo didn't look up. He didn't even flinch.
"Leo, I wanted to say thank you," Jaxson continued, stepping closer. "For what you did on the ice. You didn't have to do that. I know you’re still mad at me, but... it meant a lot."
Leo finally moved, but not to look at Jaxson. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded and crumpled several times. He held it out without a word.
Jaxson took it, his brow furrowing. "What’s this?"
"A courier came by the house today," Leo said. His voice was like a cold wind, dry and empty. "It’s a legal notice from your hometown. I read it. I figured you should know why your phone has probably been blowing up all day."
Jaxson opened the paper. As his eyes scanned the lines, the warmth he had felt from Leo’s protection on the ice vanished. It was replaced by a sick, heavy weight in his stomach.
It was a letter from a lawyer. His mother’s small house, the only thing they owned was being threatened. But it wasn't just the bank. His father, a man who had been gone for years after gambling away their lives, was back.
He had found out about Jaxson’s scholarship and the small stipend he received for being a star athlete. He was demanding a massive "settlement" to stay away, or he was going to go to the university and the newspapers with lies about Jaxson’s past to get him kicked out.
Jaxson’s hand started to shake. The paper rattled in the quiet room.
"He found her," Jaxson whispered. "He’s at the house, Leo. He’s scaring her."
"You’ve got bigger problems than me, Miller," Leo said, finally looking at him. "Go home. Sort it out. Your mom is the only good thing you’ve got left."
"I can't leave," Jaxson said, panic rising in his chest. "The playoffs start in three days. If I miss practice, Coach will cut me. The scouts will think I’m unreliable. I’ll lose the scholarship, and then I really won't have any money to help her."
Leo looked at him for a long time. He saw the desperation in Jaxson’s face. Despite the betrayal, despite the sister he was trying to protect, Leo was still a Captain. And he knew Jaxson was a kid with nothing who was about to lose everything.
"Go," Leo said, his voice dropping to a low growl. "I’ll tell Coach you have a family emergency. I’ll tell the team you’re scouting our next opponent or something. I’ll keep Marcus and the others off your back for forty-eight hours. But that’s it, Jaxson. You get back here, and you fix your life."
Jaxson looked at Leo, stunned. "You’d do that for me?"
"I'm doing it for the team," Leo snapped, though they both knew that wasn't the whole truth. "Now get out of here before I change my mind."
Jaxson didn't wait. He grabbed his bag and sprinted toward the exit.
••••
••••
I was waiting in the hallway, leaning against the cold brick wall. I had seen the players leave one by one, but I hadn't seen Jaxson or Leo. When the heavy door finally swung open, Jaxson burst out.
He looked like he had seen a ghost. His eyes were wide, and his face was pale.
"Jaxson?" I called out, reaching for him. "What happened? I saw practice, I saw Leo save you—"
He stopped in front of me, his breath coming in fast, shallow gasps. He didn't even look like the same guy who had been scoring goals an hour ago. He looked like a little boy who was terrified.
"Elena," he said, his voice breaking. "I have to go. I have to go home right now."
"What? Why? What’s wrong?".
He didn't explain. He couldn't. He just stepped forward and grabbed my face with both of his hands. His palms were cold, but his touch was desperate. Before I could ask another question, he pressed his lips to mine.
It wasn't a sweet kiss. It was a goodbye. It tasted like salt and fear. It was a kiss that said I don't know if I'm coming back.
"I’m sorry," he whispered against my lips. "I’m so sorry for everything."
He let go of me and turned to run down the long hallway toward the parking lot.
"Jaxson! Wait!" I screamed. I started to run after him, my boots clicking loudly on the floor. "Jaxson, tell me what's going on! I'll go with you!"
I was halfway down the hall when a strong hand caught my shoulder, spinning me around.
"Let him go, Elena."
It was Leo. He was standing there with his bag over his shoulder, his expression hard and immovable.
"Leo, let me go!" I struggled against his grip. "Something is wrong! Did you see his face? He’s terrified! I have to help him!"
"You can't help him with this," Leo said, his voice firm. He didn't let go. "He has family issues. Real ones. Things that don't involve you or your feelings."
"He’s my boyfriend, Leo! I care about him!".
"He’s a guy whose life is falling apart," Leo countered. "And if you go with him, you’re just making it worse. Dad is already watching. If you disappear with a scholarship student to some broken-down town, you won't just ruin his life, you'll ruin yours, too."
I stopped struggling and looked at my brother. There were tears streaming down my face. "Why are you being so mean? You stuck up for him on the ice! I saw you!".
Leo’s grip softened, but he didn't let go. "I defended my friend. But right now, I’m sticking up for my sister. He needs to go be a man and handle his mother’s problems. You stay here. You wait."
"What if he doesn't come back?" I whispered.
Leo looked down the empty hallway where Jaxson had disappeared.
"If he's half the man you think he is," Leo said quietly, "He'll come back. But for now, Elena... let him be."
I watched the door stop moving. Jaxson was gone.