Chapter 34 Betrayals
He found Coach Reed in the small, glass-walled office overlooking the empty ice rink. The lights were dimmed, and the Coach looked like he had aged ten years since the morning practice.
"You should be at the team dinner, Vance," Coach said without looking up from his monitor.
"The team doesn't want me there, Coach," Leo replied, standing in the doorway. "And I think you know why."
Coach Reed finally looked up. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Marcus is talking a lot of nonsense, Leo. He’s calling for a vote. He’s telling the board that you’re compromised because of your sister’s connection to Miller. He even suggested that your father is the one who wanted the plays leaked to lower the school's value for a buyout."
Leo felt a surge of anger. "That’s a lie. My father doesn't care about hockey enough to sabotage a playbook. And Jaxson didn't do it."
"Then where is he?" Coach asked. "If he’s innocent, tell him to come to my office. We can get the IT department to look at his phone. We can clear this up."
Leo went still. "He’s scared, Coach. He’s a scholarship kid from a rough background. He knows how this looks. He thinks if he shows up, he’ll be arrested before he can say a word."
"If he doesn't show up by tomorrow morning," Coach said solemnly, "I have to sign the papers to suspend him indefinitely. And Leo... if it comes out that you knew where he was and didn't tell me, I can't protect your 'C' anymore. The team is already slipping through your fingers. Don't let your loyalty to a rookie destroy everything you've worked for."
Leo didn't answer. He turned and walked out, the sound of his own footsteps echoing against the cold walls.
When Leo finally reached the house, the air was thick with tension. He walked into the basement and found Jaxson pacing the small room like a trapped animal.
"You're late," Jaxson said, his voice sharp. "I thought maybe the police picked you up."
Leo sat on the wooden chair and put his head in his hands. "No police. Just a room full of people who hate us. Marcus is moving fast, Jax. He’s got the Coach backed into a corner. He’s got the team convinced I’m a liar."
Jaxson stopped pacing and looked at Leo. "So why are you still doing this? Why haven't you just told them I’m here and let me take the fall? It would be easier for you. You’d keep your team. You’d keep your dad happy."
Leo looked up, his eyes tired. "Because I know you didn't do it. And because if I give you up now, my sister will never forgive me. She believes in you, for some reason. She thinks you’re worth the risk."
"Do you?" Jaxson asked.
"I think you’re a great hockey player," Leo said. "And I think you’re a decent guy. But honestly? I’m doing this because I’m tired of people like Marcus and my father winning just because they have more money. If I can stop them from destroying one person, then maybe all the crap I’ve put up with my whole life was for something."
Jaxson sat on the edge of the bed. "I saw the news on my phone before the data cut out. They’re calling me a 'mercenary.' They think I sold the plays to the rivals for fifty thousand dollars. I wish I had fifty thousand dollars. My mom’s hospital bill is sitting in my email, and I can't even pay the interest."
"We’re going to fix it," Leo said, though he didn't know how. "But we have to talk about Cooper."
"I told you," Jaxson said, his voice rising again. "Cooper is my friend. He wouldn't sell me out."
"Then explain the bag," Leo said, his voice flat. "Marcus had the equipment bag with the white stripe. Your bag. Cooper’s bag. If you’re here, and I’m here, then Cooper is the only one who could have given it to him. Or Marcus stole it from your dorm. Did you lock your locker?"
"I always lock my locker," Jaxson whispered. "But Cooper knows the code. We use the same code for everything, the date of our first win."
Jaxson put his face in his hands. "He’s just scared, Leo. Marcus probably told him that if he didn't help, he’d lose his spot on the power play. Cooper isn't like us. He doesn't have a big name or a big trust fund. He’s just a guy trying to get an education."
"That’s not an excuse to ruin someone’s life," Leo said. "If he gave Marcus that thumb drive, he’s just as guilty as the person who stole the plays."
"Maybe he didn't know!" Jaxson argued. "Maybe Marcus just asked for the bag. Maybe he told Cooper he was going to put a prank in there. Cooper is a jokester, he’s naive. He thinks everyone is playing a game."
"This isn't a game anymore," Leo said. "This is real life. And in real life, the person who holds the bag is the one who goes to jail."
Just as the argument was reaching a breaking point, the doorbell rang.
Leo and Jaxson both froze. Leo signaled for Jaxson to get into the corner. He went upstairs, his heart thumping against his ribs. He looked through the peephole and saw a familiar blonde head.
He opened the door. "Chloe?"
"Hi, Leo," Chloe said. She looked a bit awkward. She was holding a plastic bag with something heavy inside. "I'm sorry to just drop by, but Elena left this in my car after I dropped her at the dorms. She was so stressed she just forgot it."
She held out the bag. Inside was a thick, black athletic jacket.
"It’s Jaxson’s," Chloe whispered, looking around the porch to see if anyone was watching. "Elena told me she was keeping it for him... you know, for when things get cold. She asked me to bring it here because she didn't want it in her dorm room. She’s afraid the girls in her hall will see it and start asking questions."
Leo took the bag. "Thanks, Chloe. That was a big risk coming here."
Chloe leaned in closer. "People are talking, Leo. I heard Marcus in the student center today. He was laughing about this whole issue and I thought you should know.”
Leo’s grip tightened on the jacket. "Thanks for the warning, Chloe. Get home safe."
He closed the door and locked it. He went back down to the basement and threw the jacket at Jaxson.
"Elena sent this," Leo said. "She’s still thinking about you, even when the whole world is screaming your name."
Jaxson held the jacket. He buried his face in it for a second, smelling the faint scent of Elena’s perfume.
"She shouldn't be involved in this," Jaxson said softly.
"Well, she is," Leo replied. "And so am I. So stop moping about Cooper and start thinking about how we’re going to get that thumb drive away from Marcus. Because if that drive reaches the board tomorrow, you are finished."