Chapter 37 Calm before the storm
The kitchen light in Leo’s house flickered, casting a cold glow over the wooden table.
Coach Reed sat with his hands folded, looking at Jaxson, Elena, and Leo. He didn't have a miracle to offer them. There was no secret video or hidden witness. He just looked like a man who was out of time.
"The Board of Trustees moved the hearing," Coach Reed said. His voice was flat. "They aren't waiting for Monday. They’re doing it during the Medical Gala. They want it done while everyone is distracted by the party. It’s a clean way to cut you loose without a public mess."
Jaxson sat back in his chair. He didn't look shocked; he just looked tired. "So that’s it? No trial, just a quiet room in the middle of a gala?"
"Unless you have hard proof by the time the dinner starts, your locker will be emptied by midnight," Reed warned. "I’ve tried to block them, but the Director is pushing hard. He wants the 'traitor' gone. If you don't show up with something real, you’re finished at this university."
Coach stood up, his heavy boots thumping on the floor as he walked to the door.
"Stay out of sight until the gala. If you're caught on campus before then, I can't help you."
After the Coach left, the silence in the house was broken by a sharp knock at the back door.
Leo opened it, and Cooper stepped inside. He didn't look like the happy-go-lucky roommate Jaxson knew. He looked stiff, his jaw set in a hard line. He wasn't crying, and he wasn't apologizing. He looked like a man who had made a decision and was ready to defend it.
"I heard the Coach was here," Cooper said, leaning against the counter. He didn't look at Jaxson directly.
"You've got a lot of nerve coming here, Coop," Leo said, his voice low.
"I didn't come here to argue," Cooper snapped. He finally looked at Jaxson. "I came to tell you to stop looking for a way to flip this on me. It’s over, Jax."
Jaxson stood up, walking toward his friend. "You gave him my code, Cooper. You’re the one who let Marcus into my life. Why?"
"Because I didn't have a choice!" Cooper hit the counter with his palm. He wasn't soft; he was desperate. "Marcus has photos of my lab exams from last year. He knows I cheated to keep my scholarship. If those go to the Dean, I’m not just off the team, I’m out of school. My parents back home... they have nothing else. This degree is the only thing my family has. I couldn't let it go for you. I’m sorry, but I had to pick myself."
"I would have helped you," Jaxson said.
"How?" Cooper asked, shaking his head. "You can barely help yourself. Marcus has the power here. He has the money. I’m just trying to survive. I’m not a hero, Jax. I’m just a guy who wants to graduate. If that makes me a traitor in your book, then fine. But I’m not going down with your ship."
Cooper didn't wait for a response. He turned and walked out the back door, leaving the room cold. Jaxson didn't chase him. He understood the pressure of having nothing to fall back on. He just hated that Marcus was the one holding the strings.
Jaxson went down to the basement. Elena followed him quietly. They didn't have any big, dramatic speeches. There was nothing left to say that hadn't been said. The reality of the situation was settling in.
Elena sat on the edge of the bed next to him. They sat in the dim light, the hum of the house above them.
She helped him look over some diagrams for a class he might never attend again. It was a quiet, domestic moment in the middle of a disaster.
They focused on the names of muscles and bones, pretending for a few minutes that they were just two normal students. Jaxson leaned his head against hers, and they stayed like that for a long time, just breathing together in the quiet of the basement.
An hour later, Elena started to pack her bag. She needed to get back to the dorm.
"Where is my extra hoodie?" she asked, reaching for Jaxson’s hockey bag that sat in the corner. She thought she had tucked her clothes near his gear.
She pulled the bag toward her. It was heavy and smelled of ice and sweat. As she felt around the side pockets, her hand brushed against something hard tucked deep into the inner lining.
She frowned, feeling the shape. It was small and thin.
She reached through a small tear in the fabric and pulled it out.
It was a silver thumb drive.
Jaxson stood up, his face turning pale. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Elena whispered. She held it up. The metal reflected the low light of the basement. "It was hidden in the lining. Way in the back."
"I don't own a silver drive, Elena," Jaxson said, his voice shaking. "I only have those cheap plastic ones from the library."
They both stared at the small object. It was the evidence Marcus had been telling everyone about.
It was the thing that was supposed to be in the equipment room. But here it was, hidden in Jaxson’s bag inside the house where he was hiding.
"He didn't just come to talk," Jaxson realized, looking at the stairs where Cooper had been. "He came to plant the last piece of the puzzle."