Chapter 19 Chapter 19
Chapter 19 Chapter 19
Aria’s POV
The silence didn’t break immediately.
It stretched.
Heavy. Thick. Almost suffocating.
“She stays.”
Lana’s words still rang in my ears, but they didn’t make sense. Not with the way she had been looking at me. Not with the way she had pushed me through every second of that tryout like she wanted me to collapse.
I stared at her, my chest still rising too fast, my body aching from the strain. “What?”
A few girls behind her started whispering, confusion spilling into low murmurs.
“Did she just—”
“Why would she—”
“That makes no sense…”
Lana didn’t even look at them. Her gaze stayed on me, sharp and steady, like she was measuring something I couldn’t see.
“I said you stay,” she repeated, slower this time, like I was the one being difficult.
Coach raised a brow. “You’re sure?”
Lana didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
That was it.
Just like that.
No explanation.
No warning.
Just a decision that didn’t match anything that had happened five minutes ago.
I swallowed, trying to steady my breathing. “Why?”
Her lips curved slightly, but there was nothing warm in it. “Don’t read too much into it.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
I stared at her, searching for something real, something honest, but all I found was control. Perfect, calculated control.
This wasn’t kindness.
This wasn’t acceptance.
This was something else.
Something I didn’t understand yet.
Coach clapped her hands once, breaking the tension. “Alright, that’s settled. Bennett, you’re in. Training starts tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”
A few girls didn’t look happy.
Actually, most of them didn’t.
I could feel it in the way their eyes lingered on me. In the way the whispers didn’t quite stop.
I didn’t belong here.
Lana had made that clear.
And yet…
She still let me in.
“Practice is over,” Coach added. “Dismissed.”
The team began to scatter, conversations picking up immediately, some quiet, some not so quiet.
I stayed where I was.
Because my legs still felt unsteady.
Because my head was still trying to catch up.
Because none of this made sense.
“You look like you just saw a ghost.”
I didn’t need to turn to know it was Dominic.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“You almost hit the ground.”
“I didn’t.”
“Because I caught you.”
I exhaled sharply, finally turning to face him. “I said I’m fine.”
He didn’t back down. “You’re pushing too hard.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice.”
I shook my head. “Not this time.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, studying me in that way he had started doing recently, like he was trying to figure me out instead of tear me down.
“That’s about my dad, isn’t it?”
“It’s about everything,” I replied.
He went quiet for a second.
Then, “You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I did.”
“For a cheer team?” he asked, disbelief clear in his voice.
“It’s not about the team,” I snapped. “It’s about proving something.”
“To who?”
I hesitated.
Because the answer wasn’t simple.
“To everyone,” I said finally.
His jaw tightened. “That’s stupid.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But it’s my decision.”
“And what happens when it breaks you?”
“It won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
“You’re not invincible, Aria.”
“I never said I was.”
“Then stop acting like it.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
I held his gaze. “Why do you care?”
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
And just like that, everything shifted.
His expression changed.
Not much.
Just enough.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he asked.
“Because you hate me.”
“I don’t—” he stopped, jaw tightening. “That’s not the point.”
“It is the point,” I said. “You’ve spent years making my life miserable, and now suddenly you’re worried about me? That doesn’t make sense.”
He stepped closer, his voice dropping. “Not everything is about what you think it is.”
“Then explain it.”
Silence.
Again.
Always silence when it mattered.
I let out a small, humorless laugh. “That’s what I thought.”
“Aria—”
“No,” I cut him off. “I’m tired of this. Of you saying things halfway and expecting me to understand.”
“I’m not expecting anything.”
“You are,” I said. “You always do.”
His gaze hardened slightly. “You think you know me so well.”
“I used to.”
The words hung between us.
Old.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Something flickered in his eyes.
Something I couldn’t name.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “You used to.”
And for a second, neither of us moved.
Neither of us spoke.
Because there was too much there.
Too much history.
Too much we weren’t saying.
“Aria.”
Lana’s voice cut through it.
Sharp.
Perfect timing.
Of course.
I stepped back immediately, putting space between me and Dominic before turning.
She stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching us.
Not just watching.
Observing.
Calculating.
“You’re done for today,” she said to me. “Don’t be late tomorrow.”
“I won’t.”
Her gaze flicked briefly to Dominic, then back to me.
“You’re full of surprises,” she added.
“I try.”
She smiled slightly. “Try harder.”
Then she turned and walked off, her team falling in step behind her like nothing had just happened.
Like she hadn’t just flipped the entire situation on its head.
I frowned slightly, watching her go.
“What was that about?” Dominic asked.
“I don’t know.”
“She doesn’t do things without a reason.”
“I figured.”
“And you still said yes?”
I looked at him. “What was I supposed to do? Say no?”
“Yes.”
I almost laughed. “That’s not how this works.”
“It is if you don’t trust it.”
“I don’t trust her,” I said. “But I’m not walking away either.”
“Stubborn.”
“Focused.”
“Same thing.”
“Not really.”
He shook his head slightly, but there was something different in his expression now.
Less mocking.
More… concerned.
“I don’t like this,” he said.
“You don’t have to.”
“I mean it, Aria. Something’s off.”
“I know.”
“Then why—”
“Because I don’t have the luxury of backing out,” I cut in. “Not when everything’s on the line.”
His jaw tightened again.
“That’s not fair.”
“I never said it was.”
Silence settled between us again, but this time it wasn’t as tense.
Just… heavy.
Real.
“We still have study,” I said after a moment.
He groaned. “You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“You almost passed out.”
“I didn’t.”
“You almost did.”
“Close enough doesn’t count,” I said, grabbing my bag.
He watched me for a second, then sighed. “You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
“Fine,” he muttered. “Study.”
We started walking off the field together, the noise behind us fading as we moved toward the quieter side of the campus.
For a moment, it almost felt normal.
Almost.
Until
“Aria!”
I froze.
That voice.
My stomach dropped slightly before I even turned.
Ethan.
Of course.
He jogged toward us, stopping a few feet away, his gaze flicking briefly to Dominic before settling on me.
“Can we talk?”
The tension snapped back instantly.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
Dominic stepped slightly closer to me, not touching, but close enough to feel.
“No,” he said before I could answer.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Too bad,” Dominic replied. “You’re getting an answer anyway.”
“This doesn’t concern you.”
“It does when you keep showing up.”
Ethan let out a short breath, clearly irritated. “I’m not here for you.”
“Good,” Dominic said. “Then leave.”
“Dominic,” I said quietly.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t back down.
Ethan’s gaze shifted back to me. “Aria, please.”
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
And that was enough.
Because Dominic noticed.
Of course he did.
His jaw tightened, his voice dropping slightly. “Don’t.”
I l
ooked at him. “I just want to hear what he has to say.”
“You already know.”
“I need to hear it.”
“That’s a mistake.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But it’s mine to make.”
Silence.
Thick.
Then Dominic stepped back.
Not far.
But enough.
“Five minutes,” he said. “That’s it.”
Ethan didn’t argue.
Neither did I.
Because something told me
Five minutes was all it would take
For everything to change again.