Chapter 25 Chapter 25
Noah's POV
The locker room smelled like sweat, tape, and whatever cheap deodorant Marcus kept overusing It should’ve felt like every other day, but it didn’t. Practice had been brutal, we did full-contact drills, aggressive transitions, Coach pushing us harder than usual. My shoulder held up, but barely. There was a tightness there I didn’t like, the kind that warned me I was one bad decision away from undoing weeks of progress. Emily would've noticed. The thought came uninvited, it was annoyingly persistent.
I grabbed a towel and dragged it over my face, sitting down heavily on the bench. Around me, the team moved in the usual post-practice rhythm, laughing, arguing, and replaying moments from drills.
Sean dropped down beside me. “You look like you’re thinking,” he said.
“I hate that.”
“Yeah. It’s not your natural state.” He said.
I huffed a quiet laugh. “Shut up.”
He nudged my shoulder lightly. “How’s the rehab dictator?” He asked.
“She’s fine.”
“Fine?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s suspiciously neutral.”
I didn’t answer because I didn’t have a clean answer. “Fine” didn’t cover the way she looked at me last night on the balcony, it didn’t even cover the way she had gone quiet after I called her out and the way I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Sean studied me for a second. “You’re in trouble.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re thinking about her.”
“I’m thinking about my shoulder.”
“Same thing.”
I rolled my eyes. “Go away.” He laughed and stood up, heading towards the showers.
I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees, staring at the floor. The locker room noise blurred into the background. “Yeah, but come on,” someone said. My head lifted slightly. Tyler's voice carried easily across the room. “I mean, it’s obvious, right?”
Another guy laughed. “Completely.”
I didn’t look at them, I just remained where I was and just listened to them. “You don’t just move into the captain’s apartment for ‘rehab,’” Tyler continued, making air quotes I didn’t need to see to know were there. “There is always something else going on.”
A few guys chuckled. “Especially with her,” someone added. “Have you seen her online?”
“Exactly. She’s playing the long game. Smart, though.” Tyler said.
My grip tightened slightly on the towel. “Using the situation,” another voice chimed in. “Get the exposure, build the following, and secure the connections.”
“Can’t even blame her,” Tyler said. “If I had Noah’s reputation backing me, I would do the same.”
Something sharp twisted in my chest, it was anger. I stood up slowly. I made sure not to slam anything or make a scene. I just walked across the locker room. Tyler didn’t notice me at first. He was too busy talking. “…and the fake relationship thing?” he was saying. “Come on, that’s textbook. PR cover, mutual benefit-”
“Say that again.” I stated through clenched teeth, glaring at him. My voice cut through the room, enough to make the laughter stop.
Tyler turned around to face me. His expression shifted immediately. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were-”
“Say it again.” I repeated. The room went quiet.
Tyler hesitated and then he shrugged slightly. “I said it’s obvious what she’s doing.”
I took another step closer. “And what exactly is she doing?” I asked.
He glanced around, like he was looking for backup, but didn’t find any. “Come on, man,” he said. “You know how this works.”
“No, I don’t.” I stated.
“Yes, you do.”
“No, Tyler,” I said, my voice lower now. “I really don’t.”
He swallowed slightly. “People don’t just show up out of nowhere and get that kind of access,” he said. “There is always something behind it.”
“She earned the internship.” I stated.
“Sure,” he said. “And the rest?”
My jaw tightened. “What rest?”
“The living arrangement, the publicity, exposure. It all lines up too perfectly.”
A few guys shifted uncomfortably. The air felt heavier now. “You think she’s using me,” I said.
Tyler shrugged. “I think she’s smart.” Something snapped inside of me.
“Watch your mouth.” I said through clenched teeth. The words came out colder than I had expected.
Tyler was taken aback. “I’m just saying-”
“No,” I cut in. “You’re assuming.”
“It’s not that deep-”
“It is.”
There was complete silence. The entire locker room was watching now. Tyler’s expression shifted slightly, he was more cautious now. “Why are you getting so defensive?” he asked.
That question hit harder than anything else he had said, because I didn’t have an answer to that, I didn't expect to react this way.
Why was I reacting like this?
I took a deep breath. “Because you’re wrong,” I said.
Tyler scoffed lightly. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“Because from where I’m standing-”
I stepped closer. Close enough that he had to look up slightly. “I said you’re wrong.”
The room remained completely silent. Tyler held my gaze for a second before he looked away. “Alright,” he muttered. “Whatever you say.”
“Not whatever I say,” I replied. “What I know.”
He didn’t respond, he didn't even argue. He just grabbed his bag and walked towards the exit. The tension lingered for a few seconds after he left and then the locker room slowly returned to normal, conversations resumed more quietly and cautiously now.
Sean came back from the showers, towel slung over his shoulder. “What did I miss?” He asked.
“Nothing,” I said.
He looked around. “Doesn’t look like nothing.”
I grabbed my bag. “It’s handled.”
Sean studied me and then he smirked slightly. “You defended her.”
“I corrected him.”
“You defended her.”
“I told him to shut up.”
“Same thing.”
I slung my bag over my shoulder. “It’s not.”
“Sure,” he said.
I didn’t respond, because I knew he wasn’t entirely wrong.
The campus felt different walking back from practice, it was a whole lot quieter or maybe I was just paying more attention.
Students moved around me, talking and laughing, living in their own worlds. Somewhere in the middle of all that, Emily existed, walking these same paths, hearing the same things and dealing with the same assumptions.
The thought made something tighten in my chest again. I reached the apartment building and climbed the stairs slowly. My shoulder ached, my head felt heavier than usual, it wasn't from practice, it was from everything else.
I unlocked the door and stepped inside. The apartment was quiet. Emily’s schedule was predictable. I dropped my bag near the sofa and leaned against the wall for a second. The silence felt different now. I thought about what Tyler said. And the worst part? That was probably how most people probably saw it, how they saw Emily The intern, the influencer, the girl living with the team captain. It was an easy story.
I pushed off the wall and walked to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and my eyes landed on the neatly labeled containers. Her handwriting, her system. Everything about her was deliberate and earned. Nothing about her felt opportunistic. And yet, people still reduced her to that.
The thought made something in my chest tighten. It was different this time, like I cared about her. I grabbed a bottle of water and leaned against the counter. The conversation on the balcony and today in the locker room, something had definitely changed. I just hadn’t admitted it yet until now. When Tyler said those things, it didn’t just annoy me, it made me angry... and protective, like he had crossed a line he didn’t even understand. That wasn't normal for me and I had only known her for two weeks.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. “Great,” I muttered. Emily mattered.
The front door opened behind me. I turned slightly. Emily stepped inside, her bag slung over her shoulder. She looked tired and unaware of anything that had happened earlier.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
She set her bag down. “You’re back early.”
“Practice ended early.”
She nodded. “Good.”
There was a small pause before she moved towards the kitchen. I won't say anything to her about what Tyler had said. I already knew one thing. If anyone else said it, or crossed that line again, I wouldn't hesitate again
I watched her for a second longer before looking away, because the realization had already settled in, and there was no undoing it.
“Watch your mouth when you talk about her.” The words echoed quietly in my head. I didn’t regret saying them.