Chapter 11 The shark tank

Chapter 11 The shark tank
Chapter 11: The Shark Tank (Elena’s POV)
​The ice rink was a tomb of cold air and blinding white light. I shouldn’t have come here. I told myself I was just looking for the library books I’d left in Liam’s car, but the truth was uglier. I wanted to see him suffer. I wanted to see the "King" deal with the mess he’d made in his father’s study.
​I slipped through the heavy metal doors, my sneakers squeaking on the rubber mats. I stayed in the shadows of the upper bleachers, looking down at the rink.
​The sound hit me first—the sharp, violent crack of a hockey stick hitting the ice.
​"Is that all you've got, Vance?" Jax’s voice boomed, echoing off the high steel rafters. "You’re skating like a girl. Or maybe you’re just tired from carrying that scholarship rat’s baggage all day?"
​I froze. Down on the ice, Liam was surrounded. Jax, Miller, and two other varsity players were circling him. They weren't in full gear—just skates and sticks—which made the scene look less like practice and more like an execution.
​Liam looked ragged. His jersey was torn, and he was breathing hard, his chest heaving under the bright floodlights. He tried to shove past Jax, but Jax slammed his shoulder into Liam’s chest, sending him sprawling onto the ice.
​"Leave it, Jax," Liam spat, wiping sweat from his eyes. "We have a game Friday. Focus on the puck."
​"I am focusing," Jax sneered, skating a slow, predatory circle around him. "I'm focusing on the fact that my Captain is a liar. You told us she was a nuisance. You told us to make her life a living hell. And then you go behind our backs and pay her off? You made us look like idiots, Liam. You made me look like an idiot in front of Chloe."
​I leaned over the railing, my heart hammering. I wanted to see Liam fight back. I wanted to see him stand up for the "investment" he’d protected in the study.
​"I did what I had to do for my grades," Liam snapped, pushing himself up. "It’s not personal."
​"Oh, it feels personal," Jax said. He suddenly stopped skating and looked up toward the bleachers. His eyes scanned the darkness, and for a second, I thought I was safe. Then, a cruel, jagged smile spread across his face. "Well, well. Speak of the devil."
​Jax pointed his hockey stick straight at me.
​"Look who’s stalking the rink! The Ghost is back for more!"
​The other players turned. Liam’s head snapped up, his eyes finding mine. For a heartbeat, I saw a flash of panic in his expression, followed immediately by a wall of cold, hard ice. He didn't look happy to see me. He looked disgusted.
​"What are you doing here, Elena?" Liam shouted, his voice echoing with venom. "Did you come to see if you could squeeze another thirty thousand out of me?"
​The players laughed. The sound felt like a slap.
​"I... I left my books," I stammered, my voice sounding small in the massive arena. I hated myself for sounding weak.
​"Get down here," Jax commanded, gesturing with his stick. "Come on, Scholarship. Don't be shy. If you're going to be our Captain’s favorite charity, you should at least see how we treat people who don't belong on our ice."
​I didn't move. My legs felt like lead.
​"I said, get down here!" Jax roared.
​I slowly walked down the concrete steps, my heart in my throat. Every step felt like I was walking toward my own funeral. I reached the edge of the ice, standing by the plexiglass. The cold coming off the rink made me shiver, or maybe it was just the way Jax was looking at me.
​Jax skated over to the gate and swung it open. "Get on the ice."
​"I don't have skates," I said, my voice trembling.
​"I didn't ask if you had skates," Jax grabbed my arm and yanked me forward.
​My sneakers hit the ice, and I immediately lost my balance, my feet sliding out from under me. I hit the frozen surface hard, the cold stinging through my jeans instantly. My palms burned as they scraped against the rough ice.
​"Look at her," Jax laughed, looking at his teammates. "She’s as clumsy on the ice as she is in the hallway. Hey, Vance! Is this what thirty grand gets you? A girl who can't even stand up?"
​I looked at Liam. He was standing ten feet away, leaning on his stick. He didn't move to help me. He didn't even look angry at Jax. He just looked at me with a bored, impatient expression.
​"You shouldn't have come here, Elena," Liam said, his voice flat. "You’re making yourself a target. Again."
​"Help me up," I whispered, reaching a hand out toward him.
​Liam didn't move. He didn't even reach for me. "Why should I? You’re the one who walked into a locker room conversation. You’re the one who thinks she can follow me around like a lost dog just because I signed a check."
​Jax let out a whistle. "Ouch. Hear that, Ghost? The King doesn't want you here. He’s embarrassed by you."
​Jax skated a tight circle around me, kicking a spray of ice shards onto my face. "I think she needs a reminder of where she belongs. Since she likes books so much, maybe we should give her a lesson in friction."
​Jax grabbed the back of my hoodie and started dragging me across the ice. I screamed, my fingernails clawing at the frozen surface, trying to find a grip. The ice was freezing, numbing my skin as I was pulled like a rag doll toward the center of the rink.
​"Stop it!" I yelled. "Liam, tell him to stop!"
​Liam just watched. He stood there like a statue, his face unreadable under the bright lights. "You wanted to be part of this world, Elena," he called out. "This is how we handle outsiders. You wanted the money? This is the interest on the loan."
​Jax stopped in the middle of the rink and let go of my hoodie. I lay there, shivering, my chest heaving. I felt smaller than I ever had in my life. I looked up and saw the four of them standing over me—four tall, powerful boys in jerseys that cost more than my life, all looking down at me like I was a bug they were about to crush.
​"You're nothing," Jax said, leaning over and spitting on the ice next to my head. "You're a fluke. A mistake. And if you think Liam is your friend because he paid your rent, you're even stupider than you look."
​Jax looked at Liam. "You want to finish her off, Cap? Or should I?"
​Liam skated forward. He stopped right in front of my face. His skates were inches from my fingers. He looked down at me, and for a second, I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—regret? Guilt?
​Then he leaned down and whispered, loud enough for the others to hear.
​"Get off my ice, Elena. You're ruining the surface."
​He turned and skated away, heading for the goal. Jax and the others laughed, following him, leaving me alone in the center of the rink.
​I crawled. I literally crawled on my hands and knees back to the gate, the ice burning my skin. My hands were numb, and my knees were bruised, but I didn't cry. I wouldn't give them that.
​I reached the rubber mats and stood up, my legs shaking so hard I could barely walk. I didn't look back. I didn't say a word. I just walked out of the rink and into the dark, rainy night.
​I hated him. I didn't just hate Liam Vance anymore; I wanted to destroy him. I wanted to see his "King" reputation burn to the ground. He had saved me in the study just to throw me to the wolves in the rink. He was a coward who hid behind his friends and his money.
​I reached the parking lot, but I didn't see the bus. Instead, a black SUV was idling near the exit.
​The window rolled down. It was Chloe. She wasn't crying anymore. She was smiling.
​"Tough night at the rink, Elena?" she asked, her voice like honey and glass. "I saw the whole thing on the security feed in the office. Liam really knows how to put people in their place, doesn't he?"
​"Go away, Chloe," I rasped.
​"Oh, I'm going. But I think you should know... Liam didn't give you that money because he felt sorry for you. He did it because he made a bet with Jax last week. He bet thirty thousand that he could make the 'School Ghost' fall in love with him by the end of the semester."
​The world tilted. The air left my lungs.
​"You're lying," I whispered.
​"Am I?" Chloe tossed a small, digital recorder onto the pavement. "Press play, honey. It’s from the night of the diner. Listen to your 'hero' talk about his new pet."

I picked up the recorder, my fingers shaking. I pressed play, and Liam’s voice filled the air: 'She’s nothing, Jax. A game. I'll have her eating out of my hand by the playoffs. Thirty thousand is a small price to pay for a win.' I looked back at the rink, where Liam was currently scoring a goal, and I realized the war hadn't even started yet.