Chapter 8
SCARLETT
I FIND ZYAIR NEAR THE training room. He’s alone, sitting on a bench and scrolling through his phone with his jaw clenched. When he looks up and sees me, he forces a smile.
“Hey, Scarlett.”
“Hey. Do you have a minute?”
“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”
I sit down next to him and set my camera bag on the floor. “I wanted to check in with you. I heard about the benching.”
His expression darkens, and he pockets his phone. “Yeah. It’s bullshit. I don’t know what happened.”
“Have you talked to Coach about it?”
“He won’t tell me anything, just that it’s his decision and I need to accept it.” He runs a hand through his hair and leans forward. “I’ve been playing well. My stats are good. I don’t get it.”
I watch him for a moment, trying to gauge how much I can ask. “Is there anything else going on? Maybe with your grades or something outside of hockey?”
He shakes his head. “No. My grades are fine. I’m not in any trouble. There’s nothing that would explain this.”
“What about your family? Is everything okay at home?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. Why would you ask that?” His brow furrows, and he tilts his head slightly.
I shrug, keeping my tone casual. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to figure out why Coach would bench you out of nowhere. Sometimes there are things going on that affect players, and coaches pick up on it. Or a family member calls them and says something.”
“Well, there’s nothing like that. My family’s fine. I talk to them all the time, and they’re supportive. There’s literally no reason for this.”
I nod slowly, watching his face. His voice is tight with frustration, but I don’t see any hesitation, avoidance, or any sign that he’s hiding some personal issue or struggling with something he doesn’t want to talk about, which means Gabriel made the whole thing up.
“Did you talk to Gabriel about it?” I ask. “He might know something.”
“Yeah, I talked to him. He’s my friend, and he said he doesn’t know either. But he thinks it might be some kind of test, like Coach seeing how I handle adversity or whatever.”
“Why would it be a test? Does Coach do that kind of thing?”
Zyair hesitates, and his brow furrows deeper. “Not really. I mean, I’ve never heard of him doing it before. But Gabriel seemed pretty sure about it, so I don’t know. Maybe he knows something I don’t.”
I lean back and cross my arms. “That seems weird, though. If it was a test, wouldn’t Coach at least give you a hint? Or tell you what you’re supposed to be learning from it?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Zyair rubs the back of his neck and stares at the floor. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I just want to get back on the ice.”
“You’re a great player. One of the best on the team. I think people forget that sometimes, because Gabriel gets so much attention.”
He looks up at me, and his expression softens. “Thanks. I appreciate that. Sometimes it feels like no matter how well I play, it’s never enough. Gabriel’s always the most important, and the rest of us are just... there.”
“That’s not fair,” I say. “You work just as hard as he does, or maybe even more. You deserve recognition too.”
“Yeah, well, try telling that to everyone else.” He pulls out his phone again. “I don’t know. It’s just how things are. Gabriel’s the captain, so he gets all the glory.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about doing a photo feature on some of the players who don’t get as much spotlight. Would you be interested? We could do a few action shots, or maybe an interview about your game and what you bring to the team.”
His face lights up. “Really? You’d do that?”
“Yeah. I think it would be great. You’re an amazing player, and people should see that.”
“That would be awesome. Yeah, I’d love to do that.” He sits up straighter, and some of the tension in his shoulders eases. “When could we do it?”
“I’ll figure out a schedule and let you know. Maybe after one of the practices this week.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Scarlett. Seriously. This means a lot.”
“No problem. You deserve it.”
I stand up and grab my camera bag, slinging it over my shoulder. Zyair is smiling now, his mood completely improved.
As I walk away, my mind is already working through what I know.
Zyair has no idea why he’s been benched. There’s nothing going on in his life that would explain it. No family drama, no academic issues, and no personal struggles. And Gabriel is the one feeding him the story about it being a test, even though Coach doesn’t do that kind of thing.
Gabriel is a fucking liar. It’s the only explanation.
But I still don’t get why he’d do it. If he’s discovered, I can’t imagine the team or Coach would be pleased.
My mind goes back to Zyair’s words. He said that no matter how well he plays, Gabriel is the one who takes the spotlight.
Maybe Gabriel sees Zyair as a threat, because Zyair is talented, respected, and the kind of player who could take all the attention if given the chance, so Gabriel is keeping him sidelined.
And the best part of all this is that I have proof of his lies.
I GO BACK TO MY DORM and lock the door behind me. After I grab my laptop, I copy the recording. I listen to it again, making sure the audio is clear and every word is unmistakable.
Gabriel’s voice is calm as he talks to Coach. He sounds concerned and genuine, as if he’s a captain who’s looking out for one of his players. But I know the truth now, and I’ll make sure everyone does too.
I create a new email account with a random username and no identifying information. Then I open a social media platform and create another anonymous account. No profile picture and no bio.
I upload the recording and write a simple caption.
Gabriel Santelli, the Northstone hockey captain, lied to Coach to get his own teammate benched. Listen for yourself.
I add tags for Northstone, hockey, and the team’s official account. Then I hover my cursor over the post button.
This will expose Gabriel. It’ll prove he’s not the perfect captain everyone thinks he is. It’ll show people that he’s willing to manipulate and lie to get what he wants, even if it means hurting his own teammates.
And it’ll spread. Once it’s out there, people will share it. The team and everyone will see it, and they’ll know what Gabriel did.
And Gabriel will also know someone recorded him, and he’ll start searching for who posted it. He’ll be rattled.
I think about Carla, the texts on her phone, and the way she changed in the months before she died and how Gabriel made her feel worthless and then threw her away.
He’s probably doing the same thing to Zyair now. The manipulation, the control, and the lies are all there.
And if I don’t stop him, he’ll keep doing it. To Zyair. To me. Or to anyone who gets in his way.
I take a deep breath and click post.
The recording uploads, and the post appears on the screen.
My pulse is racing, and I can feel the adrenaline coursing through me. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I know there’s no going back now.
Gabriel wanted to play games, but he didn’t know someone would be watching and have proof of what he did.
He’s about to find out what happens when someone fights back.
I close my laptop with a smile on my face.
Gabriel thinks he’s untouchable, and that he can do whatever he wants and no one will question him.
But I’m going to prove him wrong.
I’m going to destroy his reputation, piece by piece, and by the time I’m done, everyone will see him for what he really is.
A liar and a manipulator.
And he’ll finally understand what it feels like to lose everything.
Just like Carla did.