Chapter Fourteen
LIAM
T he crisp air whipped against my face as I stormed across campus, barely noticing the swirl of activity around me.
Students laughed, chatted, and hurried across the quad to classes.
None of it registered. My chest burned from Skye’s recent rejection, and my fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached.
The reason had to be Mav. I’d seen him helping Skye and Lily when I’d done that drive-by, and he was around her more than I liked.
Then I saw him—Maverick Davis, my competition.
He leaned against a bench like he didn’t have a care in the world, his trademark smirk stamped across his face.
He radiated that effortless confidence that used to piss me off even when I didn’t have a reason to hate him.
Now, it was like gasoline on the fire raging inside me.
My steps faltered, but only for a second. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to walk away, but I couldn’t. Not this time. Not after everything. “Maverick!” I barked, my voice cutting through the hum of conversations around us.
Heads turned, students casting curious glances. Let them look.
He turned slowly, his expression shifting as he saw me. His eyes narrowed, and he straightened slightly, though the cocky edge never left his stance. “Cartwright,” he drawled. “What’s your problem?”
I stopped a few feet from him, my pulse hammering. “You think you can just waltz in and take my place?” Everything about her ate at me, even not knowing if Mav was Lily’s father, if he was the one with the permanent connection to Skye.
The smirk dropped from his face, and his jaw clenched. “Careful, Cartwright,” he said quietly. “You don’t want to start something you can’t finish.”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a growl. “Answer the damn question. You’ve been in her life this whole time, right?”
His expression hardened, and when he spoke, his tone was ice. “You could’ve been there by her side. You did that to yourself when you made her feel like an afterthought.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath caught, but I swallowed the pain, burying it under the anger that surged back up, stronger than ever. “You don’t know anything about what we had.”
“Oh, I know enough. Skye and I are friends.” His lips curled into a bitter smile, making me want to swing at him.
“I know you walked away from something most guys would kill for. She deserves better than being someone’s backup plan.
You made her think she wasn’t good enough to be part of your future.
And now you’re mad because someone else was there for her when you weren’t? ”
My hands flexed, fists forming, my vision narrowing on him. “Don’t act like you’re the hero in this story.” Everything in me was so twisted up, I couldn’t control what flew out of my mouth. “You’re just another guy trying to take what isn’t yours.”
“What isn’t mine?” His voice dropped, low and dangerous, and he stepped into my space, his words slow and deliberate. “Skye doesn’t belong to anyone, least of all you. You’re mad because you lost her. But let me tell you something, Cartwright. She doesn’t owe you a damn thing.”
My chest heaved, my throat tight as I struggled to form a response. The world around us seemed to fade, the chatter of students just a dull hum. A few lingered, their whispers cutting through the tension like static.
“You think you’ve got it all figured out.” My composure slipped. “You’re not in love with her.” My gaze flicked to the girl he’d been talking to seconds before I’d confronted him.
His eyes flashed, but he didn’t rise to the bait. “Believe what you want. But the truth is, Skye made her choice, and it wasn’t you. You’re pissed because you can’t rewrite the past. That’s on you, not me.”
The words echoed in my head, each landing like a blow I couldn’t block. My fists loosened, falling to my sides, and I stepped back, the fight draining out of me.
Maverick watched me for a moment longer then straightened, his expression calm but firm. “Figure out what you want, Liam. If it’s Skye, maybe start by being the man she deserves.”
Then he turned and walked away, leaving me in the middle of the quad like an idiot. The crowd’s whispers barely registered. All I could hear was his voice, his words replaying on repeat.
I’d needed someone to strike out against, and my envy of Mav’s closeness to Skye had been the perfect outlet. I hadn’t expected him to say something that resonated. I needed to stop thinking of Mav as a roadblock and focus on what mattered—Skye.
T he walk to the athletic center felt longer than usual, my mind a tangle of emotions I couldn’t unravel. Mav’s words echoed in my head, cutting deeper with every replay. “Figure out what you want, Liam. If it’s Skye, maybe start by being the man she deserves.”
My jaw clenched, my fists tightening at my sides.
I didn’t need Mav’s advice—or his judgment.
But damn it, he wasn’t wrong. I’d spent so long trying to bury my feelings for Skye, pretending I didn’t care, and now I was paying the price.
I shoved the door open and headed inside, the hum of voices and the squeak of shoes on the gym floor greeting me.
A few guys lingered near the bulletin board, their heads turning as I approached.
“Cartwright,” one of them called out. “Coach is looking for everyone. Emergency team meeting in the conference room.”
I nodded, my stomach sinking. An emergency meeting wasn’t typical, but it was becoming the new norm. And after everything that had happened—Jackson’s death, the whispers about substances—it couldn’t be good.
By the time I reached the conference room, most of the team was already seated. The atmosphere was thick with tension, conversations muted and cautious. Coach stood at the front, his arms crossed, his usual calm demeanor replaced by something harder, more severe.
“Settle down.” Coach’s voice cut through the low murmur of voices.
The room fell silent as we turned our attention to him.
“First things first.” His gaze swept over us. “I know you’ve all been feeling the weight of what happened with Jackson. It’s been a tough couple of days, and I won’t pretend like we’re past it. But we have to talk about something that’s come to light during the investigation.”
A ripple of unease passed through the room. I straightened in my seat, my pulse picking up.
Coach took a deep breath, his expression grim. “The medical examiner found anomalies in Jackson’s blood. I can’t go into specifics, but substances were present that shouldn’t have been there.”
The air seemed to leave the room, every set of eyes fixed on him.
“Now,” Coach continued, his voice steady but firm.
“We don’t know where these substances came from, how Jackson got them, or why he was using one in particular.
But I’m warning all of you—this is a wake-up call.
The NCAA has strict policies for a reason.
Any violation— any —will ruin your career before it even starts.
Don’t think you can outsmart the system, because you can’t.
Random testing is happening more frequently, and I promise you, the consequences will be severe. ”
A heavy silence hung in the room, the weight of his words sinking in. I glanced around, trying to read my teammates’ faces. Some looked worried, others just confused. But a few—guys like Leroy and Marc—shifted uncomfortably in their seats, their eyes darting away from Coach’s gaze.
“Do I make myself clear?” Coach’s voice boomed.
“Yes, sir,” we mumbled in unison.
“Good.” He nodded, his eyes narrowing. “If anyone here has something to confess, now’s the time. My door is always open. But if I find out anyone’s involved in something that puts this team or this program at risk…” He let the threat hang, his expression saying everything his words didn’t.
He dismissed us shortly after, but the unease lingered as we filed out of the room.
I stayed back, leaning against the wall as the others shuffled past. My mind raced, piecing together fragments of conversations, actions I’d seen on the field, and the stats Skye had mentioned. My gut twisted as I remembered the conversation with Mav earlier.
Mav was right about one thing—I needed to figure out what I wanted. And I wanted Skye. But this mess with Jackson and the team? It wasn’t just about football anymore. Something bigger was happening, and for the first time in years, I wasn’t sure I could fix it.
Pushing off the wall, I headed toward the gym. I only knew one thing for sure. Whatever it took, I wasn’t going to let it destroy the future I was fighting for—or the people who mattered most.