Chapter 10 #3
Then he shifts slightly. I catch another glimpse.
No.
Something cold twists in my stomach. “Kai.”
The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it.
He looks over immediately. “Hm?”
I nod toward his leg. “What happened there?”
His expression changes instantly. The shift is small.
His eyes drop toward his thigh, then immediately snap back up. For the first time all day, he looks trapped.
Dante looks between us. “What?”
Kai laughs. The sound is wrong. Too fast. Too forced.
“Oh. That.”
I wait.
“What happened?” I ask again.
Kai opens his mouth. For one horrible second, I think he's actually going to answer.
Then the locker room doors swing open. Coach walks in. The interruption hits the room like a whistle. Conversations stop. Players look up.
Coach rarely visits after practice unless he has something to say. “Listen up.”
Immediately, everyone's attention shifts. Including Kai's. Relief flashes briefly across his face. The sight bothers me more than it should. Because it means he needed an escape and Coach just gave him one.
Coach folds his arms. “We're making a trade.”
The locker room erupts. Naturally. Half the team starts talking at once. A trade announcement in the middle of the season is basically catnip for professional athletes.
“Who's getting shipped out?”
“Please let it be Lopez.”
“Fuck you.”
Coach ignores all of it.
Someone tosses a roll of tape. Someone else immediately throws it back. The room devolves into chaos. For a moment, I even forget about Kai's leg.
Then Coach raises his voice. “Enough.”
The room quiets. Mostly.
“The paperwork isn't finalized yet.”
A collective groan follows.
Coach continues. “You'll get the details tonight.”
“Coach.”
“What?”
“Can you at least tell us if we're losing somebody?”
“No.”
“That's rude.”
“It'll be in your email.”
The complaints begin immediately.
Speculation spreads like wildfire. Everyone has a theory. Everyone is wrong. I barely hear any of it. Because Coach is walking directly toward Kai.
My attention sharpens.
The conversation around us fades into background noise.
Coach stops beside his stall. “Hayes.”
Kai looks up. “Yeah?”
“Office. Couple minutes.”
The room doesn't react. Players get called into Coach's office all the time.
Most people don't think twice about it. But Kai's expression changes. A flicker of unease.
Then he nods. “Okay.”
Coach heads toward the hallway. Kai follows. The office door closes behind them.
I stare at it.
Something feels wrong. I don't know why. Maybe it's the cuts. Maybe it's the look on his face. Maybe it's because I'm paying too much attention to him lately. Whatever the reason, unease settles heavily in my chest. Five minutes pass. Then seven. The locker room continues buzzing around me.
I don't hear a word of it.
The office door finally opens. Kai steps out. And immediately every protective instinct I possess roars to life. He looks like he just saw a ghost. The color has drained completely from his face. His eyes are wide. Unfocused.
For a second, he simply stands there. Then he starts walking. Not toward his stall. Not toward the showers. Just walking. Like he's forgotten where he is.
My stomach drops. I don't think I just move.
“Kai.”
He doesn't stop.
“Kai.”
This time he blinks. Like he's only just realized I'm there. I catch his arm and steer him into the hallway before anyone else can see him.
The second we're alone, I turn toward him. “What happened?”
Kai swallows. For a moment, I don't think he's going to answer.
Then he finally speaks, though it’s barely above a whisper. “Grove.”
I stare at him. “What?”
Kai's eyes close briefly When they open again, they're shining.
“That's who they're trading for.” The hallway suddenly feels very quiet. “Noah Grove.”
The name lands like a punch.
I understand too well. Because Noah Grove isn't some random player. He's William's younger brother. And in two days, if the trade goes through, Kai will have to walk into a locker room every morning and face a living reminder of the worst day of his life.
Kai's breathing starts to quicken. His hands tremble slightly at his sides. The panic is building. I can see it happening.
“Kai.”
His eyes dart toward mine.
“Kai. Look at me.”
Nothing. He's spiraling and fast.
I step closer. “Look at me.”
This time he does.
“Good boy. You’re alright.” I keep my voice calm. Steady. The same way I'd talk to somebody standing on a ledge. “Take a breath.”
He tries. Fails. Tries again.
I wait.
“That's it.”
The panic doesn't disappear. But it slows a little. Enough.
I press my car keys into his hand. The metal lands against his palm. He stares down at them, Confused.
“Go wait in my car.”
“What?”
“I need two minutes.”
“Ash—”
“Go sit in the car.”
The words come out firm. Certain. No room for argument.
For once, he doesn't argue. He simply nods. Then starts walking. I wait until he's through the exit doors. Then I turn around and head back into the locker room to grab our things.
And if anyone says the wrong thing about Noah Grove while Kai is falling apart in my car, I'm liable to start a fight.