Breaking The Ice

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Chapter 4 Thief

The next day

The silver charm feels heavy in my pocket, like it is made of lead. Every time I move, I expect to hear it clink against my keys. I spend all of third period staring at the back of Chloe’s head. She sits three rows in front of me in English class. She looks perfectly calm. Her ponytail is high and tight, not a single hair out of place. She is taking notes with a pink pen, looking like the perfect student.

I can't focus on the book we are supposed to be reading. My mind keeps going back to the old gym. I think about the sound of that footstep and the way Jaxson looked at me before he left. He is starting to trust me, but that trust is a thin thread. If Chloe saw us, she can snap that thread whenever she wants.

I need to know for sure. I need to know if she has the video.

When the bell finally rings, I don't head to my next class. I wait. I follow Chloe at a distance as she walks toward the athletic wing. The hallways are crowded. Students are slamming lockers and laughing. The air smells like floor wax and cheap body spray. Chloe stops near the gym lockers. She is alone for a moment, pulling a heavy textbook from her bag.

This is my chance. My heart is a frantic bird trapped in my ribs. I reach into my pocket and wrap my fingers around the cold silver. I walk up behind her.

"Chloe," I say.

She turns slowly. She doesn't look surprised. She looks at me with an expression of pure boredom, like I am an insect she is tired of looking at.

"Vance," she says, her voice flat. "Still following me? I thought I told you what happens to people who don't know their place. You should be hiding in the library, not bothering me."

I don't say a word. I reach into my pocket and pull out the tiny silver hockey skate. I hold it out in the palm of my hand. The fluorescent lights of the hallway make the metal glitter. It looks so small, but it feels like a bomb.

"You dropped this," I say. I watch her eyes closely. I am looking for a flicker of fear. I am looking for her to turn pale or glance at her phone. "I found it in the old gym yesterday. Right after you ran out of the balcony door."

For a split second, the world stops. The noise of the hallway fades into the background. Chloe looks at the charm. Then, she looks at my face.

A slow, wicked smile spreads across her lips. It isn't the look of someone who has been caught. It is the look of a predator who just watched its prey walk into a trap. I realize my mistake the second her eyes brighten with a fake, sparkling light.

"Oh!" she cries out. Her voice is suddenly loud—so loud that it echoes off the metal lockers. "My charm! You found it! Oh, thank goodness!"

She doesn't reach for it. Instead, she gasps and puts her hands over her heart. She looks around the hallway, making sure everyone is paying attention.

"I was wondering where that went!" she shouts. Students start to slow down. They form a circle around us. "I noticed it was missing from my locker this morning. I told the girls I thought someone had broken my lock while I was at cheer practice yesterday. I was so upset!"

My blood turns to ice. My skin goes cold despite the heat of the hallway. "What are you talking about? I found this in—"

"Jax! Jax, come here!" Chloe calls out, waving her arm.

I spin around. My stomach drops. Jaxson is walking down the hall with Miller and two other players. He stops when he hears his name. He sees the crowd. He sees me standing there with the silver charm in my hand. He walks over, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"What’s going on?" Jaxson asks. He looks at me, then at the silver skate in my hand.

"Jax, look!" Chloe says. She sounds like she is about to cry. It is a perfect performance. "Maya found my skate charm. The one you gave me for our anniversary last year? I told you I thought someone stole it from my gym locker. I was so heartbroken."

She looks back at me. Her eyes are not crying. They are sharp and mean. "I didn't think it was you, Maya. I thought we were starting to be friends after you sat with Jax at lunch. Why would you go into my locker? Do you hate me that much?"

The whispers start instantly. They hit me like physical stones. "She stole it?" one girl whispers. "The scholarship girl is a thief? I knew she was shady," a boy says. "She’s probably jealous of Chloe," another adds.

Jaxson walks closer. He stands between us, looking like a giant. He looks at the charm in my hand, then he looks at my face. His expression is unreadable. It is like a wall of blue ice has dropped between us. The warmth I felt from him in the gym yesterday is gone.

"Vance," he says. His voice is low and dangerous. "Where did you find that?"

I freeze. My mouth is open, but no words come out. I look at Jaxson. I want to scream the truth. I want to point my finger at Chloe and tell him, “I found it in the old gym! She was spying on us! She was watching you be weak!”

But the words stay stuck in my throat like jagged glass.

I hate Jaxson Thorne. I hate him for what he did to my brother, Leo. I hate the way he walks through this school like he owns the air we breathe. But as I look at his face, I realize I am not protecting him. I am protecting the deal.

If I tell the truth right now, in front of Miller and the crowd, everything collapses. The Coach will find out about Jaxson’s wrist. Jaxson will be benched. He will lose his chance with the scouts. And if he loses his future, he has no reason to protect me. The deal dies.

If the deal dies, I am no longer "off-limits." I go back to being the girl people throw trash at. Without Jaxson’s protection, the next few months of my life will be a living hell. I am a scholarship student. I have to keep my grades up to get into a good medical school. I cannot do that if I am fighting for my life in the hallways every day.

I also think about Leo. My brother is a good man, but he is angry. He is working at that garage because he was "the bad kid" who got into a fight. If I cause a scene and get Jaxson kicked off the team, the school won't thank me. They will see me as the girl who destroyed their star player. They will find a way to take my scholarship. They will find a reason to kick me out, just like they did to Leo.

I cannot lose my future. I am the only hope my family has.

So, I stay silent. I let the lie hang in the air. I let the word thief wrap around my neck like a noose.

"I..." I start again, but my voice is barely a whisper. I look at the floor. "I’m sorry."

Jaxson’s eyes turn cold. I see the exact moment his respect for me dies. He thinks I really did go into Chloe's locker. He thinks I am exactly what everyone says I am: a bitter, jealous girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

"I thought you were different, Vance," he says. The words are quiet, but they cut deeper than any of Chloe's insults.

Chloe smiles. It is the smile of a winner. She hooks her arm through his and pulls him away. "Come on, Jax. Let’s go. We don't need to waste our time on her."

I watch them walk away. The crowd follows them like a trail of ants following their queen. A few people purposely bump into my shoulder as they pass. Someone whispers "trash" under their breath.

I wait until the hallway is empty before I move. I walk toward the exit, my legs feeling like they are made of lead. I push through the heavy double doors and step out into the cold afternoon air.

I reach the old gym and sit on the rusted metal steps. The wind bites at my face. I have to decide what to do next.

Do I tell Jaxson the truth when he shows up for his treatment? Do I tell him about the video and the charm? Or do I keep playing the villain so I can keep my scholarship?

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