I didn't think my hands would shake this much as I walked across the gym hallway, but they are. My fists are clenched. My pulse is hammering in my ears. Every step I take toward the boys' locker room feels like it's laced with fire.
Levi's there. I know he's always early to practice. Probably already lacing up his shoes like he owns the place. I throw the door open, and the moment it slams against the wall, heads turn.
Levi is sitting on the bench, tying his sneakers, talking with Matteo and one of the juniors. His brows lift when he sees me storm in, but he doesn't flinch.
"Out," I snap at the other two. "Now."
Matteo opens his mouth to object, but the look on my face must say enough. He leaves without a word, dragging the junior with him. The door shuts, and it's just Levi and me.
"You told me you weren't going to go after her," I growl, stepping closer.
Levi scoffs. "She came to me."
"You know damn well that's not what I meant." My voice is low, controlled rage. "I asked you. I told you. After what I did, she didn't need more damage. And you're the one person who knew everything."
Levi leans back against the lockers, arms folded. "I didn't plan to get involved, Liam. But then you screwed her over, broke her in front of half the school, and someone had to pick up the pieces."
"You think you're helping her?" I snap. "She overheard you. You and Beatrice. Talking about the second phase. That's what you called it, right? You're playing the same damn game."
His expression twitches for a fraction of a second—guilt, maybe—but he covers it with a lazy shrug.
"She was already broken when I found her," he says. "I'm not the one who told her she was never my type and walked away with a laugh."
That hits me like a bullet. My jaw tightens. "I regret it every day."
"Well," Levi says, standing now, "regret doesn't erase what happened. She still cried herself to sleep for two weeks. Still flinched when she walked by people. Still stared at her locker like it was cursed."
"And yet you still got close to her," I hiss. "Even after I told you not to."
"Because I wanted to," he snaps. "Because you think the world revolves around you, Liam. You screw up, and everyone else is supposed to step back and let you fix it? Let you have a second chance?"
I glare at him, chest rising and falling like I just ran a mile. "So this is about me? Not about her?"
Levi doesn't answer. He just stares at me, his silence loud.
And then I understand.
"You're trying to hurt me," I say quietly. "That's what this is. You want her to fall for you—harder than she did for me. So when you drop her, it breaks both of us."
Levi tilts his head, smiling faintly. "That would be poetic, wouldn't it?"
Rage flashes through me. I grab the front of his shirt and slam him back against the locker.
"She's not your revenge toy," I growl, voice trembling. "She's not ours to ruin."
Levi doesn't even push me off. He looks me dead in the eye. "Then you shouldn't have started the game."
I release him with a shove, disgust boiling in my chest.
"You stay away from her," I say, backing toward the door. "I'm done playing along. And I swear to God, if you so much as hurt her again—"
"You'll what?" he cuts in, brushing off his shirt. "Hurt me like Nick did? Get yourself locked up too?"
I don't reply. I just leave.
But as I step out into the hallway, chest still heaving, I know this isn't over.
Because Levi isn't done.
And neither am I.
⸻
I don't know what I'm going to say to her. All I know is that I can't keep pretending anymore.
I stalk down the corridor, weaving through students, brushing off calls from a few teammates. I don't stop. My vision is tunneled, locked on the West Wing where I know Beatrice and her pack always hang out during lunch — the unofficial kingdom of their petty empire.
When I turn the corner, I spot her instantly, seated on the bench like a queen on her throne. Her perfectly brushed waves fall over her shoulder, her manicured fingers scrolling through her phone while her minions hang on her every word. She sees me coming and smirks like she already knows what this is about.
"Liam," she sings. "You're here to thank me? Or just to sulk a little more?"
"Get up," I say, cold and firm.
Beatrice blinks, her smile flickering. "Excuse me?"
"I said get. Up."
The girls around her look between us, shocked at my tone. Beatrice's smugness falters as she stands slowly, brushing imaginary dust off her skirt. "What's the problem now? Trouble in paradise with Levi?"
I don't answer her. I just grab her wrist and yank her away from the group. She squeals but follows, heels clicking behind me as I pull her to an empty hallway near the stairwell.
"What is wrong with you?" she snaps, yanking her hand back.
"You told me this was going to be a joke," I say, my voice low but full of fury. "A dumb prank. Something you could laugh about. You said I'd pretend to date her, break up with her, and it'd all go away."
Beatrice crosses her arms. "And it did. We did exactly what we said."
"No," I say through gritted teeth. "You didn't tell me I'd actually like her. You didn't tell me I'd destroy someone just to impress your toxic little circle. And you definitely didn't tell me that Levi was going to pick up where I left off and twist the knife deeper."
Beatrice laughs. "Oh my God, you're serious. You really did fall for her."
The way she says it, like it's the most pathetic thing she's ever heard, makes something snap inside me.
"I did," I say. "I do."
Beatrice's mouth hangs open.
"And now she hates me," I continue. "Because I earned it. Because I let you and your stupid games turn me into someone she'll never trust again."
Beatrice steps closer, face hard. "Don't act like you're innocent. You went along with it. You dumped her like trash, in the changing room, on camera. That was your choice, Liam."
"I told you I didn't want it to go that way," I hiss. "I told you it was too far."
"And you did it anyway," she shoots back. "Because deep down, you cared more about what people thought than what she felt."
That stings. Because it's true.
But now? I couldn't care less what people think. I'd trade my reputation for one genuine smile from Zara.
Beatrice's voice softens, but it's still coated in venom. "She was nothing, Liam. Just a silly girl who thought a bad boy like you would actually fall for her. And you're the one who gave her hope."
My fists tighten. "You used me. You turned me into something I never wanted to be."
"No," she says, stepping even closer, her voice a whisper now. "You are what you chose to be. You just don't like seeing the reflection now."
I back away from her. My chest is burning, my thoughts unraveling.
"You stay out of her life, Beatrice," I say. "You and your poison. And if you even think of getting Levi to keep this 'second phase' going, I'll end it myself."
Beatrice raises a brow. "Oh? The savior routine now?"
"I'm not saving her," I say. "I'm cleaning up my mess."
Beatrice chuckles coldly. "Too late for that."
I turn and walk away before I can say something I'll regret — though there's nothing left to regret now that the truth is out.
Every step I take is heavy. Every breath tastes like ash.
Because I know Zara will never see me the same again.
And the worst part is…
She shouldn't.