CHAPTER 5: THE MIDNIGHT TRIAL 

Maya didn’t wait for sunlight. She couldn’t sleep anyway. Every time she closed her eyes, she pictured that scrap of black hockey jersey on her floor. She kept replaying those nasty comments on the school website. Her secret letter to her dad—now everyone knew about it. It was like the whole world peered straight into her soul and decided to laugh.

She moved quietly through the dark. Her room was dead silent, but inside her head, it was chaos. She grabbed her thickest sweater and shoved her old tablet into her pocket. No crutches tonight. She leaned on the wall, hopped along on her good foot, jaw clenched tight because her ankle throbbed with every step.

At the window, the broken lock rattled. She eased it open and climbed out, careful not to fall. Her heart hammered against her ribs, wild and trapped. When she landed in the wet grass, her ankle screamed—sharp and hot, like a needle—but she just kept going.

“I have to know,” she muttered, voice barely a breath. “I have to know if he lied to me.”

She limped down the empty, foggy streets, heading for the “Rough Side” of Northwood. Out here, the fancy school buildings faded away. The houses shrank and peeled. This was Julian’s world.

She found his address—a tiny apartment over an old garage. One window glowed with light.

Maya climbed the narrow metal stairs. Every step creaked loud enough to wake the street. She reached the door and pounded her fist against it.

“Julian! Open up!”

Silence, then the clunk of a heavy lock turning. The door swung open.

Julian stood there, not hiding behind his hoodie this time—just a plain white t-shirt. Maya froze. His arms were a mess of bruises. Fresh cut on his lip. But his eyes caught her breath—no anger, no coldness. He just looked exhausted.

Behind him, a little boy—maybe seven—slept on the couch, curled under a thin, ratty blanket. Julian’s little brother, the one he kept trying to save.

“Maya?” Julian’s voice sounded rough, cracked. “What are you doing here? It’s three in the morning. If your mom finds—”

“Did you do it?” Maya stepped inside, pain forgotten. She yanked the black cloth from her pocket and tossed it at his chest. “I found this by my window. And my letter—to my dad—it’s online. Everyone knows I want to quit skating. Everyone knows we’re broke.”

Julian stared at the cloth. He didn’t touch it. His face drained of color.

“You think I broke into your house and stole your mail?” His voice dropped, dangerously quiet. “You really think I’d do that to you?”

“You’re the only one who knew I wrote him!” Maya’s voice broke. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “You’re the ‘bad boy,’ Julian! Everyone warned me. They said you were using me to stay in school. Did you post my letter? Did you want me to feel so alone I’d only trust you?”

Julian stepped closer, closing the distance. The room suddenly felt way too small.

“Look at me, Maya,” he said.

She met his eyes.

“I spent all night at the police station.” He pointed to the cut on his lip. “Bianca’s dad called the cops. Said I threatened her in the gym. The police kept me for five hours. I got home half an hour ago.”

Maya felt her lungs freeze. “The police?”

“I wasn’t at your window,” Julian said. He reached out, hand shaking a little, and barely touched her sweater. “Maya, I’m losing everything. I’m suspended. The scouts are gone. My brother might get taken away because I can’t keep this place safe. Why would I hurt the only person who makes me feel like I’m worth something?”

Maya’s anger vanished, replaced with a cold, heavy ache. She stared at the black cloth on the floor.

“If it wasn’t you…” Her voice trembled. “Then someone wanted me to think it was. Someone took your jersey and went to my house.”

“Bianca,” they both said, almost at once.

Julian rubbed his face. “She’s not just trying to win a medal anymore, Maya. She wants to wreck us. She wants you out of here. She wants me in jail.”

Maya glanced at the little boy asleep on the couch, saw the empty pizza boxes, the pile of unopened bills. Julian wasn’t the villain. He was a hero, barely holding things together.

“I have a choice,” Maya said. Her voice came out steady, stronger than it had in weeks. “I can go home and let my mom ship me off to Russia. I can let Bianca win. Or I can fight back.”

“You can’t fight with a broken ankle,” Julian said.

“I can,” Maya told him. She limped over to the table, grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. “I’ve got one week to show the school I’m making progress. I’m not just going to walk. I’m going to skate at the Winter Gala. And you’re going to be there with me.” 

I’m suspended, Maya. I can’t even step inside the school.

Maya’s eyes lit up, sharp with some new kind of energy. Then forget the school rink. There’s a frozen pond behind the old mill—solid ice. We’ll train there, just us. And on the night of the Gala, we’ll show up together. If I skate well, they can’t take my scholarship. I’ll tell the board you helped me. They’ll have to listen.

Julian stared at her. He saw fire in the girl who used to seem so breakable, like she’d shatter if you breathed wrong. A slow, crooked smile crept across his face.

That’s insane, he said. If this goes wrong, we’re both out.

It won’t go wrong, Maya said, grabbing his hand. For once, I’m not skating for my mother. Or the judges. I’m skating for us.

The next few days blurred together, all pain and secret meetings. Every night at midnight, Julian picked up Maya on his old motorbike, and they slipped away to the pond hidden deep in the woods.

The ice out there was rough—nothing like the perfect, glassy surface at school. It was hard, unpredictable. Even dangerous. But it was beautiful, too.

Julian pushed her harder than her last coach ever did, but he never yelled. He just stood out on the ice, watching.

Again, he’d say when she fell.

I can’t, she’d gasp, lungs burning in the cold. It hurts too much.

Julian would glide over, catch her, hold her for a second—just enough to steady her—then push her back out. The pain’s just information, Maya. Listen to your body. You’re not breaking. You’re getting strong.

By the fifth night, something shifted. Maya stopped hopping across the ice—she started gliding. The fear in her head faded. When she looked at Julian, she didn’t see a coach anymore. She saw her partner.

One night, they took a break and sat on a fallen tree, sharing a cup of hot coffee.

Why do you hate skating so much? Julian asked, quiet.

Maya stared at the moon’s reflection on the pond. It’s not skating I hate. I hate who I have to be to do it. I hate being afraid of my mother. I hate not having friends because everyone’s a rival. She met his eyes. But out here, with you, I don’t feel like that girl.

Julian moved closer. The space between them vanished. Maya felt his cold nose bump hers.

You’re not that girl anymore, he whispered.

He kissed her. Not like the fake kiss at the bonfire—this one was slow, real, tasted like coffee and winter. It felt like a promise. Suddenly, Maya knew she was ready.

The Northwood Arena buzzed with people. Biggest night of the year. The air was thick with chatter and expensive perfume.

Maya stood in the dressing room, wearing a new costume—a deep, dark red, nothing like the princess pink her mother always picked. This was the color of a fighter.

Bianca swept in, looking perfect in gold. She stopped, staring at Maya.

What are you doing here? Bianca snapped. I thought you were off to Russia. Your mother said you’re too hurt to skate.

Maya stood up—no crutches, just skates, standing tall. She locked eyes with Bianca.

I’m not going anywhere, Bianca. And I think you dropped something.

Maya held up a tiny silver screw.

Bianca went pale. That’s… that’s nothing.

It’s evidence, Maya said. Julian found the match in your locker. We sent photos to the board. But I don’t want to win because you cheated. I want to win because I’m better than you.

Bianca tried to laugh, but her voice shook. You can’t even jump, Maya. You’re broken.

Watch me.

Maya stepped out toward the ice. Her mother was waiting at the gate, face frozen in shock.

Maya! What are you doing? You can’t go out there! You’ll ruin everything!

No, Mom, Maya said, stepping past her. I’m fixing it.

The announcer’s voice boomed: Now skating for Northwood, Maya Rossi.

The crowd hushed. They’d seen the video, read her letter. Everyone expected her to fail.

Maya stepped onto the ice. She glanced at the VIP seats—Julian was there, wearing a staff jacket and trying to blend in. He gave her a quick nod.

The music started, deep and powerful on the piano.

Maya moved. Fast. Fearless. She was a storm out there—spinning, gliding, nailing every step. Then came the moment.

The Triple Lutz. The jump that broke her ankle.

She launched herself into the air. One. Two. Three.

She landed. Perfect.

The crowd exploded. Thunderous cheers. Maya’s eyes filled with tears. She’d done it. She was free.

She finished her program, took her bow. The judges stood up. Even her mother was crying in the front row.

Maya glided off the ice, heart pounding, scanning the crowd for Julian. All she wanted was to run straight to him. She wanted the world to know they had won together.

​But as she reached the gate, she saw two police officers. They were walking toward the VIP seats. They were not looking for Bianca. They were walking straight toward Julian.

​Beside the police stood Coach Miller. He had a mean, happy smile on his face. He held a thick envelope.

​"Julian Thorne!" the officer shouted. "You are under arrest! You stole money from the school athletic fund!"

​Maya froze. The "papers" the lawyers had brought... the "stolen money"...

​She looked at Julian. He looked at her. His eyes were full of heartbreak. He did not fight. He held up his hands for the handcuffs.

​"I did not do it, Maya!" he yelled as they took him away.

​Maya looked at Coach Miller. He leaned in and whispered into her ear.

​"You won your scholarship, Maya. That was our deal. I give you your career back, and you give me the boy to blame for the missing money. Everyone wins."

​Maya felt her world fall apart. She had her career, but the boy who saved her was being taken to jail in chains.

Did Maya just trade her love for a gold medal, or can she stop the man who set this trap?