Chapter 11

Michael already left, leaving me alone here on the bench.

How dare he offer me to be their water boy? And does he think he will make me accept that offer? I have been avoiding those people all my life, and being part of their team, even as a water boy, is a nightmare!

No one can ever make me say yes to be their errand boy.

No one.

“And you said no?”

I was shocked to my core when I heard a voice near me. I rolled my eyes when I saw who that person is. Nathan.

He was leaning against the rusted metal frame of the bleachers, his arms crossed casually over his chest, a wicked, entertained smirk plastered across his face. He had been lurking in the shadows of the storage shed the entire time, watching the whole exchange. He spun his phone between his fingers, the sleek glass catching the dying orange light of the sunset.

"I think the captain is right," Nathan chuckled, taking a slow, deliberate step toward me. His heavy sneakers crunched against the dry dirt, every step echoing the suffocating authority he thought he held over my life. "It is good to have you in our team, as a waterboy."

My hands locked into tight fists deep inside my hoodie pockets, my knuckles turning stark white. I glared at him, forcing my voice to stay cold, sharp, and laced with absolute disgust. "No. I am not going to be part of your team, nor anyone's team."

Nathan let out a low, mocking scoff as he stopped right in front of the bench. The smirk on his face didn't fade; it only grew darker, more deliberate, like a predator enjoying a cornered prey.

"I think you'll say yes to me," Nathan said smoothly, tilting his head with a fake, sickening softness.

I met his gaze head-on, refusing to shrink back or give him the satisfaction of seeing me flinch. "I said no to your captain, so how could a person like you change my mind?"

Nathan's amused expression instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp glare that made the air between us turn to ice. He raised his right hand, holding his phone just inches from my face. With a deliberate, slow tap of his thumb, the screen lit up, illuminating the dark evening with the paused thumbnail of the exact video that had been keeping me awake for months.

The sight of it made my heart stop completely.

"Because Michael doesn't have this," Nathan whispered, his voice dropping into a low, venomous rasp that made my skin crawl. "He offered you a choice, Niel. I’m not giving you one. You’re going to take that job, you’re going to fetch our water, and you’re going to be right where I can see you every single day."

My stomach dropped into a sickening, icy pit. The breath caught in my throat, choking me, while my pulse hammered so hard in my ears it sounded like deafening thunder.

"If you disobey me," Nathan leaned in even closer, the smell of his cologne suffocating me as his dark eyes locked onto mine, "this video goes live on the school forum, the sports board, and every admissions office on your list before first period tomorrow. You won't just be ruined at Fiat Locke. You'll be done everywhere."

My jaw set so hard the muscles in my cheek twitched, my fingernails biting deep into my palms until it throbbed with sharp pain. Everything inside me raged. I wanted to tear that phone out of his hand, smash it against the concrete, and slam my fist straight into his smirk. But I stayed completely frozen, paralyzed under the crushing weight of his blackmail.

Nathan tapped the screen dark, slipping the phone casually back into his pocket with a satisfied, triumphant grin. He reached out, patting my shoulder with two heavy, mocking thuds that felt like lead weights.

"Think about it, freak," Nathan scoffed, turning on his heel. "I'll be waiting for your answer at practice on Friday."

He strolled away toward the parking lot, the sound of his arrogant laughter slowly fading into the quiet evening air until the field was completely silent.

Once again, I was left alone on the empty field under the darkening sky.

The wind picked up, rustling the dry grass around my shoes, but I couldn't move. I stood there frozen by the wooden bench, my entire body trembling with a violent mix of blinding rage and suffocating, helpless fear. His words lingered in the air around me, heavy and toxic, echoing over and over in the quiet space of my head.

I hadn't given Nathan an answer. I hadn't said a single word as he walked away into the shadows. But deep down, as I stared at the empty path leading out of the school gates, the brutal reality settled in my bones. If I disobeyed him, if I tried to run or pretend this wasn't happening, he would push that button without hesitation.

There was no escape. No matter how much I hated it, I was being forced straight into the lion's den.