Three

(Athena's POV)

Shame!

That was all I felt before I could even open my eyes. It was heavy and ugly, like my body remembered before my mind could register.

And when I finally blinked awake, the white ceiling above me swam into focus.

I was at the College hospital.

Great.

I let out the smallest breath and immediately wished I hadn't because the second I moved, everything came rushing back into my head.

The rink, the crowd, Luca, sienna, laughter, the lake, a hand grabbing me, water choking my lungs, a deep voice, rough and annoyed, right before everything went black.

“You really picked the worst lake on campus to make a dramatic exit.”

I shut my eyes again.

God! If I stayed still long enough, maybe I'd disappear.

“Don’t even think about pretending to be dead again.”

Tessa.

I cracked one eye open and there she was, sitting in the chair beside my bed with her arms crossed so tight she looked ready to snap in half. Her curls were a mess, her eyeliner smudged, and her expression?

A murder!

Maybe for me, for Luca, or for the entire male species, probably.

And I looked away instantly. “I’m awake,” I muttered.

“No kidding.” Her voice shook and that was what made me look back. Tessa was angry, yeah. She looked like she wanted to slap me, but her eyes were red.

She'd been crying and it made the guilt so hard I almost sat up. “I'm sorry.”

“Oh, now you’re sorry?” she snapped, leaning forward. “Athena, what the hell is wrong with you?”

I flinched.

“Don’t.” Her voice cracked. “Don’t you dare do that. Don’t you dare look at me like I’m being mean because I’m not. You jumped into a freezing lake over a boy. A boy?.” She pointed at me like she was accusing me in court. “Do you know how insane that is?”

My throat tightened and I tried to look away. “I know.”

“No, I don't think you do.” Her eyes filled again. “Because if you did, you wouldn't have done something that stupid!”

I stared at the blanket over my legs. It was easier than looking at her. Easier than seeing what I’d done to someone who actually loved me.

The room went quiet for a second, then Tessa sighed and when she spoke again, her voice was softer now.

“Honestly, I am mad at you,” she said. “I'm so mad at you I could scream. But if you ever scare me like that again, I'll actually bury you myself.”

A weak laugh escaped me before I could stop it. Tessa rolled her eyes and reached over to smack my arm lightly, then she squeezed it.

And just like that, I wanted to cry.

“I hate him,” she muttered.

I swallowed hard. “Good.”

“No, like, truly.” She sat back in her chair, her jaw tight. “I hope Luca Ryder gets hit by his own ego. I hope his skates break mid-game. I hope his face card declines. I hope his stupid hairline starts running.”

That got a real laugh out of me while Tessa’s mouth softened for half a second and then my phone started buzzing on the side table.

Once, twice, three times, then non fucking stop.

I turned my head toward it and Tessa moved faster. “No.”

I frowned. “Tess…”

“No.”

She snatched the phone before I could reach it and held it against her chest like she was protecting me from a bomb.

Which, honestly, was fair. “Tessa.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Give me my phone.”

“No.”

I stared at her and she stared back.

Then another buzz, and another, and another, And another.

I already knew. Still, I held my hand out. “Give it to me.”

Her face changed. The fight went out of it, leaving behind something that looked too much like pity.

I hated that more than anything, then slowly, she handed it over.

The screen lit up before I even unlocked it with notifications, messages and tags everywhere.

I opened the first thing I saw. It was the campus blog and the headline made my stomach drop into tiny pieces.

“WESTBRIDGE’S ICE QUEEN MELTS DOWN AFTER PUBLIC REJECTION.”

Below it was a video of me, standing there like an idiot while Luca called Sienna, then another clip of me dragging him away, then his laugh, Sienna's laugh, me standing there while everyone laughed at me.

My hand shook so badly I nearly dropped the phone because the comments were worse.

“She’s crazy.”

“Wait, she thought he wanted her?”

“This is actually embarrassing.”

“Did she really throw the game for him?”

I clicked out so fast my chest hurt.

“I’m sorry,” Tessa whispered.

I laughed, but it came out so jagged. “No, it’s fine. It’s only my entire life.”

“Athena. …”

Another notification slid down and this time, it was from Coach.

My stomach sank before I even opened it. “Due to recent conduct that has brought significant negative attention to the team and athletic department, Westbridge has decided to terminate my position on the roster effective immediately.”.

Not even suspension or a review. I was done?

I stared at the screen until the words blurred and Tessa made a strangled sound. “That bastard.”

I swallowed hard. “It’s my fault.”

“Don’t start.”

“It is.” My voice cracked. “I threw the game. I made a scene. I gave them every reason.”

“You were manipulated.”

“I still did it.”

I had done this.Luca may have lit the match, but I handed him the fuel.

My phone buzzed again and I almost ignored it, then I noticed it wasn’t a text.

It was an email from an unknown sender. I frowned and opened it.

The subject line was simple. “We need a coach.”

I blinked because below it was even shorter. “You know the game. You know Ryder. Coach us.”

And then, at the bottom, the name of the team.. I sat up so fast my IV tugged while Tessa's eyes widened as she leaned over. “what?”

I turned the screen toward her and the second she read it, her whole face changed.“No way.”

“What?”

She looked at me, then back at the phone like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.“That’s Ashford’s team.”

I frowned. “Ashford?”

“Jeremiah Ashford,” she said like I should know exactly who that was. “Westmore’s nightmare. The one Luca keeps beating in finals. The psycho with anger issues and a fan club. People say he’s weird as hell. Talented, but weird. And if that’s really his team…” She looked back at the email. “Why would they want you?”

I stared back at the screen, something immediately coursing through my mind as my fingers tightened around the phone. “Tessa.”

She looked up and my heart was pounding again.

“If I asked you to help me sneak out of this hospital and go see what they want…” I swallowed. “Would you think I’ve completely lost my mind?”