11. Nobody Gets To Ruin Rhett Except Me

Cassian

From where I am sitting on the bleachers, I can see the exact moment the rug is pulled from under Rhett’s feet.

He is standing on the ice, looking completely paralyzed as the coach yells at the entire team. His mouth is slightly open, his eyes blinking in absolute confusion as Jacob gets chewed out and kicked off the team for a petition he obviously knows nothing about. I can’t help the slow smirk that spreads across my lips.

It’s beautiful.

Rhett thought he had me cornered this morning with his little stack of evidence. He really thought being the son of the owner of Blackridge meant he could just boss me around and force me into submission. But he forgot that I know how to play dirty, too; even though I admit I was very careless about getting him to be my roommate.

At least I have learned my lesson from it.

He wanted a public apology on the university forum, so I gave him one—and I just made sure to route the digital signature through Jacob’s student portal before I hit upload. Two birds, one stone. I protected my identity, and I took out the one teammate who was actively trying to ruin Rhett’s life.

After all, nobody gets to ruin Rhett Reed except me.

“He really is a great captain, isn’t he?” Savannah’s voice cuts through my thoughts, and I have to actively force my smirk into a friendly, casual smile as I turn to look at her.

“Yeah,” I lie smoothly, leaning back against the bleachers. “He’s something else.”

I had noticed her walking up to the bleachers earlier, looking for Rhett, and I immediately capitalized on the opportunity. Sitting with her, laughing, and acting all friendly is the perfect bait. I knew it would piss Rhett off to see his girlfriend, who he knows I don’t like, talking to the roommate he’s so desperately trying to keep away from. And judging by the way his eyes kept darting up here between drills, it worked perfectly.

The whistle blows, signaling the end of practice. Savannah excuses herself to go wait for Rhett by the exit, and I decide it’s time to make my next move.

I make my way down to the locker room, slipping inside just as the rest of the players are heading toward the showers. Jacob is sitting by his locker, furiously packing his things into his duffel bag. His face is completely red, and from how heavy his breathing is, the rage is evident.

When he hears my footsteps and looks up, his eyes narrow instantly. “What the fuck do you want? Fuck off.”

“Hey, man, I mean no harm,” I say, raising my hands in a defensive gesture as I take a seat on the bench opposite him. I put on my best expression of innocent curiosity. “I just… I heard what Coach said out there. I was just curious if it was because of what happened yesterday that you got kicked off?”

“No!” Jacob snarls, slamming a hockey tape into his bag. “It’s because of some stupid petition pinned on me! Led by Rhett, of course. The bastard has never liked me. He’s always looked for a reason to get me off his back, and now he used his father’s connections to frame me for some internet bullshit.”

I look down, feigning conflict. I twist my fingers together, acting like a roommate who is genuinely troubled by the revelation. “Wow… I mean, I can’t believe Rhett would do that. I know he can be a lot, but framing you?”

“He’s an entitled piece of shit,” Jacob spits. “And don’t come here acting all friendly. You pushed me off because of Rhett and because of you yesterday, now everyone believes I did this. Who knows what the two of you are up to now.”

“Look… it’s just…” I sigh, looking back up at Jacob with a worried expression. “We aren’t up to something. Rhett and I are no longer… you know… The Rhett I’m seeing now… he’s just changed so much. To be honest, he’s been doing some weird stuff to me in the dorm, too… our relationship is. He’s always aggressive, always trying to control everything…”

“Your relationship?” Jacob raises an eyebrow at me.

“I mean, we are close… used to be. Like I said, he’s not the same person I used to know… he’s doing things I am against, you know…” I pause, letting the words sink in before quickly adding, “But I’m sure he has his reasons. Maybe the pressure from his dad and the golden treatment is just making him act out? I keep trying to defend him and make excuses for him, but… the person he is now just isn’t the person I used to know.”

Jacob scoffs, completely taking the bait. “He’s a monster, just like his old man. I hear he had a kind of rage and it’s the reason his mom isn’t here… He doesn’t need excuses.”

“I guess you’re right,” I say softly, leaning in a bit closer. My mind is racing with satisfaction. This is exactly what I wanted. If I am going to completely destroy Rhett, I need ground soldiers. I need people who hate him enough to do the dirty work for me, so that when the final blow lands, Jacob will be the one taking the fall while my hands stay completely clean.

I look Jacob dead in the eye, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “You know… it really isn’t fair that he gets away with everything just because of his status. What do you say about getting back at him?”

Jacob freezes, looking at me with a sudden spark of interest in his angry eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he is definitely going to do worse to other people and—” before I can lay out a plan, Rhett walks in.