Puck, Pain & Promises

CHAPTER 2: The Contract

Jax...

“What did you just say to her?”

My voice came out low and rough as I stood there in the middle of the library, staring down at the mess in front of me. Riley and Brooke were still half tangled together like they owned the place.

Eden looked completely shattered. Tears ran down her cheeks, but she was still trying to pick up her papers like she could somehow fix what had just happened.

I had stormed in here straight from Coach’s office. The words were still burning in my head.

“Academic probation effective immediately. Three weeks. One more incident and you’re done, Callahan.”

No more scholarship. No more team. No more shot at the draft. Everything I had clawed for from nothing would disappear, and I’d end up just like my old man. Angry, useless, and alone. The fear of that sat like ice in my gut, heavy and familiar.

But then I saw her. Really saw her. This girl trying so hard to hold it together while her boyfriend and best friend humiliated her in public.

Something about the quiet way she was breaking hit me harder than it should have. She wasn’t screaming. She wasn’t falling apart dramatically. She was just... trying to pick up the pieces like it was her job to make sure no one else felt uncomfortable. That quiet strength in the middle of pain did something to me.

“Back off, Callahan,” Riley snarled. “This isn’t your business.”

I ignored him completely. My eyes stayed locked on Eden. She looked up at me, those tear-filled eyes wide with shock and something else I couldn’t quite name.

“Fake date me,” I said again, stepping closer. “I fix your image. I make these things look like the trash they are. You save my grades and keep me from getting suspended. Deal?”

The words hung there. Part of me couldn’t believe I was doing this. But desperation made people do crazy sh*t. I needed grades. She needed someone to make her look like she wasn’t the one who got destroyed today. Win-win.

Eden’s lips parted. She didn’t answer right away. I could see the war in her eyes,hesitation mixed with something desperate. I liked that power. I was the one in control here.

Riley tried to grab her arm. “Eden, don’t be stupid.”

She flinched away from him. That small movement made my jaw tighten. I stepped between them, my shoulder bumping Riley back.

“Let’s talk,” I told her, keeping my voice low. “Quiet corner. Now.”

She nodded once, still clutching those papers like a shield. I didn’t wait for Riley’s reaction. I placed my hand lightly on her lower back and guided her away from the watching crowd, deeper into the library stacks where it was quieter. Her body tensed under my touch, but she didn’t pull away.

We stopped in a small alcove between two tall shelves.

The air felt thicker here, more private. I turned to face her. She was smaller up close, shoulders hunched like she was trying to disappear. Tears still glistened on her lashes.

“Talk,” I said. “What’s your answer?”

Eden wiped at her face, but more tears fell. “I… I don’t even know you. Why would you do this?”

“Because I need this as bad as you do.”

I leaned against the shelf, crossing my arms. My heart was still racing from Coach’s threats.

“One more incident, Callahan, and you’re off the team. Draft hopes gone. Just like your father.”

The words echoed in my head, making my hands curl into fists. I couldn’t become that. I wouldn’t.

“I’m one fight away from suspension,”

I continued, keeping my tone hard. “Coach gave me an ultimatum. Fix my grades or I’m done. You’re the top student, right? Tutor me. Be my fake girlfriend in public so I look stable. I’ll make sure everyone sees you moving on strong. Your ex and that girl will look like sh*t.”

She hesitated, biting her lip. The power imbalance was obvious. I was bigger, angrier, pushing. She was small, broken, unsure. It should have made me feel guilty. It didn’t. It made me feel in control.

“I don’t know…” she whispered.

I stepped closer. Her breath hitched. Good.

“You do know,” I said. “You want them to hurt the way they hurt you. I can give you that.”

Her eyes searched mine. The silence stretched. I could hear her shaky breathing, her chest rose and fell too fast.

Finally she nodded slowly. “Okay. But we need rules.”

I almost smiled. “Negotiate then.”

We stood there in the quiet corner. She listed her conditions first, voice soft but determined. Public dates only when needed. Tutoring four times a week, no excuses. No real feelings. This stays fake.

I pushed back on some points, my arrogance showing as I demanded more public appearances to clean up my image. She hesitated on every point, her people-pleasing side fighting with the hurt.

The back and forth went on for a while. Both of us circling each other with words. I could see her walls up, but cracks were there. My desperation leaked through too, fear of losing everything, fear of turning into my dad, drunk and bitter on the couch while life passed him by.

“Deal on the rules?” I asked after we hashed out the last one.

She swallowed. “Public dates when necessary. Tutoring four times a week. No real feelings. This stays fake.”

“Fine by me,” I said, though something in my chest tightened at how quickly she said no real feelings. I didn’t do real anyway.

I pulled out my phone and we quickly typed up a simple contract on the notes app. rules clear, terms set. She signed with her finger. I did the same.

The moment the contract was signed, the air between us changed.

I looked at her tear-streaked face. Without thinking, I reached out. My thumb brushed her cheek, wiping away a fresh tear. It lingered there for a second, tracing the soft skin.

A warm spark passed between us. Her breath caught. Her eyes met mine, wide and startled. I pulled my hand back.

Before either of us could speak again, her phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at it. Her face went pale.

I moved behind her and read the text over her shoulder.

Riley: “You’ll regret this, Eden. I’ll make sure everyone on campus knows what a pathetic person you are. Your perfect reputation is done.”

Rage exploded in my chest. My hands clenched. I read it again, eyes narrowing.

“He’s dead to me now too,” I growled, voice dark with promise.

Eden shivered beside me as I stared at the screen, already thinking about all the ways I would make Riley pay for what he had done to her.