He Chose Her, I Joined His Rival Team

Chapter 2: The Broken Trophy

The guttural roar of the motorcycle faded into the heavy drum of the rain, leaving Nova alone in the dim glow of the stadium parking lot.

She stood frozen for a long moment, staring at the empty space where Jax had been. The aluminum can in her good hand was freezing, but as she pressed it against her throbbing right shoulder, the biting cold provided the only relief she had felt all night.

A queen shouldn't be standing alone in the dark while a pathetic captain worships a pebble.

The stranger’s deep, mocking voice echoed in her ears, slicing through the fog of her exhaustion. He was right. She was the one who had pitched the game of her life. She was the one who secured their spot in the finals. Why was she standing out here in the freezing rain, waiting for a man who didn't even care?

Nova tightened her grip on the can. She wasn't going to hide in the dark anymore. She was going to face the mess.

Thirty minutes later, she pulled her Jeep into the parking garage of the upscale apartment building she shared with Julian. Sitting in the passenger seat was a white bakery box. She had ordered the custom double-chocolate cake a week ago, confident they would win. The top was decorated with blue and gold icing that read, To the Finals!

She picked up the box, the cardboard feeling heavy in her tired hands, and rode the elevator up to the penthouse.

When she pushed the front door open, a wave of warm air hit her, carrying the scent of expensive takeout and... vanilla perfume. Chloe's signature scent.

"Julian? Are you sure she won't be mad?" a soft, high-pitched voice drifted from the living room.

"Don't worry about Nova, Chloe. She’s tough. She probably didn't even notice I was gone once she got on the mound," Julian’s voice replied, laced with a casual arrogance that made Nova’s stomach churn.

Nova stepped into the living room, water dripping from her soaked jacket onto the expensive hardwood floor.

Julian was lounging on the plush gray sofa, a slice of truffle pizza in his hand. But what made Nova's blood freeze was the sight of Chloe. The petite, blonde girl was standing by the fireplace, wearing one of Julian’s oversized team hoodies—the very hoodie Nova had given him for his birthday.

In Chloe’s delicate hands rested Nova’s crystal MVP trophy from last season.

"What are you doing with that?" Nova asked, her voice dangerously low.

Julian flinched, almost dropping his pizza. He wiped his mouth quickly, sitting up. "Jesus, Nova. You startled us. Why are you sneaking around your own apartment?"

"I asked a question," Nova said, stepping further into the room, her eyes locked on the heavy crystal in Chloe's hands. "Put it down."

Chloe’s wide, doe-like eyes widened further, filling with instant, manufactured panic. She took a step back, clutching the trophy to her chest as if Nova had just threatened her with a weapon. "I-I'm sorry, Nova! I was just admiring it. Julian was telling me how amazing you are, and I just... I wanted to see what a real champion’s award felt like."

"Put it on the shelf, Chloe. Now," Nova demanded. Every muscle in her body was tense. That trophy wasn't just glass. It represented a torn ligament, six months of grueling physical therapy, and the blood she had shed to pull herself back from the brink of career failure.

"Nova, calm down," Julian snapped, standing up and crossing the room to stand protectively between Nova and Chloe. "She wasn't going to steal it. You don't have to use that aggressive tone with her. She had a terrible night."

"She had a terrible night?" Nova let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. "I pitched nine innings with a shredded rotator cuff while you, the team captain, abandoned the playoffs to hold her hand on a subway. And I'm the one being aggressive?"

Chloe let out a tiny, frightened whimper, taking another step backward. Her heel caught the edge of the thick Persian rug.

"Ah!"

Her hands flew up. The heavy crystal trophy slipped from her grasp.

Time seemed to slow down as Nova lunged forward, her injured arm screaming in protest, but she was too far away.

CRASH.

The sound of the crystal shattering against the stone hearth was deafening. Jagged shards of glass exploded across the floor, catching the warm light of the fireplace. The engraved plaque—Most Valuable Player, Nova Hayes—snapped in half, sliding under the sofa.

Nova stopped dead in her tracks. All the air was violently sucked out of her lungs.

"Oh my god! Chloe, are you okay?" Julian yelled, dropping to his knees. He didn't even glance at the shattered remains of Nova's greatest achievement. He grabbed Chloe’s hands, frantically inspecting her pale skin for scratches. "Did the glass cut you? Does it hurt?"

"I-I'm so sorry!" Chloe sobbed, tears spilling perfectly down her cheeks. "It was too heavy! I got scared because Nova was yelling, and my hands just... they just gave out! I'm so clumsy!"

"Shh, it's okay, it's not your fault," Julian cooed, pulling Chloe into his chest, letting her cry into his shirt.

Nova stared at the sharp, broken pieces of her legacy scattered on the floor. Her vision blurred, a blinding hot rage rising from the pit of her stomach, burning away the last three years of patience, compromise, and blind devotion.

"It's not her fault?" Nova whispered, her voice trembling with an anger so profound it felt cold.

Julian glared up at her, his jaw set. "No, it's not! Look at what you did, Nova. You came in here acting like a psycho, dripping wet, barking orders. You terrified her! It’s just a piece of glass. We can get the school to order you a replacement."

"A replacement," Nova repeated. She looked at Julian—the man she had cooked for, covered for, and loved unconditionally. He looked back at her with nothing but annoyance and disdain.

"Yes. Now stop being so dramatic," Julian demanded, his voice rising, taking on the authoritative tone he used on the field. "Look at her, she’s shaking. I want you to apologize to Chloe right now for scaring her."

The room fell dead silent, save for Chloe’s exaggerated sniffles.

Nova looked down at the bakery box in her left hand. The cake meant to celebrate a victory shared with a man who had never truly been on her team.

The stranger in the leather jacket was right. Julian wasn't a captain. He was just a pathetic boy playing dress-up, protecting a pebble because it made him feel like a mountain.

A slow, chilling smile spread across Nova's face.

"You want an apology?" Nova asked softly.

Julian frowned, slightly unnerved by her sudden calm. "Yes. Tell her you're sorry."

Nova lifted the bakery box. With one swift, deliberate motion, she flipped the lid open, grabbed the heavy double-chocolate cake by its base, and hurled it with the precision of a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball.

SPLAT.

The cake slammed directly into the expensive custom wallpaper inches from Julian’s head, exploding in a massive shower of blue icing, chocolate sponge, and sticky filling. Globs of dark frosting splattered across Julian’s face and Chloe’s blonde hair.

Chloe let out a piercing shriek, jumping back. Julian wiped a thick layer of frosting from his eye, his face twisting in absolute shock and fury. "Are you insane?!"

Nova stood tall, the sharp pain in her shoulder completely eclipsed by a sudden, intoxicating rush of freedom.

"There's your sweet apology," Nova said, her voice dripping with ice. "Clean it up yourself. Both the cake, and the trash."

She didn't wait for his response. Turning her back on the ruined room, the broken glass, and the man who had never deserved her, Nova walked out, slamming the door shut so hard the entire hallway rattled.