Chapter 4
1894 Words
CHASE
“What do you mean they're threatening to withdraw?”
My voice comes out calmer than I feel.
Mr. Chen slides the tablet closer across the conference table while the rest of my PR team avoids looking directly at me.
Headlines flash across the screen.
HOCKEY STAR UNDER FIRE.
UNIVERSITY SILENT AMID ALLEGATIONS.
BRANDS RECONSIDER PARTNERSHIP WITH CHASE CARTER.
A cold heaviness settles in my chest.
Not because of the money.
Not even because of hockey.
But because suddenly, this scandal isn’t staying online anymore.
It’s becoming real.
Dangerously real.
I lean back slowly in my chair, forcing myself to keep breathing evenly.
For years, my future had been painfully clear.
Graduate. Get drafted. Join the NHL.
Simple.
Every early morning practice, every injury, every brutal training session, it had all been leading somewhere. I’d spent four years building toward this moment.
And now one blurry video might destroy everything before I even get there.
Mr. Chen clears his throat carefully.
“There may be a way to stabilize things.”
I look up at him, not necessarily out of desperation, but just to hear what he has to say.
“What kind of way?”
He exchanges a glance with one of the PR assistants before speaking again.
“Ava Reynolds contacted me this morning.”
The name immediately rings a bell.
“The reality show producer?”
He nods.
“Ava Reynolds practically owns campus media culture at this point. Her show, Campus Unfiltered, turned random students into internet celebrities overnight.
I never paid much attention to it.
Until now.
“What does she want?” I ask.
Mr. Chen folds his hands together on the table.
“She wants you involved in a new season.”
I stare at him blankly.
“That’s the solution?”
“Hear me out first.”
I stay quiet.
“Listen carefully. This issue would have died down since the university had prohibited the students from talking about it. Until Bella Monroe asked about it, and it started trending all over again.”
“Also, we could have had a statement issued, but you won't say anything.” His tone sounds accusatory, but I don't feel anything in regards.
“She believes the controversy surrounding you and Bella Moreno has created massive public interest.” He taps the tablet screen lightly. “Your confrontation at the press conference is everywhere. People are obsessed with it.”
I almost laugh at that.
Obsessed isn’t the word I’d use.
“She wants both of you as the leads,” he continues. “A controlled reality series following your interactions throughout the semester.”
I blink once.
“No.”
The answer comes instantly.
Mr. Chen sighs like he expected that.
“Chase—”
“I’m not filming some ridiculous reality show with that girl.”
The image of Bella flashes through my mind immediately anyway.
Sharp green eyes. Red hair. That expression she wore while looking at me like she already knew exactly what kind of person I was.
No chance.
“She looked ready to destroy me yesterday,” I mutter.
“That’s exactly why people are invested,” one of the assistants says carefully.
I drag a hand down my face.
Of course they are. Conflict sells.
Mr. Chen leans forward slightly.
“Listen carefully. Right now people see you as cold, secretive, and defensive. This show could humanize you again.”
Humanize.
The word leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Like I somehow stopped being human the second the internet decided I was guilty.
“You don’t need to pretend to fall in love with her,” he says quickly. “Just appear civil. Friendly. Public perception changes when people see interaction instead of silence.”
“And if I say no?”
Nobody answers immediately.
That’s answer enough.
I look back down at the headlines.
Sponsors withdrawing. Public backlash growing. NHL scouts watching everything.
I hate the fact that I’m even considering this.
More than that, I hate that Bella Moreno somehow managed to disrupt my life in less than forty-eight hours.
“What about her?” I ask eventually. “You think she’d actually agree to this?”
For the first time, Mr. Chen hesitates.
Then he picks up his phone and types out a quick message.
The room stays quiet while we wait.
A minute later, his phone buzzes.
Relief visibly softens his shoulders.
“Ms. Ava says she’ll handle Bella.”
That should make me feel better.
Instead, something uncomfortable twists in my stomach.
Because if Bella agrees to this, it means one thing.
She wants something from me badly enough to tolerate me.
And somehow that thought unsettles me more than the scandal itself.
My attention drifts toward the window.
Toward memories I’ve spent days trying not to replay.
Lila crying. Lila shaking. Lila begging me not to tell anyone what really happened.
Maybe if I’d ignored her request, none of this would exist right now.
Maybe silence was never protection.
Maybe it was cowardice.
The thought follows me long after the meeting ends.
BELLA
I have never hated unknown numbers this much in my life.
By noon, my phone has become almost unusable.
Messages. Calls. Tags. Mentions.
Numerous calls came in from unknown numbers, but there was a particular number that kept on ringing me.
Half the campus suddenly wants access to me because one argument with Chase Carter exploded online.
I mute another incoming call with a groan and shove my phone deeper into my bag while walking across campus.
The air outside smells like rain and coffee, students crowding the pathways in loud clusters as they whisper about assignments, hockey games, and apparently me.
Fantastic.
I head toward the campus press building hoping for at least ten uninterrupted minutes of peace.
Instead, I walk directly into Ava Reynolds.
I stop so abruptly, my bag nearly slips off my shoulder.
I'd only seen her on television, but even in person, she looks intimidating.
Leather jacket. Dark eyeliner. Perfect posture.
There’s something unnervingly composed about her, like she’s always aware of exactly how she’s being perceived.
For a second, I genuinely wonder if I walked into the wrong office.
Then Nora suddenly appears beside me and grabs my wrist.
“Bella,” she hisses dramatically, dragging me toward the hallway. “Don’t freak out.”
“That sentence has literally never helped anyone calm down.”
“I think Ava Reynolds is here for you.”
I blink.
“What?”
Nora lowers her voice immediately.
“There’ve been rumors she’s producing another season of Campus Unfiltered. Bigger budget. Bigger cast. Everyone’s been trying to figure out who she’d choose.” Her eyes narrow meaningfully. “Then you and Chase broke the internet.”
I sigh tiredly.
“People need hobbies.”
“No, people are obsessed.” Nora snorts. “The edits alone are insane.”
I groan immediately.
“Don’t remind me.”
I’d made the mistake of opening t****k earlier.
Apparently the internet now believed Chase Carter and I were one meaningful stare away from a romance novel.
Disturbing.
Before Nora can continue, Ava’s smooth voice cuts through the hallway.
“Bella?”
I turn.
She stands in the doorway with one hand resting lightly against the frame, her expression calm but observant.
“It’s good to finally meet you,” she says.
I straighten instinctively.
“You too.”
Nora squeezes my arm once before abandoning me completely.
That sly.
“Inside the office, Ava gestures toward the couch across from her.
I sit carefully while she studies me for a moment.
Not rudely, strategically.
Like she’s trying to understand how my mind works.
“I watched your press conference interaction with Chase Carter,” she says eventually.
“That seems to be everyone’s favorite hobby lately.”
A faint smile touches her lips.
“You challenged someone powerful publicly when everyone else in the room avoided doing it.” Her tone grows more serious. “That matters.”
Something in me softens slightly despite myself.
Because unlike most people speaking to me lately, Ava doesn’t sound entertained.
She sounds… approving.
“I know what it’s like,” she continues, “trying to advocate for women in environments built to protect influential men.”
That catches my attention immediately.
“Campus culture loves accountability until accountability threatens people with status,” she says calmly. “Then suddenly everyone starts worrying about reputations instead of victims.”
I stare at her for a second.
She sounds sincere.
And somehow that’s more convincing than if she’d immediately started pitching business opportunities.
Ava crosses one leg over the other.
“I think your voice is important, Bella.”
I swallow slowly.
“Thank you.”
She nods once before continuing.
“That’s actually why I’m here.”
There it is.
The real conversation.
“I’m producing a new reality series this semester,” she says. “Something more immersive than Campus Unfiltered. More honest. Less curated.”
My brows lift slightly.
“Okay…”
“And I want you involved.”
I blink once.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
I hesitate.
“I’m not exactly reality television material.”
“I disagree.” Her gaze sharpens slightly. “You’re intelligent, outspoken, and people trust you. Especially female students.”
That last part lands heavily.
“You’ve built a reputation advocating for girls whose voices get ignored,” Ava continues. “That influence matters.”
I lean back slightly, cautious now.
“What exactly would I be doing?”
Ava pauses briefly before answering.
“I want you and Chase Carter to headline the show together.”
Silence.
I stare at her.
“You cannot be serious.”
“I am.”
I almost laugh.
“Why would I voluntarily spend extended periods of time around Chase Carter?”
“Because whether you like it or not, public interest surrounding both of you is massive right now.”
I rub a hand over my forehead tiredly.
“Yes, I’m unfortunately aware.”
“The internet already sees your dynamic as compelling,” Ava says smoothly. “Conflict creates attention. Attention creates conversation.”
That part, at least, is true.
“But this wouldn’t just be entertainment,” she continues quickly. “I genuinely think this could become an opportunity.”
I narrow my eyes slightly.
“For what?”
“To expose the truth.”
The answer catches me off guard.
Ava leans forward now, voice quieter.
“You believe something happened to Lila Grant,” she says. “You believe the university is protecting Chase Carter because of his status.”
I nod slowly.
“So imagine having direct access to him,” she says. “Conversations nobody else gets. Time around him without media training or press conferences.”
I hate how tempting that sounds immediately.
“You think he’s hiding something,” Ava says carefully. “This gives you the opportunity to find out exactly what.”
I fold my arms.
“And what exactly would justify daily interaction between us?”
Ava doesn’t even hesitate.
“A relationship.”
I stare at her blankly.
“A what?”
“A fake relationship,” she clarifies calmly. “Public dating throughout the semester.”
My ears ring slightly.
“No.”
- Writer
