The story broke at six-forty the next morning, while Rae was still half-asleep and reaching blindly for her phone to silence an alarm that hadn't actually gone off yet — it was Priya calling, three times in a row, which meant something was wrong before Rae had even fully opened her eyes.
"You need to see this before you leave the apartment," Priya said, no greeting, her voice tight with a specific urgency Rae had rarely heard from her. "The Ironbrook Sentinel posted something an hour ago. It's already been picked up by two regional sports blogs."
"Posted what?"
"A video. Of you and Beckett. In the stands, yesterday, after practice." Priya's voice softened, bracing her for what was coming. "It's not — Rae, it's not ambiguous this time. You can hear both of you. Clearly. Saying you love e
