Chapter6
1487 Words
When I got home, I stripped off my clothes and headed straight into the bathroom. I desperately needed to wash off the sticky layers of sweat gripping my skin.
After the shower, I changed into something loose ~ an oversized shirt I’d blatantly stolen from my brother, and a pair of shorts.
I wandered into the kitchen to fix some cereal but i checked the fridge first. The food I'd left for my brother was completely untouched. Shrugging, I took my bowl into the living room, turned on my favorite show, and was halfway through the episode when my brother’s voice cut through the quiet.
"Jade."
The sharpness in his tone made me freeze. I looked up, caught completely off guard. "What is it, snowman?"
He was glaring down at me with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
"Tell me why I’m sitting in my room and I suddenly get a call saying I’m trending on social media." He shoved his phone directly in front of my face.
"Trending?" my voice dropped to a whisper. I took the phone, staring at the screen. It was the clip of the game I’d played against Nico while pretending to be him.
Before I could even process it, he snatched the device back.
"I have no idea what that is," I mumbled, trying to shrug it off despite the glaring evidence. "Maybe it's AI."
"AI? Seriously?" His eyes darkened, taking on a terrifying edge I had never seen in him before. "Come on. Those are literally my clothes, and if I’m not mistaken, this is you."
My tongue felt heavy. I couldn't force a single word out.
"Jade, what did you do?"
"I was trying to protect you," I choked out, the defense sounding weak even to my own ears.
"Oh my God, protect me from what exactly?" He threw his hands up. "You just made everything a hundred times worse!"
"What was I supposed to do? Sit there and do nothing?"
"Exactly!" He dug his fingers into his forehead, trying desperately to suppress his rising anger. "You have no idea what this is going to cost me. My coach just called. He wants me in his office tomorrow morning, and first thing's first, he wants me drug tested."
"Why?"
"Because he knows my actual skill level, Jade! He’s not stupid, he’s coached me for three years. He knows I am one of the worst players on that hockey team." He ran his hands frantically through his hair, his chest heaving.
"I can't even play with my eyes wide open to save my life, let alone blindfolded. What do you think happens when I hit the ice tomorrow and look like a total amateur? He’s going to think I used performance enhancers to beat Nico."
The weight of it finally hit me. I had acted entirely on impulse, trying to fix things without calculating the fallout.
He turned on his heel and stormed toward his bedroom. I followed closely behind, tears already blurring my vision. "I didn't mean for this to happen, I promise." I reached out to grab his arm, but he flinched away from my touch.
"What happens if you get caught?" his voice cracked with sudden anxiety. "You’ll go to jail, Jade. And I’ll be expelled and kicked off the team."
The harsh reality sank in. I hadn't thought about the legal side, or the school rules. I had just let my emotions take the wheel.
"I am so sorry, Jace," I sobbed, completely breaking down. "I just couldn't watch them treat you like trash. It broke my heart."
"Why does everyone try to think for me?" he whispered, sounding completely exhausted. "Nobody ever asks what I actually want. Dealing with our parents controlling everything is enough. Please don't do it too."
He stepped into his room and shut the door.
I sank straight to the floor, burying my face in my knees, and just let the tears come. I had genuinely wanted to save him, but I only succeeded in destroying everything.
******
I ended up crying myself to sleep right there on the floor. When I finally woke up, my head was throbbing with a dull, heavy ache. Just as I managed to sit up, the doorbell rang.
I forced myself up and dragged my feet to the door. When I pulled it open, my heart dropped. Standing on the porch was the last person I ever expected to see.
My mother.
She brushed right past me without a word, acting like I was a complete stranger who just happened to open the door for her.
"Where is your brother?" she demanded, already unpinning her earrings and shedding her jacket, tossing them carelessly onto the console table.
~I guess that’s your version of ‘how have you been after abandoning us for months,’~ I thought bitterly. My face twisted with irritation, a sudden surge of anger catching me off guard.
"He’s in his room," I muttered, turning around to shut the door. Before I could, a group of people pushed past me into the house. They were carrying professional kitchen gear, and I instantly recognized a few of their faces from cooking shows on TV.
"What is going on? Who are these people?" I called out, trailing behind her as she marched toward Jace’s bedroom.
"They are chefs, obviously."
"I know what they are," I snapped, barely containing an eye roll. "Why are they here?"
"Oh, come on, Jade. To cook, obviously." She threw open Jace's bedroom door, making me feel like an annoying fly she was just trying to swat away. "Your dad is coming over tonight to celebrate your brother's victory against Nico. He saw the video online."
"Of course he did." A wave of pure resentment hit me. I felt stupid for thinking, even for a second, that she had actually showed up just to see how we were doing.
Jace was sitting up on his bed, his shoulders slumped as he stared intensely at his phone. Glancing over his shoulder, I could see the reflection of the hockey video looping on his screen.
"I don't really feel like coming out tonight," Jace said, his voice flat and hollow.
"It's not a request, Jace. You don't have a choice." She turned her sharp gaze at me. "I went shopping before coming here, so both of you need to get dressed." She glanced down at her watch. "Your dad will be here in forty-five minutes."
I let out a heavy sigh. The entire atmosphere felt suffocating, and I didn't know how much longer I could take the pressure.
The moment she stepped out, I tried to sit beside Jace on the mattress. He immediately bolted to his feet, flinching away as if I carried a contagious disease.
"Jace, please. You can't keep shutting me out," I pleaded, trying to find a way through to him.
"You have no idea how much pressure I’m under right now!" he burst out, his voice shaking. "I'm trying to invent an excuse so I don't completely humiliate myself tomorrow. But no matter what lie I come up with, it always circles back to the same thing. If I don't show up, it looks like I'm running away from the drug test."
I opened my mouth to speak, to offer another apology, but the words died in my throat. There was no magical solution to the mess I’d created. I backed away, my feet feeling incredibly heavy, as if the floorboards had turned to thorns.
Desperation took over. I decided right then to confess everything to my mother. Maybe, just maybe, she could use her influence to fix this. Or maybe she couldn’t, but I had to try.
I walked into the kitchen, watching her bark orders at the chefs as they prepped the counters.
"Mom," I started softly. She paused, looking over at me. "I need to tell you something. I really need your help."
"How much money do you need?"
The sting of her words shouldn't have surprised me. To them, every single problem could be solved with a checkbook.
"Mom, I have a confession to make, and it’s really serious."
"What is it, Jade? Don't scare me." For a brief second, it actually looked like she was giving me her full attention.
"I..."
Before the truth could leave my lips, her phone blared in her hand. Because of how high the stakes were, I foolishly thought she might silence it and listen to her daughter for once.
I was wrong. I expected way too much from a parent who only cared about her career.
"Sorry, Jade, I have to take this. We'll talk later," she said, already turning her back on me as she swiped the screen. "Hello, this is Mrs. Silverman,
talk to me."
I stood there frozen, swallowing the truth. This was a complete disaster, and I was entirely on my own.
- Writer
