Ryker’s POV: The Student Center
The ping of my phone echoed against the metal tabletop in the cafeteria.
I was halfway through a protein shake, going over playbooks with the junior wide receivers, when the screen lit up with a multimedia message from an unknown number.
I swiped it open.
The image loaded instantly. It was Lila and Jason. They were standing in the Humanities hallway. The framing was tight, artistic almost, emphasizing the proximity between them. The lighting made it look hushed, secretive.
I looked at it for three full seconds.
"Everything alright, Cap?" one of the freshmen asked, pausing mid-sentence.
"Yeah," I said evenly, locking the screen and sliding the phone into my pocket. "Go over the red-zone routes again. I'll be right back."
I stood up, threw my empty sha
