YOU ARE NOTHING
807 Words
ZANE’S POV
I’d just agreed to the most humiliating thing I could imagine. The contract was signed—six weeks of my life handed over to cameras and producers for fake conversations—pretending I didn’t hate Reeve Callahan with every fiber of my being.
I pushed open the locker room door—and I froze.
It was supposed to be empty. I just wanted to skate, clear my head and forget for a few hours that hell was breaking loose.
But now—my father was sitting on my bench. The second from the left, a spot I’d claimed freshman year. His suit fitted him perfectly and his hands folded in his lap like he’d been waiting for me.
My stomach dropped. “Dad.”
For a second, I couldn’t move—or breathe. My bag slipped from my shoulders, hitting the floor with a dull thud I barely heard over the rushing in my ears.
”Close the door.”
I hesitated at first then obeyed. The click of the latch echoed in the empty space.
“Derek sent me the agreement.” He didn’t look at me, just stared at the row of lockers across from him. “You signed it.”
”I had to—“
”You had to?” His voice was quiet, dangerously quiet. I’d heard that tone before—right before things got worse.
“You had to appear on a reality television program with the journalist who ruined your reputation?”
I set my bag further down carefully, buying time. “It was the only way to get reinstated.”
“The only way.” He finally looked at me, and his eyes were cold. “You couldn’t fight, or demand a proper investigation. You just rolled over like a dog and agreed to be entertainment.”
”There was no evidence to fight with, sir.” I kept my voice level. “I didn’t know the woman. And the bar’s cameras were broken—“
”And whose fault is that?”
My jaws clenched. “It wasn’t—“
”It doesn't matter whose fault it was!” His voice rose suddenly, bouncing off the walls and metal lockers. “It matters what it looks like. Nike pulled your sponsorship this morning. Do you understand what you’ve done to this family!”
Family. Like we were something that functioned or cared about each other instead of protecting the name on a plaque.
“I was helping someone.”
”I don't care who you were helping!” He stood, and I automatically took a step back. ”This is the third incident this season, Zane. I care that my son keeps making headlines for all the wrong reasons.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides. “So what was I supposed to do?”
”Not this.” He gestured sharply. “No son of mine would parade himself on television like some desperate—“
”It was this or I lost everything!” The words burst out before I could stop them. “Everything would be gone. This was the only option they gave me.”
He stared at me. I knew immediately I’d made a mistake raising my voice—trying to defend myself or even show emotion.
All the things that made it worse.
”Then you should have demanded better options.” His voice was quiet again. “I raised you to be stronger than this.”
My throat felt like it was closing. ”I am strong—“
“You’re a weakling.” He chuckled slightly. “You let them control you. Every single one of them. You’ve given them power over you except yourself.”
My throat tightened. “I signed it to fix this. To get my reinstatement—“
”You signed it because you’re scared to fight.” He moved closer, close enough I could smell his cologne.”Just like your brother, running from problems rather than facing them.”
”I’m not Rhys.”
His hand shot out.
I flinched before his fingers even touched me—something I’d never been able to stop doing no matter how many times I told myself not to react.
He grabbed my jaw—fingers digging into my skin and his thumb pressing directly on this morning’s bruise. The one he’d left when I told him about the suspension.
The pain radiated across my face. My vision blurred at the edges. I tasted blood—maybe I had bitten my tongue or just reopened the split in my lip.
”You’re worse than Rhys.” His grip tightened until I couldn’t move or breathe. “Because he knew he was a disappointment. You made me believe you might actually amount to something.”
- Writer
