Cyma left the party, she just wanted to be alone. She decided to go to the basketball court but as she went in, she was hearing some noise coming from the coach office. At first she wanted to shrug it off cause she didn't like the coach a bit but the noise wasn't ignorable so she peeped and to her surprise she didn't just see the coach but her captain as well. Morris and the coach that was surely something she never expected. She hid before any of them noticed and stepped out when she was sure they had gone. She sat in the chair to digest what just happened, she didn't understand it. What was mortis after, first her then the coach or the other way around.
Just then the door of the court opened and Morris came in.
" I knew you were the one" he said approaching her
" The one?" She asked hiding her disgust
" I saw you peep, I know you know" he said
" Well, congratulations" she said and he chuckled dryly
" What do you plan on doing?, telling everyone?" He asked
" Why would I?, why do I care?" She said
" I thought as much, but quick reminder.. Incase you try to act smart.. I got you covered" he said bringing out his phone
" What's that?" She asked
" Just a shirt video of us on the day of the baseball game" he said
" You recorded that?" She asked
" Just wanted it as a memory but it looks like it would come in handy" he said
" You jerk"
" You can say that again, I asked you nicely but you declined my offer"
" So you resulted into this?, what would you do now... Blackmail me" she said
" Not really, it's just a warning" he said before leaving
" Fuck!" She cursed inwardly throwing the ball on the floor
Victoria went to coach Henry office, it's been long since they saw each other. He was working on his laptop when he heard a knock in the door
" Who is it?" He asked
" Vikky" she said
" Come in" he said putting the laptop and everything aside
" Hope I'm not disturbing your work?" Victoria asked peeping through the door
" No, you came at the right time. I was already bored with work" he said
" Fair" she said entering his office
" And it's been long since I've seen my girl" he said as she sat on his lap
He brushed a strand of hair from her face.
" I've been busy" she said
" With?"
" Training?"
" Which training?, I haven't seen you on the court for a while now"
" Ballet training"
" You dance?"
" I teach"
" Hmm, why don't you teach me some steps to" he teased before pinning his lips to hers
Then..
The door opened.
Not slowly.
Not softly.
Just opened.
" Henry, I need the...." Coach Lari paused mid way seeing both of them in that awkward position
She didn't shout.
She didn't gasp.
She just stood there.
And the silence?
Way louder than the party upstairs.
Victoria stepped back immediately.
Coach Henry straightened.
Nobody spoke.
Coach Lari's face didn't change.
She just said: "Victoria. My office. Now."
And walked away.
Five minutes later, Victoria stood in front of the desk in coach Lari office
For the first time that night, she looked nervous.
Coach Lari closed the door gently.
Too gently.
She sat down.
Folded her hands.
"Do you understand the consequences of what you're doing?" Coach Lari asked
Victoria swallowed.
"Yes." she said
"No. You don't."
Silence.
Coach Lari stood up.
"You are the assistant captain."
Each word landed hard.
"You are supposed to be an example. A leader."
Victoria looked down.
"And instead, I walk into my assistant captain being intimate with my assistant coach."
Her voice wasn't loud.
It was worse.
It was disappointed.
"If this was Audrey, I wouldn't even blink."
That hit.
Victoria's jaw tightened.
"But you? I expected better."
Silence.
Heavy.
"It's not like that." Victoria said
Coach Lari laughed softly.
Not amused.
"You think feelings erase responsibility?"
Victoria's voice got smaller.
"I didn't plan it."
"You never do."
That one cut.
Coach Lari stepped closer.
"You've always been the responsible one. The mature one. The one I could trust."
Pause.
"And tonight I walked in and saw a girl risking her position, her reputation, and this team… for what?"
Victoria didn't answer.
Because she didn't have one.
Coach Lari exhaled.
Not angry.
Just tired.
"If this gets out, it won't just ruin you."
A beat.
"It ruins him too."
Victoria finally looked up.
And for the first time…
She looked scared.
Mika waited all week for this.
The newest edition of Galaxy Raiders VII.
Collector's version. The shiny one. The one she and Jeremy used to scream about back in middle school when life was simpler and nobody was dating anybody.
She set it up like old times.
Two controllers.
Pizza rolls in the oven.
Blankets on the floor.
She even texted him:
Mika:
Game's here. You better not flake.
Three dots appeared.
Jeremy:
Oh shoot. I forgot to tell you. I'm going skating with Alex, Tara and Connor tonight. Alex planned it.
Mika stared at the message.
Alex planned it.
Of course she did.
Mika:
Cool.
She threw her phone on the bed.
She wasn't mad that Jeremy had plans.
She was mad that she wasn't in them.
That night at the skate park Jeremy and Alex were laughing over something dumb. Connor tried a trick and almost wiped out. Tara was recording everything they were doing.
Alex grabbed Jeremy's hand to pull him toward the ramp.
Mika saw it on Tara's story.
She shouldn't have checked.
But she did.
Her chest tightened.
It wasn't romantic jealousy.
It was worse.
It was that quiet feeling of being replaced.
They used to do everything together.
Now he had Alex.
And she had… her room.
And a second controller nobody was holding.
She typed before she could stop herself.
Mika:
Did you know Alex knew about Tara and Connor dating before you did?
Jeremy replied almost immediately.
Jeremy:
She did?
Mika:
Yes
Jeremy paused longer this time.
Jeremy:
Well, she must have her reasons
Mika:
That's it?
Jeremy:
How do you know she knew?
Mika:
When I told her after you told me she said she knew
Jeremy:
That's cause I told her too
Mika:
She knew before you told her
Jeremy:
....( Offline)
Mika:
You can ask her
( Deletes the message)
" What am I even doing?" She dropped her phone on the bed
That wasn't the reaction she expected.
No anger.
No drama.
Just simple.
A few minutes later another text came in.
Jeremy:
You good?
Mika hesitated.
She almost said yes.
Instead she said:
Mika:
Yeah. Just thought you'd wanna know.
Across the skate park, Alex leaned into Jeremy's shoulder, laughing at something Connor said.
Jeremy wrapped an arm around her casually.
He wasn't upset.
If anything, he looked more protective.
And that would even make Mika feel stupid for even trying.
Mika went to knock on Tiffany room, she opened the door and saw her dressing up.
" What's up?" She asked
" Nothing, you free?" Mika asked
" I'm going out" she said
" Oh"
" You good?"
" Yeah"
" You want to come along?"
" Can I?"
" Yeah, I'm going to see someone"
" I'll be the third wheel"
" They're a lot of people there you can make friends with there. It's a female gathering, who knows if you'll see a beautiful girl just like you"
" I'll pass"
" I know you're bored, just come"
" I'm not bored"
"Spill"
"Nothing to spill"
"You set up game night and he bailed, didn't he?"
Mika blinked.
"How did you.."
"You literally posted a picture of two controllers and then deleted it."
Mika groaned
"They looked happy"
"They are happy"
Mika swallowed
That hurt more than she expected.
Tiffany softened.
"But that doesn't mean you have to be alone"
Mika gave her a look.
"I'm not exactly swimming in options"
Tiffany smirked.
"Actually… you might be. Just come with me tonight, you'll see"
" Fine, let me find something to put on" Mika said leaving
The school was quiet.
Too quiet.
The hallway lights were dimmed, casting long shadows across the lockers.
She pulled the hood of her jacket tighter as she slipped through the side gate of the athletic building.
Her heart was beating faster than usual..not because she was scared, but because her head was still spinning from the conversation with Coach Lari the night before.
"You're the assistant captain."
"You're supposed to be an example."
"And you're sneaking around with my assistant coach?"
Victoria had barely slept after that.
At first she was embarrassed.
Then she was annoyed.
Now?
She was furious.
"I'm not some kid she can just lecture," Victoria muttered under her breath as she walked down the dark hallway.
Her footsteps echoed softly against the tiled floor.
Tonight she wasn't here to argue with Coach Lari.
She was here for Coach Henry.
She stopped in front of his office door.
The light inside was off.
Victoria frowned.
"Of course," she whispered.
She grabbed the handle and pushed the door open slowly.
The office smelled faintly of coffee and old paper.
Empty.
She stepped inside anyway and closed the door behind her.
"Great," she sighed, dropping her bag onto a chair.
"I sneak into school like some criminal and the guy isn't even here."
She crossed her arms and leaned against the desk, glancing around the room.
Trophies.
Whiteboard with practice drills.
Stacks of files.
Her eyes wandered lazily across the desk until something caught her attention.
A brown folder sitting near the edge.
Her name was written clearly on the tab.
VICTORIA ANDREWS
Victoria blinked.
"…Why does he have a file about me?"
She walked closer and picked it up.
At first she smiled a little.
"Did he seriously make a file about me?"
She opened it.
The first thing she saw was a photo.
It was her on the tennis court during practice, playing another team.
Victoria chuckled softly.
"Okay… that's actually kind of adorable."
She flipped the page.
Another photo.
This time she was arguing with Jason in the cafeteria.
Victoria shook her head.
"He's been collecting these?"
A tiny smile formed on her lips.
"That's… weirdly sweet."
She turned the next page.
Her smile faded slightly.
The photo looked older.
She was standing outside a diner in town.
Victoria stared at it longer.
"That was… before school started."
Her brows slowly pulled together.
She flipped another page.
Another photo.
This one showed her outside the sheriff's office.
Her dad's workplace.
Victoria's chest tightened.
"Wait…"
She flipped faster now.
More photos.
Her walking home.
Her getting coffee.
Her talking with teammates.
Some of the photos were clearly taken from far away.
Like someone was watching her.
Her heartbeat began to rise.
"This… isn't normal."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached the next section.
Now there were written notes.
She began reading slowly.
"Victoria Andrews . Assistant captain. Highly influential among teammates."
She frowned.
Next line.
"Father: Sheriff Andrews"
Her stomach dropped.
She kept reading.
"Maintains strong relationship with father. Possible access to law enforcement information."
Victoria's breath caught.
"What…?"
Her eyes moved to the next note.
"Approach plan: gain trust gradually."
Her pulse started pounding.
She flipped the page quickly.
"Romantic involvement recommended."
Victoria froze.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"No…"
She kept reading like she couldn't stop herself.
"Objective: collect information related to sheriff's department investigations."
The room suddenly felt cold.
Her hands started shaking.
"All this time…"
Memories flooded her head.
The first day he approached her after practice.
The compliments.
The long conversations.
The way he said she was different.
Victoria laughed once, but the sound was hollow.
"I actually believed him."
She slammed the file shut.
Then
The office door suddenly opened.
Victoria spun around.
Coach Henry stood in the doorway.
He clearly hadn't expected to see anyone there.
His eyes moved from Victoria…
to the open file in her hands.
The color drained from his face.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Victoria lifted the file slowly.
Her eyes were blazing.
"You were spying on me?"
Coach Henry stepped inside carefully, closing the door behind him.
"Victoria..."
"Don't," she snapped.
Her voice shook with anger.
"You followed me."
She grabbed one of the photos and threw it onto the desk.
"You took pictures of me."
Another photo landed in front of him.
"You studied me like I was some… project."
Coach Henry rubbed the back of his neck.
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this."
Victoria stared at him like she had never seen him before.
"Oh really?" she said bitterly.
"Because it looks exactly like a plan."
She opened the file again and pointed at the notes.
"'Romantic involvement recommended.'"
Her voice cracked.
"So what was I to you?"
Silence.
Coach Henry finally sighed.
"It started as part of an assignment."
Victoria felt something in her chest shatter.
"So you admit it."
"I didn't expect to actually care about you."
She laughed sharply.
"You think that helps?"
Her eyes burned but she refused to cry.
"All those times you said you liked me."
"All those late conversations."
"All the things you told me."
Her voice dropped.
"That was all fake?"
Coach Henry looked away.
"I needed access to your father."
Victoria shook her head slowly.
"I feel stupid."
She grabbed her bag from the chair.
"You manipulated me."
He took a step forward.
"Victoria, listen..."
"If you come near me again," she said quietly, cutting him off, "you won't just be dealing with me."
She stared straight into his eyes.
"You already know my dad is the sheriff."
Then she opened the door.
Before leaving, she paused.
"And trust me…"
Her voice was cold now.
"He would love to hear about this."
Then she walked out of the office
Behind her, Coach Henry stood alone.
And the file on his desk was still open.
The hallway outside the office was silent.