:
< Chapter 55
342
6/6
< Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Gage
More Rewards >
I could see the fear in his eyes–the sudden, ugly blanching that made his cheeks pale as blood trickled from his nose and onto his shirt. For a second the whole world narrowed to the two of us and the sound of my own breathing. I should have done so much more. I should have broken him until he couldn’t stand, stomped him into the ground for what he’d done to her. But getting violent in the wrong way would put me behind bars, and I couldn’t be there for Bree if I was in prison. So instead I contained it, let the fury feed my words rather than my fists, and watched the effect. He looked like a cornered animal–close to losing control, close to wetting his pants from sheer terror.
“You’ll never be able to get a f*****g job,” I hissed, each syllable sharpened like a blade. Kenneth snorted behind me, a small, satisfied sound feeding the tension. “You’re gonna be a liability to this world until you finally decide to do everyone a favor and end your miserable life.”
He stammered something-“I–1–“–but I couldn’t care. I didn’t want to hear excuses, apologies, or the kind of cowardly justifications that always followed someone with blood on their hands.
“Don’t f*****g speak!” I bellowed, cutting him off before he could form another word. My voice rolled over the field like a thunderclap. “I don’t give a s**t what you have to say. I have all the evidence I need. I have everything, Camden. And don’t you for one second think I won’t use it against you.”
Caleb spat on the ground beside him, the sound wet and contemptuous. “Piece of f*****g s**t,” he growled, his voice low and hard.
My jaw burned. I hated that I had to lean on threats, on legal leverage, like a soldier relying on ammo. But I also knew the stakes: ruin this kid’s life the right way, and he’d be kept away from anyone else who trusted the world. Let it go, and he’d keep walking the same path. I chose the path that kept Bree safe.
“You either drop out, or I will make sure you’re escorted out of here by the police,” I said, steely, not caring who heard me. The guys behind me shifted like a single organism- protective, dangerous. “I’ll make sure you never see daylight freely again.”
Oliver’s face twisted with rage and a bruised sort of defiance. “What about your sister?” he spat, venom in every syllable. “You really think I did this alone?”
It was like a punch to the face–cold, brutal, and absurd. For one terrible heartbeat I pictured
1/5
< Chapter 56
More Rewards >
every humiliating image and message stitched to his grin. The memory of Bree near the bonfire–her voice small and raw as she told everyone what had happened–came back, sharp as a blade. She’d said he’d been with a girl, that this wasn’t a one–man operation. She’d said both the guy and his girlfriend were in on it, confessed the betrayal, and I’d swallowed it like bitter medicine.
“No,” I said, the single word escaping me like a reflex. I took a step back, not because his words scared me but because the thought of Jenna’s betrayal sliding into the light made my stomach drop.
Oliver smiled then–a slow, sickening grin, the kind that wants to wound and enjoy the reaction. “It must be hard,” he said, relish in his tone. “Your perfect little angel sister–nothing but a conniving, slutty piece of work who loved sneaking around behind Bree’s back. Are you going to report her as well? What, you gonna-”
His words were cut short when Miguel stepped forward, quick as lightning, and drove his foot straight into Oliver’s face. The impact echoed across the field–a sickening, brutal sound that made even me flinch–and Oliver crumpled instantly, knocked out cold before his body even hit the ground.
“Cortez!” Coach bellowed, his voice sharp with authority as he finally decided to step in.
Miguel only shrugged, feigning innocence as though he hadn’t just laid someone out with a single blow. “Sorry, Coach,” he said, tone almost playful. “I was just walking, and then suddenly his face was in my way. Right, guys?”
A chorus of agreement rose up around him, the team nodding their heads and backing up his story without hesitation. Loyalty like that ran deep, and Oliver–lying sprawled out on the grass–had none of it.
That was when I felt it. A sudden tingling across my back, the kind of sensation that made every hair on my arms rise. My body knew before my mind did. My eyes snapped upward, drawn like magnets to her.
And there she was.
Bree.
Her hair tumbled free from the bun on top of her head, loose strands spilling like silk around her face. Her wide eyes shimmered in the late light, catching everything, reflecting everything, cutting straight through me. One delicate hand covered her mouth as though she could physically hold back the sound of her own heartbreak.
Her words rushed back into my head, beating like war drums. We just won’t work. The memory of them rumbled through me, heavier now that she was standing here–seeing me
2/5
< Chapter 56
like this, seeing the wreckage left behind.
More Rewards >
It was because of her. Because of my sister, because of the betrayal that had tied Bree to pain she never deserved, because of the poison that had taken the purest part of her heart and shattered it. My fury for Oliver burned hot, but the deeper ache was always for her.
“Bree,” I breathed, the word slipping out as little more than a whimper. My body moved on instinct, carrying me toward her without conscious thought. Every part of me ached to reach her, to fold her into my arms, to hold her against me until she stopped trembling. I wanted to shield her, to make her feel safe, to remind her she was treasured, valued, irreplaceable.
But the doubts clawed in right behind the longing. Would I ever be enough? Could I ever make her feel secure again, after what had been taken from her? Could I rebuild her trust when it had been destroyed so thoroughly? The questions tore at me as much as the sight of her
tears.
Bree shook her head slowly, and my steps faltered. The tears spilling down her cheeks caught the light, and each one cut into me like glass. I froze in place, watching helplessly as Savannah slid her arms around Bree and pulled her close, guiding her away with quiet determination.
I could do nothing but stand there. I saw Riley hang back for a moment, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her shorts. She gave me a look–sad, resigned, with just the faintest edge of something else, something that might have been understanding or even acceptance. She didn’t say a word, just turned and followed after the girls, leaving me rooted to the spot.
And there I remained, stranded in the middle of the field, staring after Bree’s retreating figure. My chest felt hollow, as though my heart had been ripped clean out and left bleeding in the dirt. Each breath came shallow and sharp, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to fill my lungs.
I was strong enough to knock Oliver down, strong enough to terrify him, strong enough to destroy him–but watching Bree walk away from me felt like the only fight I couldn’t win.
For the last thirty minutes, my body had been nothing but fire. Rage pooled under my skin, hot and relentless, a furnace that ate at reason and spit out pure, animal fury. I’d let it loose on Oliver, felt each blow spark something darker and sharper inside me, especially as the guys around me fell into line–no questions asked, just raw, unquestioning loyalty. They trusted my instincts and that trust fed the anger like gasoline.
All I wanted was justice for my girl. Nothing theatrical, no messy, pointless revenge–just the kind of finality that would make sure he couldn’t hurt anyone else the way he’d hurt her. I would move heaven and hell to fix this. I’d cut ties with Jenna if I needed to, confront her until the truth sat between us like a permanent scar. Whatever it took to make Bree feel safe
375
1:
< Chapter 56 again, I’d do it.
More Rewards >
“She’ll change her mind, man,” Kenneth said beside me, his hand landing on my shoulder with the easy assurance of someone who’d seen enough to know how these things sometimes righted themselves. His voice was steady, and I had to let his steadiness lodge into me like. an anchor. I wanted to believe him. I needed to.
“Schultz and Hardman, take Camden to the nurses‘ office,” Coach ordered, hardly taking his eyes off the knot of us gathered on the field. The two rookies moved fast, hauling the unconscious kid to his feet, slinging him over a shoulder like he weighed nothing. Blood dotted the grass beneath his nose; his limbs hung like a puppet finally cut from its strings.
Coach turned toward me, face unreadable. “Can you finish practice, or do you need us to stop for the day?”
My first instinct was to bolt. To chase after Bree, to find her, to wrap her up in something solid and permanent so none of this could scratch her again. But somewhere under the fury, the rational side of me clicked in–she would need time to breathe, to process, to decide whether any of this was what she wanted. I needed time too. Time to sort the mess: lawyers, evidence, fallout. Time to be ready for her when she decided she wanted someone reliable at her side.
“I want to continue,” I said, shoulders rolling as if to shrug off the adrenaline. “I’m sorry about derailing it.”
“No need to explain,” Coach said, palms open in a half–shrug. “And if you ever need anything, you know where to go, right, Simmons?”
I nodded once. “I do.”
“Good,” Coach barked, turning back to the team. “What are you bitches looking at?! Start doing some f*****g laps!”
The command snapped us back into motion. We kicked into drills, lungs burning, legs pumping, the rhythm of practice filling the space between thought and action. My body obeyed–running, tackling, catching–every movement mechanical, trained. But inside my head, the gears were grinding. Plans unfurled: who to call, which evidence to gather, how to make sure Oliver never saw daylight the same way again. My uncle’s leads, the library logs, the digital footprints–they all needed to be tied together into something irrevocable.
Between sprints, my eyes kept flicking to the sideline where Oliver and the two rookies had disappeared, to the perimeter where Bree had basically fled with her friends. Each glance felt like an ache. I could punch, threaten, intimidate–but none of that would stitch a broken trust back together. That was a different kind of fight. One that took time, patience, and a promise
4/5
< Chapter 56
I intended to keep.
9
Comments
:
Get Bonus (Ad) >
Vote
342
More Rewards >.
