by Marian Tee
“We were all like you once, until we realized she was just playing nice, like Grant said. All she cared about was to make her track record look good—”
“Cut to the chase,” Alexio growled.
“An overpassionate idiot,” Ryan shot back.
Lace whitened.
Ryan smiled bitterly. “You remember that? It’s what you called me. I’m the guy who helps you out with your lab reports, and you didn’t just call me that. You had the fucking gall to write it in my performance review—”
Liam began to laugh. “Is that it?”
Ryan lunged towards him. “Asshole!”
Lace gasped. She moved to stop the two from fighting, but Slade held her back.
“Basketball’s my life,” Ryan snarled even as he threw a wild punch at Liam.
“So it is, but…” Liam blocked his punch easily. Stepping back, he demanded, “Is that reason enough for her not to say it like she’s supposed to? You’re actually lucky because she was a lot harsher back in high school.” He turned towards his old team. “Kenny, what did Coach say about you before?”
Kenny grimaced. “Always bad at dribbling, but great at free throws.”
“And you, Pete?”
“Keeps getting injured like a baby so I better drink more milk.”
Liam looked back at Ryan. “Back then, she didn’t even write anything. She’d tell it to our face then have it emailed to the entire cheerleading squad.”
Ryan was beginning to show signs of uncertainty. “It’s not the same—”
Liam shook his head. “Coach?”
“Yeah?” Lace had a hard time speaking, all her efforts used up in her fight to remain in control and without tears. Now, it was finally clear why Ryan and the other guys in Northwest had suddenly hated her.
“What did you write about this guy?”
Her gaze clashed with Ryan. “Ryan Jackson is an overpassionate idiot. He cares so much about his basketball, his girlfriend might as well be jealous of it. He will always let his emotions get the better of him.” Her voice caught as the hostility in Ryan’s gaze faded and was replaced by confusion.
Swallowing, she continued doggedly, “But that’s also his good point. If the team’s suffering from a huge deficit, you can expect Ryan to rally the team’s spirit. He’s the one to count on if you need a miracle.”
“Do you understand now, Jackson?” Liam asked quietly. “This coach, while bad at reading anything not related to basketball, pretty much has a photographic memory when it comes to her players. Because this person thinks of us oversized dudes as her kids.”
“What we read, it was all bad things,” Ryan protested, but his voice was less sure now, less antagonistic.
“Let me ask you a question,” Kellion drawled. “Because one thing’s been bothering me from the start. Aren’t performance reports supposed to be between the management and the coach alone? So how did you get access to those reports?”
It was the moment the penny dropped.
“We got it from Grant,” Ryan whispered.
“And Grant happens to be the nephew of the head of their athletic department,” Lace finished numbly. All those months of suffering…and Grant had been the one behind it, Grant deliberately turning everyone against her, and she hadn’t even suspected.
“I’m sorry,” Lace heard Ryan say hoarsely.
She nodded, unable to look at Ryan. She had a feeling if she did, she would really cry, and she just didn’t want to do that.
As she concentrated on breathing, just breathing and not crying, she found herself hugged by KC. “Reverse harem overload,” her friend whispered.
Lace laughed. Trust her best friend to say what she needed to hear.
When she pulled away, Aria had her board ready. YOU ARE SO LOVED.
Lace laughed harder, knowing that Aria had only said it because she was sure Lace would hate to have herself described in such a way.
When they were alone in her brother’s car, she only had to look at Slade and he already knew.
“You want to know why everything’s under control?”
Slowly, she nodded.
“I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I think you need a little wake-up call about your inferiority complex.”
Lace winced.
“Ever since you were young, you hated asking for help. Just because people think I’m self-sufficient and able to do everything, it doesn’t mean it’s true. And even if it was, it doesn’t mean it has to be true for you.” His eyes narrowed. “You understand that now, don’t you?”
She said rawly, “I don’t think it’s a lesson I’ll ever forget.”
Slade’s face sobered. “I guess not.” Frustration rose inside him, Slade wishing there was something he could do to ease his sister’s pain. He wanted to ask her what happened but he didn’t, knowing that Lace would never be the kind to share her weakness. Not when she knew it would only make another person hurt.
In many ways, Lace was the gentlest person he had ever known, someone who would rather suffer than have anyone experience pain.
He had always worried about her because of that, but after last night…
Slade had known he finally had someone else to trust, someone as capable as him to look after his sister.
“Last night, a man by the name of Silver March came to me. He told me he was your boyfriend, and…” His lips twisted. “You can imagine how I initially reacted.”
“You tried beating him up?” Lace gasped.
“He allowed me a punch, but after that, Silver got down to business rather swiftly. He told me to get all the dirt I can about Grant – your former player – and the reporter, Alfred Cohen. He said you had a problem you didn’t want him to know about or help you with so he asked…” Slade paused and shook his head. “No, that’s not right. He offered to beg actually—”
No. Lace almost wanted to cover her ears. She couldn’t bear the thought of Silver begging, not after how fiercely she had protected her own pride.
Slade said flatly, “He was willing to do everything to ensure that I came and helped you instead.”
His gaze centered on Lace, willing her to understand just how much the other man had sacrificed. Whatever wealth Slade possessed, Silver did, too. If he had wanted to solve Lace’s problems, he could have. But Silver had chosen not to, and for whatever reason, Slade knew it was all for his sister’s sake.
“Slade, I…”
“That’s not all, Lace.”
A stricken look crossed her face.
“As far as I know, he asked the same thing from everyone. Your old players in high school. The players you’re coaching now. Your friends. Everyone.”
Bad Girls Need to Be Punished
Lace had just crossed the half court line by the time she realized who exactly was seated behind her team’s bench. It had her slowing down, and a part of her wondered if she should call security.
Fuck it, she thought. Whatever they had come here to say, she would take it.
Squaring her shoulders, she continued walking, and by the time she reached them, Ryan and the rest of his team were on their feet.
“We came to say sorry—” Ryan said stiffly.
She nodded jerkily.
“—and to cheer the shit out of you by way of apology.” Ryan paused. “Coach.”
Damn. It. To. Hell.
What was it with everyone making her want to bawl her eyes out?
Swallowing, she managed a smile that wasn’t quite steady on her lips, and her voice was just as unsteady as she told Ryan and the others, “If you don’t shout loud enough to drown out the home crowd, I won’t forgive you.”
Ryan and his players laughed. “Understood, Coach.”
She quickly turned away. If she stared at them any longer, she really would cry. She had never – never ever – thought she’d hear Ryan and the others call her that again.
When the game started, her Northwest boys did as promised, cheering the shit out of them. Enough to make
them not feel that outnumbered, even if they didn’t have homecourt advantage.
When halftime came, Lace received a text from Aria. Saw you and the NW boys on TV. YOU ARE SO LOVED.
Lace: Go sing like a mermaid and leave me alone.
Her lips twitched as she pressed Send, knowing the private joke would have Aria turning red. Her phone beeped a moment later.
Aria: I hate you.
Normally, the words would make her laugh out loud, but she could only manage a smile. When the game ended and Christopoulos University scored its second win against another Division I team, the feeling of emptiness persisted even as everyone around her cheered.
Something was missing.
Something that made her unable to sleep at night, something that made her almost swear she could hear her heart breaking every time she woke up…
Every time she woke up and didn’t see Silver’s beautiful face next to her in bed.
“You’re crying, Coach,” Ivan pointed out.
Was she?
Suddenly, she couldn’t bear it, the distance she had forced herself to keep. For over a month, she had punished herself. For over a month, she had given Silver a chance to move on…to find someone less proud, less stubborn, less dishonest than she was.
But…she was done with this stupid selfless shit.
She loved Silver, and if he would still have her, she would never let him go.
He answered her call on the last ring, just before the call was completely disconnected. “Wyndham.”
His voice alone made her heart slam against her chest. “M-March.”
“Oooooooh.” The expression came from her boys, who were shamelessly listening in to her conversation.
When she didn’t – couldn’t – say anything else after that, Silver asked, “Any reason you called?”
She asked haltingly, “I was…wondering if you could come here?”
Lace started to tell him where she was, but before she could finish, Silver said quietly, “I’m sorry. I don’t think it’s possible.”
“Is it because we’re too far?” This school was an hour away from CU, which was normally where he picked her up. “I’m willing to wait—”
“No. I’m sorry. I can’t.”
And before she could say a word, Silver had ended the call.
She stared blankly at her phone.
Was that it?
After everything…that was it?
“You’re crying again, Coach,” Drew pointed out uneasily.
Was she?
She supposed she was, and the realization made her cry a little harder. “He says he can’t come.” The words came out in a sniff but ended up a wail. Even knowing she could end up a damn meme, she couldn’t stop herself from crying. Even knowing the sports networks’ cameras could be focused on her right now, Lace couldn’t stop herself.
She wanted to cry until she was dead.
Silver didn’t love her anymore, and it was all her fault.
Over her head, a silky voice said, “I couldn’t come because I’m already here.”
That voice…
She couldn’t be imagining it, could she?
Her eyes flew open.
Silver.
It really was him, in the flesh, dressed in impecabble fashion like he always was. The only guy she knew who could wear a lilac-colored shirt and red skinny jeans and still look like he was the sexiest man on earth.
Silver.
The only guy she would ever love.
“I love you.” The words flew out of her mouth. She needed to say them right now. Before anything.
Silver’s lips curved.
“I love you.” Her voice wobbled, and her tears still fell, but she had to say it again. She would say it over and over until she could make it up to him.
Silver stepped forward.
“I love you.”
Gently wiping away her tears, he murmured, “I’m sorry I made you cry.”
She shook her head fiercely. “You don’t have to be sorry. It’s my fault. I was wrong.” She badly wanted to throw herself at him, but she couldn’t, feeling like she didn’t deserve to.
He asked in a voice she couldn’t read, “Can we talk?”
Slowly, she nodded.
Silver brought her to his car, and the moment the driver left them alone, he asked quietly, “Do you know when everything went wrong?”
She shook her head.
“Gabriel.”
Her head shot up. “Gabriel…like Prince Gabe?”
Silver looked like he wanted to kill her. “Yes, Prince Gabe.” His voice dripped with distaste. “You made me so damn jealous over him, I ended up flying to his damn country. I practically charged into his castle, ready to challenge him into a fucking duel–”
She said weakly, “I don’t understand—”
“All this time, I thought the one who kept calling you, the one you kept making excuses about, was your Gabe,” Silver hissed. “And when I went to his fucking castle, intending to fight for you, the damn man started laughing at me.”
Lace could only look at Silver, unable to comprehend what he was getting at.
“Gabe told me about a problem you had that you couldn’t tell me—”
“And that’s why you flew back earlier than planned,” Lace realized.
“When I saw that fucker kiss you, I wanted to kill him. I probably would have if I hadn’t hear you call me Silver…” At her wide-eyed look, he said simply, “You never call me that.” His lips compressed. “And then I saw your eyes, and I knew.”
“M-my eyes?”
Silver’s face became grim at remembered pain. “Even when you were screaming at me, telling me to leave, your eyes…” He exhaled. “Your eyes were crying out for help, and goddammit, you didn’t know…you’ll never know how much I hated myself that time. If I hadn’t been so jealous, hadn’t been so damn worried that you’d find someone better than me, I would have known…” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’m older than you, and the signs were all there to see. I should have known you were in trouble.”
Silver closed his eyes.
Her heart broke.
She knew that look. She knew it very well, because she knew it was what she did, too, when the love inside of her was so much, it was all she could do not to explode with it.
“When I saw that look in your eyes,” Silver said hoarsely as he opened his eyes and looked at her, “I felt like I failed you. Like I had no right to help you at all. That’s why I begged anyone, everyone I knew who could help you…to do what I wasn’t able to do for you.”
And her heart broke again. It broke with every word he said, her heart doing its best to cope with the painful truth.
Silver March loved her, in a way that her heart needed to work hard to catch up to it, needed to learn to be pure enough so she could love him the way he deserved to be loved.
Most of all, her stupid, stupid heart needed to grow until it was big enough to carry Silver’s love and not break under the beauty of it.
“March.” Her voice was uneven.
“Wyndham.” His voice was rough.
“I’m not the girl for you yet…”
Silver whitened.
Lace held his hands. “But…I don’t care.” Shakily, she brought his hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles one by one. “I’m not going to let you go. I’m just going to work hard until I deserve you—”
Silver tore his hands out of her hold. “Don’t. Don’t make it seem like I’m perfect beause I’m not,” he gritted out “If I were, I would have known you were in trouble from the start.”
She started to answer, but he shook his head. “Enough. Just promise me…if you don’t want me to die an early death, you’ll tell me if you need me?”
She whispered, “Always.”
“Then…if you really mean that…” Silver breathed harshly. “Tell me what did happen from the start.”
A stricken look crossed her face. “March, no—” Her throat tig
htened in shame. “Anything but that.”
“If we don’t talk about it now, we’ll never be able to talk about it.”
He cupped her face, and the touch had her jerking.
“Look at me, Wyndham.”
Her tear-blurred gaze slowly found him.
“It’s just the two of us, and nothing else matters. Forget about everything else.” Pressing his lips to her forehead, he said tautly, “I want you to tell me what happened…everything. Don’t hold anything back. And after you tell me, I’m going to comfort you, the way I should have comforted you from the very start.”
Just when Silver thought she would refuse or pull away, he felt it, her hands moving up, fingers curling right above his heart, as if his heartbeat alone gave her strength.
“I thought he was someone I could trust,” Lace whispered.
Her eyes closed as she dove back into the past.
“And I had the silliest reason for it.”
She began to drown, but she didn’t move, didn’t let the waves of pain crashing down on her stop her from speaking.
“His name was Grant, like Grant Hill, and just like that, I trusted him.”
The self-disgust in her voice made Silver wrap his arms around her tightly. “It’s a damn good reason, sweetheart.” He meant every fucking word.
She choked back a teary laugh as she laid her head against his chest. “It’s not, but t-thank you for saying that.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, she continued, “We grew close, and we spent a lot of time together. He said I led him on, but if I did, I never knew I was doing it. I never knew, and by the time I realized what he felt for me, it was too late. He threatened me, and h-he showed me videos…incriminating ones. And one…” She started to cry.
“He saw me naked.”
The agony in her voice flayed him, and cursing under his breath, he dragged her onto his lap. She burrowed into him immediately, clinging to him like she had never clung to him before.
It hurt, it fucking hurt to have his strong little lamb act like she was helpless. “It’s okay now, sweetheart.” He kissed her hair as he rocked her like a baby. “No one’s going to hurt you now. I swear it.”
“He showed it t-to the other guy, and I d-don’t know w-who else saw it…” She cried harder. “But w-what m-made me h-hate myself was when I f-found out t-that because of me, they got hold of something that should have b-belonged to KC alone.”