Page 44 of Clean Point

This time, I couldn’t help but snap. ‘I could ask the same question. This is medical data. It’s my test, and it’s been leaked.’

I realized for the first time that, yet again, something else had been stolen from me. First my body, now my private information. Did I have any right to a choice in this, or should I have continued to be exploited at every turn?

‘I can’t believe you kept this from me,’ Nico said, taking a step away, his body shifting from side to side with hurt and indecision.

‘We knew the test wasn’t right.’ I scrambled to help him understand the deep regret I had for not following my instinct of just being honest with him.

‘We?’

I started, ‘Jon and I, we didn’t want you to—’

His body jolted with a sudden strike of anger, his patience running thin. ‘To what? Think my mixed partner was cheating again?’

‘Nico.’ I had to make him understand, get him to trust me enough to see this test wasn’t correct. Something wasn’t right here at all. The failed test, the leaked result … What was going on?

‘You kept this from me. What am I supposed to believe?’ he practically growled, his hands curled in, the lines of his biceps defined by flexed frustration. I hated this. Seeing him so angry at me, so distrusting. It hurt.

‘Me,’ I cried, unable to hold myself back now. ‘You’re supposed to believe me. All these weeks and you think I would do this?’ His chest rose up and down, his focus fixed on me, as if he was reading me, trying to align what he knew with what he had been told. I sucked in a deep breath, closing my eyes as I tried to pull myself together again. ‘I’ve never touched drugs, I’ve never taken anythin—’

‘But that’s a lie,’ Dylan hissed, her eyes narrowed. I clocked my mistake, the slip of the tongue that revealed more truth than I’d intended.

I shook my head, not trusting myself to clarify the wording. ‘You know what I mean.’

‘You can’t even keep your story straight,’ she continued. ‘I don’t know why Jon let you come here. Why do people pretend like you deserve a place here? You aren’t anything like us. You’re a fraud and a liar, and we only have more proof of it.’

I felt every word she said, the wound from where I’d been ripped open by the betrayal like a raw scar, stinging with every accusation. There was nothing I could say to her that would help her believe me. She had no reason to. Defeated, I instead turned to Nico, my last ace in hand.

‘We’ve been here. Every day for weeks. I’ve been nothing but truthful with you. I’ve never lied. Everything with Matteo, every single story. I didn’t tell you about the result because there was no way it was true. If you still believe I would do this to you, fine. Then let this be over because I’d rather play alone at this point than with somebody who couldn’t believe me when I’m honest.’ My voice was a desperate plea, but he was silent, lips pressed into a thin line.

I’d had enough of being hurt and disparaged. I’d done this before, seen headlines calling me a liar, a cheat, a slut. I’d lived through this, and I had no intention of doing it again. I’d let them in the past, but not anymore. They couldn’t hurt me more than I’d already been, and I wasn’t going to stand there and let anyone try again.

I stood straight, shoulders back as I dug into that strength I held onto, the one I’d never allow anyone to take away from me again. I spoke again. ‘I’m not a liar, Kotas. I promise you that.’

And then I walked away.

21

Nico

Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve – Taylor Swift

Scottie walked away, her blonde hair disappearing as she headed down the path that led to the tennis court, my mind reeling.

‘Coward,’ Dylan spat. I narrowed my eyes on her, heart beating so loud it drowned out almost every other sound.

‘Don’t call her that,’ I replied firmly. I wanted to follow Scottie, figure this out, but first I needed to deal with Dylan. ‘Where do you get off saying those things?’

She rolled her eyes, throwing her head back on a huff. ‘I think I’m more than entitled. It’s all true.’

I paused for a moment, weighing up what Dylan had said. For weeks now, I’d been trying to match up the Scottie I’d assumed she was: the daughter of my rival; the party girl who didn’t take any of this seriously; the cheat. But also trying to connect her with the person I had spent countless hours on the court with. The person I knew she was.

‘You don’t think there’s a chance she’s being honest?’ I asked, brows pressed together. I didn’t know her before, but Dylan had.

‘You can’t trust her, Nico.’ She pressed forward, waving her hands dismissively before staring me down. ‘This is your career. Your fucking legacy. And agreeing to play with that cheat is going to cost you everything.’

I hesitated, Scottie’s words echoing in my head. Jon had believed her, enough to invite her here and pair us together. Enough that he kept this from me.

‘You don’t know that,’ Inés said, stepping closer to the table. ‘I had never expected her to be a cheat before. We used to be friends. It never felt like her. It took us all by surprise.’

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