Page 57 of The Players We Hate
Her eyes glistened as she fought to hold them back. “So that’s it? After everything, you want me to believe I was nothing more than a game to you?”
“Wren—”
“You can’t even look at me,” she hissed, swiping hard at her cheek. “After what Wells did to your sister, how the hell can you turn around and do the same thing to me?”
My jaw ached from how hard I clenched it. “With everything going on and what happened to my sister, I can’t risk you destroying my life more than you already have.”
The words were cruel. Too cruel.
She flinched like I’d struck her.
Then her expression shifted. Shoulders back, chin up. The softness drained out of her, replaced by the armor her family had taught her to wear. The girl who never let herself break where anyone could see.
“Well.” Her voice was calm, clipped, sharp at the edges. “That makes things clear.” She reached for the door, movements smooth and detached. “I hope I never see you again, Talon.”
The door shut with a dull thud. She walked away, her figure shrinking into the streetlight’s haze until she was gone.
I stayed there in the dark, hands locked around the wheel, heart pounding like I’d just lost something I’d never let myself fully claim.
Chapter Seventeen
Wren ~ Four Months Later
The low hum of the student center filled the space. Shoes scuffed against the tile, the espresso machine let out sharp bursts of steam, and now and then, laughter rose above the steady chatter. I sat tucked into the back corner, earbuds in but no music playing, just an excuse to tune it all out.
My laptop sat open in front of me, the cursor blinking against a half-finished sentence I hadn’t touched in an hour.
Through the window, campus life carried on like normal. Students crossed the quad in steady waves, moving with that sense of purpose I used to know. Like they all had somewhere they were meant to be.
Now, most days felt like I was treading water.
I reached for my iced coffee, the cup damp with condensation, and took a slow sip. The bitterness settled me more than the caffeine ever could. I was supposed to be working on a communications case study about brand crisis response and public trust, but my focus was shot. My tabs had turned into a graveyard of distractions with newsheadlines, internship postings, and even a half-written message to my mom about dinner that I still hadn’t sent.
Then a new email slid into my inbox.
Subject: Rixton University Compliance Internship – Offer Letter
My heart stuttered. I blinked, then clicked.
Dear Wren Perry,
We are pleased to offer you a student intern position within the Rixton University Athletics Compliance Office…
I sat back slowly, the words washing over me. I read the email twice, then a third time.
My stomach was a mess. I’d wanted this chance, but a part of me had stopped believing I’d ever really get to start over here. Taking on this compliance role meant walking straight into the mess the university was still cleaning up from my brother's actions. I couldn’t shake the thought that my family might be tied to even more than I knew.
Even with all that, a small flicker of hope still lit in my chest.
I shut my laptop, slid it into my tote bag, and gathered the rest of my things. I had just enough time to swing by the dorm and change before meeting my mother. She was driving into Rixton to eat before her fundraiser planning committee meeting, and apparently, I was helping with the event whether I liked it or not.
The late afternoon light slanted across campus. March air couldn’t make up its mind—warm one second, cold thenext. The trees were just starting to bud, a faint green showing through. Off in the distance, a soccer ball thudded and someone shouted. For a moment, it felt normal.
When I stepped into the dorm, our room was quiet, and the familiar scent of Alisa’s vanilla body spray lingered faintly in the air. I dropped my bag beside my desk, kicked off my flats, and peeled off my cardigan. My shoulders ached from being hunched over all day, but I didn’t let myself sit down. If I did, I’d lose momentum.
I was halfway to my closet when the door burst open behind me.
Alisa breezed in like a storm, full of energy, a mischievous look written all over her face.
