Chapter Seven

Leo

The locker room was bustling with the usual post-practice chaos, but I couldn"t shake the sour mood that had taken hold of me. My day had gone from bad to worse, starting with a flat tire on the freeway that nearly caused me to spin out. I was lucky to make it to an automotive shop quickly, but I still ended up late for practice. Coach Nottingham had chewed me out in front of everyone, and I couldn"t focus after that. Every pass, every shot, every drill felt like a struggle, and Coach kept yelling at me for not being on my game. He was right too, I just couldn't seem get myself together.

I sat on the bench in the locker room, staring at my skates. The lace on one of them had been cut a few days ago, and now the flat tire. It all felt too deliberate to be a coincidence.

I replayed the morning in my mind, the image of the flat tire burning in my memory. I was heading to practice as usual when I felt the Escalade wobble. At first, I thought it was just a rough patch of road, but the wobble turned into a violent shake. I barely managed to control the vehicle, swerving to avoid other cars as I pulled over to the shoulder. When I got out to inspect the damage, I found the tire was completely flat with a jagged tear along the side. It looked like it had been slashed.

After a frantic call to a tow service, I was towed to a nearby automotive shop. The mechanics were quick to replace the tire, but the unnecessary delay meant I was late for practice. The whole ordeal left me rattled and furious. When I finally arrived at the rink, Coach Nottingham was waiting for me, his face red with anger.

"Giordano, you"re late!" he barked as I hurried into the locker room to change. "You think you can just stroll in whenever you feel like it?"

"I"m sorry, Coach," I said, struggling to get my gear on as quickly as possible. "I had a flat tire on the freeway. It was an emergency."

"Excuses," he snapped. "You"ve been off your game lately, and now this? Get your head in the game, or you"re going to find yourself riding the bench."

His words stung, and I tried to focus during practice, but my mind kept drifting back to the flat tire. Who would do something like that? And why? The skate lace had been one thing, but this felt like a direct threat.

As I sat there in the locker room, staring at my skates, my teammates Mateo and Dalton approached me.

"Hey, man, what"s got you in such a foul mood?" Mateo asked, dropping onto the bench beside me. Dalton followed, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, you"ve been so happy lately," Dalton said. "We thought dating Sawyer"s sister was doing wonders for you."

I shot them both a look, frustration boiling over. "That"s part of the problem," I muttered.

Mateo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I think someone"s trying to sabotage me," I admitted, lowering my voice. "First, someone cut one of my skate laces. Today, I had a flat tire that nearly got me killed. I think it"s Sawyer trying to get back at me for going after Emma."

Dalton and Mateo exchanged glances. "Leo, man, you"re being paranoid," Mateo said. "Why would Sawyer go that far?"

"Because he"s pissed that I"m dating his sister," I snapped. "And if someone tried to ruin your career and everything you"ve worked so hard for, you"d feel the same way I do."

Dalton sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, we all know there"s bad blood between you and Sawyer, but this is getting out of hand. It"s starting to affect the team"s morale."

"Team morale?" I repeated incredulously. "You think I give a damn about team morale when someone"s trying to sabotage me? This isn"t just about some petty grudge. This is my career, my life."

Mateo placed a hand on my shoulder, his expression serious. "Leo, we get it. You"re under a lot of pressure. But accusing Sawyer without proof isn"t going to help. You need to calm down and focus on your game."

I stood up, my frustration boiling over. "You guys don"t get it. No one believes me, and it"s driving me crazy." I grabbed my bag and stormed out of the locker room, ignoring their calls for me to calm down.

I was meeting Emma for a walk in the park anyway, and I needed to clear my head. When I arrived, she was sitting by the lake with a picnic lunch spread out on a blanket. She looked up and greeted me with a wave.

"I heard from a little birdie that muffaletta sandwiches are your favorite," she said as I approached, gesturing to the classic combination of Italian meats and cheeses wrapped in red-and-white checked paper. However, a moment later the smile on her face vanished when she noticed my tense demeanor.

"Hey," she said softly. "You okay?"

I sat down beside her, running a hand through my hair. "Not really," I admitted. "It"s been a rough day."

She handed me a sandwich, her eyes filled with concern. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I took a deep breath, deciding to be honest with her. "I think someone on the team is trying to sabotage me. First, someone cut one of my skate laces, and today, someone punctured my tire. I nearly spun out on the freeway. It could have been really bad."

Emma"s eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God, Leo. That"s terrible."

"I think it"s Sawyer," I said, watching her reaction carefully. "He"s not happy that we"re dating, and I think he"s trying to get back at me."

Emma"s face flushed with anger. "My brother would never do that. How can you even suggest that?"

"Who else would it be?" I argued, my frustration spilling over. "He"s the only one who has a reason to want to hurt me."

Emma"s eyes narrowed, her voice rising. "Leo, do you hear yourself? You"re accusing my brother without any proof! Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"Do you know how it makes me feel?" I shot back, my own voice rising. "Every day, I have to watch my back because I don"t know what he"s going to do next. I can"t focus, I can"t play, and now I have to worry about my safety every time I get in my car."

"That"s ridiculous," Emma snapped, shaking her head. "Sawyer might be protective of me, even a little overprotective, but he wouldn"t sabotage you. This is all in your head."

"In my head?" I echoed, feeling my anger flare. "You think I imagined the cut skate lace? You think I imagined the slashed tire that nearly got me killed this morning?"

Emma"s face was flushed with anger and hurt. "Maybe you"re just looking for someone to blame because it was too soon for you to come back to the ice and you can"t handle the pressure. Maybe you need to take a good look at yourself instead of pointing fingers at others."

The accusation stung, and I felt a surge of frustration and desperation. "Emma, I"m not making this up. I know it sounds crazy, but it"s the truth. And the worst part is, you"re the only person I thought I could count on to believe me."

Emma"s eyes filled with tears, and she looked away, her voice trembling. "I can"t believe you would put this on me. I trusted you, Leo. But right now, I don"t even know who you are."

The pain in her voice cut deep, and I felt a wave of regret wash over me. "Emma, please. I never meant to hurt you. I just want you to understand what I"m going through."

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "You don"t get it, Leo. This isn"t just about you. It"s about us. And right now, I don"t know if there"s an "us" anymore."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt my resolve crumbling. I couldn"t lose her, not like this. "Emma, I"m sorry. I know I"ve messed up, but please don"t walk away."

Emma looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and anger. "Tell me the truth. Did you start dating me to get back at my brother? Was this whole relationship a lie?"

I took a deep breath, knowing that I owed it to her to come clean. "I admit that in the beginning, I did want to use you to get back at Sawyer. I know it was wrong, and I hate myself for it. But as I got to know you, things changed. I really fell for you. In fact, I"m falling in love with you."

Emma"s eyes widened with shock and disbelief. "You expect me to believe that? After everything? My brother was right about you."

"Emma, please," I pleaded, reaching for her hand, but she pulled away.

"You can keep the leftovers," she said bitterly, standing up and grabbing her bag. "I"m out of here."

I watched her walk away, my heart breaking with each step she took. I felt like my whole world was crashing down around me, and I had no idea what to do to save it.