Page 19 of Ice-Cold Obsession

“Explain,” he says.

“It was a misunderstanding.”

His jaw tightens. “That’s what you said in the locker room. I’m asking you to explain what you meant by that.”

“I thought Zyair was struggling, and I was trying to help.”

“By lying to me?”

“I didn’t lie.”

Coach leans forward, his hands clasped on the desk. “Gabriel, I just listened to that recording. You told me Zyair had family issues and that he asked you not to say anything. And then I find out from Zyair himself that none of that is true. So either you lied to me, or someone’s setting you up. Which one is it?”

I hesitate. I could tell him the truth, but the truth is worse than the lie. And I can’t explain why I did it without making everything worse.

“Like I said, it was a misunderstanding,” I say.

Coach stares at me for a long moment, and I can see the disappointment settling into his expression. “I don’t believe you.”

“Coach—”

“I don’t believe you,” he repeats, cutting me off. “And even if someonedidset you up, you should’ve come to me the second you realized there was a problem. You should’ve talked to Zyair and done something other than let him wonder what he did wrong.”

I clench my jaw and say nothing.

Coach leans back in his chair and exhales slowly. “You’re demoted. Effective immediately, you’re no longer the captain.”

I can barely breathe. “What?”

“You heard me. You’re also benched for the next game. After that, we’ll see what happens.”

“Coach, you can’t—”

“I can, and I am.” His voice is firm, leaving no room for argument. “I can’t trust you anymore. And your teammates sure as hell can’t trust you. Whatever your reasons were for doing this, it doesn’t matter. You lied to me, you lied to Zyair, and you hurt the team. That’s not what a captain does.”

I don’t move.

“If someone set you up, you should’ve known better than to give them ammunition,” Coach continues. “You should’ve checked with your teammates and been honest with me. But you didn’t do any of that. You chose to lie, and now you have to deal with the consequences.”

I want defend myself, but I know it won’t change anything.

“There’s going to be a team meeting tomorrow,” Coach says. “You’re going to apologize to everyone. You’re going to own up to what you did, and you’re going to try to earn back their trust. Understood?”

I nod stiffly. “Understood.”

“Good. Now get out of my office.”

I leave, closing the door behind me. The hallway is empty, and I lean back against the wall and close my eyes.

This is a disaster.

I’ve lost the captaincy, and I’m benched. The whole team hates me, and I have no idea who recorded me or how they got the audio.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out.

You failed.

I stare at the message, my chest constricting. Fuck!