Page 16 of The Players We Hate (Rixton U #2)

Wren

The campus was still asleep when I stepped outside.

Frost covered the ground, and every breath showed in the cold air. My fingers ached even with gloves on. I tugged my jacket tighter and adjusted the strap of my bag against my hip. The sky was still dim, stuck between night and morning, and the world felt quiet.

And then I saw him.

Talon leaned against his truck, one boot resting on the tire, a hoodie layered under his jacket, with his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

The moment I stepped off the curb, his head turned toward me.

He didn’t smile, but his stance eased.

“You always arrive early for road trips?” I asked, stepping closer.

“Didn’t sleep much,” he said, voice rough.

“Me neither.” I hesitated beside him. “Nerves? ”

He glanced at me but didn’t answer. Instead, he reached for the strap of my bag and lifted it from my shoulder. His hand brushed mine in the process.

He opened the truck’s rear door and tossed my bag inside, shutting it with a soft thud. “It’s gonna have to be a short trip,” he said, turning toward me.

I tilted my head. “Practice?”

“My coach knows I’ll be there in time for the game, but I might miss some of the warm-ups,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

I nodded slowly. “So we’re on the clock.”

“Pretty much.”

It wasn’t exactly the answer I wanted, but it was enough. The fact he wanted me there at all mattered.

He opened the passenger door and waited while I climbed in, shutting it with an easy pull before jogging around to his side.

The engine gave a low rumble as he slid behind the wheel, the heater pushing out air that still held some warmth from his drive over.

He angled the vents toward me with a quick adjustment, then put the truck in gear and eased away from the curb in silence.

The roads were empty this early. It was us and the deserted stretch of pavement ahead, the bare trees lining the road under the dim glow of the streetlights. The quiet settled in, but my head wouldn’t stop turning over questions.

I glanced over at him as he drove, one hand on the wheel, the other resting loosely on his thigh. His jaw was tight, his gaze fixed ahead like he was running plays in his head instead of watching the road.

“Talon? ”

He hummed in acknowledgment, not looking away from the road.

“Can I ask you something?”

He finally flicked his eyes toward me, then back again. “You’re going to anyway.”

I smiled softly. “Why Braysen? I mean, I get why she transferred, but… why here?”

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. He didn’t answer right away.

“You can trust me,” I said quietly.

He let out a breath, the kind that had been sitting in his chest too long.

“She’s living with some friends we grew up with. Working at a bakery. Trying to stay under the radar while she figures things out.”

I ran my thumb slowly along the denim of his jeans, grounding both of us.

“All because of my brother?” I asked quietly.

He nodded, and my heart sank. I wouldn’t say I was close with Tatum, but we were friendly. I hated the thought of what she went through at the hands of Wells.

“She’s doing better now?” I asked.

“She’s trying.” He blinked hard, jaw working. “I check in every week. I visit when I can.”

After that, neither of us said anything. The silence wasn’t awkward—it was heavy, stretched tight between us.

Talon’s hand rested on the console, his fingers tapping until I slid my palm onto his thigh. The movement stopped instantly.

“You can trust me,” I said quietly. “Whatever it is… you don’t have to carry it alone. ”

His jaw flexed as he kept his eyes on the road. Finally, he gave a short nod.

“It wasn’t just a breakup,” he muttered. “Wells blackmailed her. More than once. And it got worse when she wouldn’t take him back.”

I pressed my hand a little firmer against his leg, letting him know I was listening, but I didn’t interrupt.

“He started showing up places, blowing up her phone, trying to guilt her into seeing him. When that didn’t work, he escalated. At a party, he somehow got a video of her up on a TV. Rowdy was there—he tried to shut it off, but by the time he did, it was already too late.”

A breath caught hard in my chest, and I lifted my hand to my mouth. “Did she report it?”

He shook his head. “No. I tried to convince her, but she knew how it would play out. Your family has the kind of pull that makes sure guys like him walk. She just wanted out, wanted a fresh start where she didn’t have to hear the whispers anymore.”

My voice fell to a whisper. “I didn’t know. I mean, I knew something happened between them, but not…”

He finally glanced over at me, something in his expression softening. “I know you’re not him.”

His words eased something in me I hadn’t realized was wound so tight. My grip on his leg tightened.

But the guilt was still there. I knew something too—something I hadn’t told him.

It would be disappointing if he got injured.

That line had been stuck in my head since I overheard it. I hadn’t told anyone. Not yet. Saying it now would only throw a shadow over today, and Talon already had enough on his shoulders. So I kept quiet—for now.

The ride stayed quiet, but my chest felt tight the whole way.

I twisted at the hem of my sleeve, trying to keep my hands busy and my thoughts from spiraling.

I didn’t know how Tatum would react to me showing up with Talon—if she’d even want me there.

The doubt sat sharp in my stomach, but I couldn’t turn back. I needed to see her.

By the time we pulled into the driveway, my pulse was racing. Talon cut the engine, and the sudden silence made it worse. I followed him up the steps, every creak of the wood under my shoes setting me more on edge.

The front door swung open before we reached it. Tatum stood at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, brows pulled tight. Not angry, more confused. Her lips parted as her eyes slid past her brother and landed on me.

“Wren? What are you doing here?” Her voice wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t warm either.

I stepped forward quickly, not wanting Talon to take the blame. “I made him bring me,” I said, lifting my hands a little in surrender. “I just wanted to check on you. To say I’m sorry… for everything.”

She stared at me for a second too long. I felt the weight of it, the hesitation. I couldn’t blame her. If I were in her shoes, I’d be wary too.

I took another step and opened my arms. “I know I’m the last person you expected to see, but… I had no idea. I swear I didn’t. If I thought I could’ve stopped him, I would’ve tried.”

Tatum hesitated, then let out a slow breath and stepped into the hug. “I know, Wren. It’s not your fault. ”

My throat tightened as I pulled back. The fact that she didn’t push me away meant more than she probably realized.

“You didn’t have to come all the way here, you know?” she said, turning to Talon.

He chuckled under his breath. “Good to see you too, Sis.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but her expression softened.

“I thought we agreed not to tell anyone where I’m staying,” she said.

Talon reached out, rubbing the back of his neck. “We did. I should’ve told you I was bringing Wren. I tried calling last night, but I couldn’t reach you. This… this wasn’t the way I wanted to do it.”

I felt the instinct to jump in, to defend him again, but Talon stopped me with a look and a raised hand.

“It’s not what you think,” he told her. “If you knew everything… you’d realize the two of you might have more in common than you think.”

Tatum’s expression shifted. One look at me and she knew what came with being the governor’s daughter, how people saw me first before anything else.

This wasn’t the moment to bring that up, though, not when she was the one hurting.

I could see the effort it took for her to let her guard down even an inch.

“I understand why you want to keep this place private. I wouldn’t tell anyone,” I promised, voice low. “It’s not my secret to share.”

She looked at me for a beat, then nodded. “Thank you.”

Before either of us could say anything else, a girl I didn’t know appeared at the edge of the hallway. “Tate, hey,” she said, brushing a lock of blond hair behind her ear as she stepped toward us. She glanced at me with an easy smile. “You must be Wren. I’m Hallyn.”

“Oh. Hi.” I offered a small wave, grateful for the friendliness in her voice.

She leaned in slightly and lowered her voice for me. “Don’t take anything personally. She’s just been through a lot lately. I know how it feels to have an ex who’s a jerk and leaves you with all the baggage.”

I let out a breathy laugh, some of the tension easing from my shoulders. “Yeah… though in my case, it’s not an ex. It’s my brother. I’ve never actually had a boyfriend.”

Hallyn tipped her chin toward the back door. “Come on. My friend Ava and I were about to sit on the patio. Come with us. Let’s get some air.”

I faltered for a second, then caught Talon’s nod. It reminded me that this wasn’t only about me and him. It was about Tatum.

As I followed Hallyn outside, I glanced back once at Tatum. She hadn’t looked away.

Maybe she wasn’t ready to let me in completely.

But at least now… the door wasn’t entirely shut.

The patio was quieter than I expected, tucked behind the house and strung with warm white lights that looked like they were meant for something softer than what any of us were going through.

Hallyn stepped ahead of me, letting the screen door slap closed behind her, and dropped into one of the wooden chairs like she’d done it a hundred times before.

I stood for a beat, then lowered myself into the one across from her, my fingers still wrapped tightly around each other in my lap .

“You okay?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Honestly?” I let out a short laugh. “No idea. But I didn’t want her to think I came here with an agenda. I didn’t.”

“You don’t have to convince me,” Hallyn said gently. “Tate doesn’t open up easy, but she knows when someone’s being genuine. She wouldn’t have hugged you if she didn’t feel it.”

I stared out at the yard, at the way the trees swayed in the soft wind like they had no idea what kind of pain was being carried in that house.

“I keep wondering if being here only made things harder. If I overstepped,” I admitted.

Hallyn shook her head. “You came when she needed someone. You showed her you care. That’s not crossing a line, it’s drawing one. It matters more than you think.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice for a second.

The door opened again behind us, and Ava stepped out, tugging her cardigan tighter around her small frame.

She was petite, with the lean grace of a dancer, and there was something free-spirited about the way she carried herself, as if joy came easily to her.

She offered me a small smile, then glanced between us as if she already sensed the weight of what had been said before she’d even arrived.

“Mind if I sit?” Ava asked.

“Of course,” Hallyn said, motioning to the empty chair between us. “Wren, this is Ava. Ava, this is Wren.”

Ava gave me a warm smile, the kind that felt like she meant it.

As the three of us sat there in a quiet circle, some of the tension started to ease. The heaviness didn’t disappear, but it wasn’t crushing me anymore. And maybe that was enough for now .

I hadn’t come here to fix what my family had broken. I’d come to check on someone who once did the same for me. I came to try. And for the first time in a long time, trying felt like it might actually be worth something.