Page 22 of Your Biggest Downfall (Ravens Hockey #3)
austin
A loud ringing that wouldn’t stop pierced the air. I shifted, and my neck was on fire. I slowly cracked open an eye, and wood came into focus beneath me. I was on the floor, curled up in a ball in front of Nova’s doorstep. I must’ve passed out while I was waiting for morning to come.
I blinked a few times and realized whoever was trying to get ahold of me was still calling.
I looked at the caller ID and saw Ledger’s name.
Panic rushed into my throbbing head. It could be my mom or Evie.
Something could be wrong with them. That was the only logical reason Ledger would be calling me repeatedly in the early hours of the morning.
Before I answered, I pressed my ear to the door to see if the ringing had woken anyone in the apartment. It was still silent. My heart pounded as I tried to steady my breath, bracing myself for whatever news Ledger had to deliver.
I sat up straight, cracking my neck a few times to get some of these knots out. “Hello? What’s wrong?” I asked the moment I picked up.
“Austin Hart,” Ledger said in his stern dad-like voice.
“What?” I barked back. “Is everything okay with my mom and the baby?”
There was a pause. “Everything is okay. That’s not why I am calling.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the time. It was only eight in the morning. “Why are you calling this early?”
“Have you checked your social media accounts?” he asked, his voice steady.
“No. I have someone managing it for me, so I don’t go on much,” I said.
The truth was, I only checked it out when Nova tagged me in something, but I didn’t tell him that.
“Put me on speakerphone and get on your phone now,” he barked, his last word sharp and commanding.
What the fuck? What was going on?
I could’ve told him to fuck off, that I’d call him back when it wasn’t so early in the morning, but a part of me wanted to know what had gotten his panties in a twist. I was curious enough, so I did as he said and pulled up my social media account.
My notifications were blowing up. Pings kept coming in now that I was logged in. I clicked to see what I was being tagged in, and while the page loaded, I heard Ledger let out a breath.
“Do you see it?” he asked.
When it finally loaded, there it was. A picture, clear as day, of me snorting coke through a rolled bill, the girl in front of me arching her back, her hair covering her face.
Thank fucking god. No one would know it was her.
Even though the photo was blurry and obviously taken in a rush, it was unmistakably me doing the line. There was no denying it. You could also clearly see my dick straining against my pants, front and center in the shot, since the photo was taken from the floor.
And the photo was going fucking viral.
“Austin,” Ledger repeated, but I heard nothing else.
Nothing except the fact that I needed a drink. I heard nothing except the fact that...
“Nova,” I whispered too loudly.
“Austin, I don’t think this is the time to think about your friend Nova. She’ll be working with the PR?—”
“Shut up,” I said. “Shut up for one fucking second. I have to go.”
There was a pause, and I debated hanging up on him, but I couldn’t swipe away from the photo.
“Coach already called me. You’re required to meet with me, him, your agent, PR, and the owners today in two hours. Be there or you’re done.”
“Okay. Fine. I’ll be there.”
All I could think about was Nova. She was going to wake up and see this if she hadn’t already.
“Your mother cannot stop crying, Austin. Why did you do this? Who is the girl?”
“Some fucking puck bunny.”
I owed it to her to protect her. On top of everything going on with her mother, no one needed to know it was her. I scrolled the comments, and everyone was trying to figure out who it was. Thankfully no one knew.
The only person who knew was Luna, and she’d never say a word to anyone because of how fiercely she protected Nova.
“Your career might be over,” Ledger added.
“I’ll see you in two hours,” I said and then hung up.
My life may have been over, but I wasn’t dragging Nova down with me.
I stood up and pounded on the door.