The air was bitterly cold as I weaved through the quad on the way to the library after Journalism Research Methods, making my breath come out in little puffs of frost. After the most dramatic hockey game of my life, attending classes like normal the following day almost seemed like a relief.

My mind was spinning, still struggling to process everything. Part of me couldn't believe what Luke said to Chase. I knew I shouldn't let Luke get to me, but had I really meant so little to him? Then again, looking back with a clearer perspective, there were lots of things he did when we were still together that were also disrespectful. Things that had been normalized at the time. Strange how you can be in the thick of something and not see it for what it is.

On top of that, I was worried about how Derek's fallout with Luke would affect Derek's relationship with the rest of the team and his time on the ice. From what Derek said, though, it sounded like he wasn't the only one sick of Luke's shit. Paul was one of the last ones left in his corner. Luke was basically captain in name only at this point.

Halfway to the library, I ducked into the student commons to use the washroom. When I pushed open the door to the bathroom, my stomach twisted and I froze.

Sophie was standing at the sink, sobbing. Like, someone-died, ugly-crying. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, trying to fix her makeup in the mirror, but she was still bawling so it was an exercise in futility.

After the two coffees I drank earlier, my bladder was on the verge of exploding. But seeing Sophie was awkward enough. And seeing her crying? I didn't have any idea what to do. Then again, if she noticed me, turning back around and leaving would also look pretty weird.

"Um, are you okay?" I asked, walking closer.

There was almost definitely relationship overlap between the two of us with Luke, if not flat-out cheating. I was pretty sure Sophie was a knowing accomplice, too. But breaking up with Luke was the best thing that ever happened to me, which made it hard to muster up any anger directed at her. Plus, she looked so incredibly...sad. Something about the dated pinkish-brown tile backdrop and dim fluorescent lighting made the whole scene seem extra tragic.

Sophie startled, turning to face me. "Bailey?" She placed a hand on her chest and heaved a sigh. "Oh my gosh, you scared me."

A tear trickled down her cheek, taking her mascara with it and leaving a grey trail in its wake. Her long blonde hair was perfectly curled, trendy outfit perfectly assembled, and her once perfectly-applied makeup was now a perfect wreck.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Are you— are you all right?"

A jagged little sob slipped out and she cleared her throat, trying to hide it. "You don't have to be nice to me. I know you hate me. And you should." She turned and dabbed at her eyes in the mirror again, trying to clean up her running mascara.

"Actually, it's more Luke that I hate. But at least we both dodged that bullet, right?" I said, trying to lighten the mood. Then I realized she was probably crying about their breakup and felt like I'd said the wrong thing.

"Well, not both of us." She let out a shaky laugh that echoed through the empty bathroom. "I'm pregnant."

Oh my god.

"I don't know why I'm even telling you this," Sophie said. "I literally just found out. I went and bought a test and I took it in here because I was sure it would be negative. And then I found out I was pregnant in a goddamn public bathroom at school." Her voice climbed and she clutched the edge of the sink, bursting into tears again.

A long, heavy pause followed. I hovered near her awkwardly, trying to think of something appropriate to say. Didn't want to say something like, "I'm sure Luke will support you," because I wasn't sure he would. The only things Luke cared about were himself and his career.

"It'll be okay," I said. "It's just a big shock right now."

"Luke already told me he wants me to get an abortion." Sophie raked a hand through her hair frantically. "I mean, he said that when I was late. He's going to freak out."

What an asshole. That was low even for Luke. I tried to imagine what Chase would say in that situation and, while I wasn't sure specifically, I knew it wouldn't be that. Then I realized this was something we probably should discuss at some point, because sometimes things happen. Case in point, Sophie right now.

I shifted my weight, adjusting the strap of my black book bag on my shoulder. Between my laptop and my textbooks, it was starting to dig in something fierce. "That isn't his choice to make. It's your body."

"He made it pretty clear where he stands. What am I supposed to do, just do all it on my own?"

"He'd have to pay child support," I pointed out. And if he made the NHL, he'd have more than enough to do that comfortably. "Don't let him strong-arm you into making a decision you don't want."

"I just don't want to have to fight about it."

I didn't blame her. Luke was a miserable person to fight with; he went for the jugular.

"That's what lawyers are for, though. You don't have to be the one dealing with him."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Sophie blew her nose loudly, sounding more like an elephant than a tiny college girl. She glanced back up at me. "I don't know why you're being so nice to me. I don't deserve it."

It was Luke she didn't deserve. But now she was stuck with him and I felt extra sorry for her because of that.

"Please don't tell anyone," she added.

"I won't," I said. "Why don't you call one of your friends? Don't worry about Luke for now. Talk to someone you can trust."

"That's a good idea." She sniffled. "Thanks, Bailey. I'm really sorry about the way things happened."

"It's okay. I mean, it sucked at the time, but it worked out for the best. I hope it does for you, too." I turned, pulling the door open and heading into the hall. Once I was outside, I realized I hadn't even used the bathroom, but going back was not an option.

Being suspended sucked.

We had two back-to-back games this week—first against Callingwood, then against Atlantic West University. Unfortunately for me, the game against AWU tonight marked the first of three games I had to watch from the bench.

It was torture.

No matter what Coach Miller tried, the team couldn't get their shit together. In the end, we lost 5-2. Who knows if I would have made a difference, but not knowing was beyond frustrating.

It was freezing outside, so after the game ended, I ducked out of the locker room and went over to the entrance. I hit the remote start on my truck keys, watching through the window. In the far corner of the parking lot, the lights turned on as the engine roared to life.

Turning, I threaded my way back through the crowd to find everyone else. Or Dallas, Shiv, and Ty at least. Normally, Bailey would have been here too, but there was no point in her attending when I wasn't allowed on the ice. She'd been busy preparing for her internship interview anyway, so the timing wasn't the worst.

In the distance, my eyes landed on Dallas and Ty, standing with a few guys from the team. I was about ten feet away from the group when Kristen appeared from out of nowhere.

Jesus.

She was in heavy makeup and a short black skirt, long brown hair curled. More appropriate for a club than the rink and more than likely intended for me. Was she ever going to take the hint?

My usually spot-on crazy radar was been defective when it came to her and about a year ago, I'd picked a sociopath for a fuck buddy. Somehow I had missed all the red flags. Should have stuck to my one and done policy until Bailey.

"Hey." She placed a hand on my forearm, which was her go-to move with me. I yanked my arm away and took a step back, glancing over to see if anyone was watching. Fortunately, they were all huddled around Dallas, listening to him recount his breakaway goal. It was about the only good thing that had happened tonight.

"You've got to stop this shit, Kristen. Penner will be out any minute. And you know I have a girlfriend."

Even if I didn't, there's no chance I'd go there again. Kristen burnt that bridge to a crisp. Doused it in kerosene and lit the match herself.

She put a finger on her lip, pretending to think. "You do? Doesn't ring a bell."

"Bailey? You met her? Multiple times."

"Oh, her." Kristen shrugged, stroking her dark hair. "Well, that never stopped you when you were with me."

Like comparing apples and pucks, Kristen.

"You were never my girlfriend." I took another step back, keeping my voice low.

"We could still share...like we did with Nikki at your party."

"It's not like that with Bailey." I lowered my voice. "Plus, that night doesn't exactly bring back fond memories, if you know what I mean."

She smirked. "Come on, Chase. That was hot."

My hands balled into fists, blood pressure rising. "You didn't even fucking ask me."

Because she knew I would have said no. I was dumb, but not dumb enough to leave behind evidence, especially with some random hookup. James might be a different story, because I actually trusted her.

"Whatever." Her dark red lips folded into a pouty frown. "Nicole was cool with it."

Something struck me as off. And then something else clicked.

Holy fuck.

Did Kristen plan that?

More importantly, did she delete the video?

My heart rate skyrocketed. Suddenly, my lungs couldn't take in oxygen fast enough. I was more winded than I was during games.

I took Kristen by the elbow and pulled her further away from the rest of the group, ducking my head to catch her gaze. "You did erase that, right?"

Kristen batted her long, dark eyelashes at me. "You saw me delete it."

I mean, I thought I did, but I was tanked. I couldn't see straight, let alone verify whether she had deleted a file in her phone correctly.

"You sure you didn't text it to someone first?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Email yourself a copy?"

"I'm sure. Since when are you so uptight?"

"Since the start of the school year when Coach gave me the gears about some pictures he heard about. Said they were taken at my end of school party last spring. Kind of fucking fits, don't you think?"

Kristen waved me off with her pointy, red-painted fingernails. "He said pictures, not a video. He was probably just trying to scare you."

As much as I wanted to believe that, what he said was too specific to be a scare tactic. I'd written it off as a rumor and forgotten about it. Or tried to, at least. Ignorance was bliss. It hadn't come back to haunt me—yet. But something about the way Kristen was acting was making me realize I might have a serious problem.

Not to mention, when Coach brought that up, I barely knew Bailey. It didn't faze me much because at that point, I didn't give a shit about, well, anything. Now, this was a way bigger deal.

A catastrophic deal.

This was a wrecking ball about to demolish my entire life—a life that looked nothing like it did last spring. I had so much more to lose than I did back then.

I wanted to go back to last April and punch myself in the face.

"Then why are there rumors about a sex tape flying around both schools?"

"Why are you so paranoid?" She scoffed. "That could be anyone."

Could be, but all signs pointed to me, her, and Nikki.

"None of us need that shit getting out. Ever think about how that might look on your med school applications?" I raised my eyebrows. "Or about how Nicole's boyfriend might react?"

Didn't need that, among other things, coming back around on me. Especially when Nicole went to Callingwood. The odds of this getting back to Bailey were that much higher.

"Relax." Kristen glanced down, adjusting her cleavage. "There's nothing to get out."

"There better not be."

She gave me a bored look. "You wanna frisk me, officer?"

Like this was some kind of game? Oh my god, I don't think I'd ever been so mad at a chick.

"That doesn't prove dick. It could be in the fucking cloud somewhere."

"It's not." She rolled her eyes. "Calm down. You don't have anything to worry about."

I stole a glance at my friends again, but they were laughing about something Ty just said. Penner was nowhere to be found either, which in this case was a good thing.

"How can I know that for sure?" I stepped closer, pinning her a searing glare. She stared back at me, dark blue eyes wide in feigned innocence. I didn't buy it. Not one bit.

"Guess you'll just have to trust me."

Right. Trusting her was what got me into this mess in the first place. Then she pulled out a phone and started recording without my permission.

I shook my head, teeth set on edge. "You'd better be telling the truth."

"If you're so worried," she said, "maybe you should be nicer to me."

"Don't threaten me."

Spinning on my heel, I turned and stormed over to where everyone else was standing. I was so fucked. If this got out, it would be like throwing napalm on my entire life. No contract, no girlfriend, nothing.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Shiv turned to face me with a frown. Her hands were pulled into the sleeves of her white, oversized Falcons hoodie because it was objectively freezing in the arena lobby, but I was hotter than a crematorium. Literally sweating where I stood.

Fear and anger mingled, turning into rocket fuel via chemical reaction.

"Everything okay?" She looked up, blue-green eyes studying me.

"Yep. Just fine."

Anyone looking at me would know that things were not, in fact, fine. My tie felt like a noose.

Her voice turned hushed. "Are you sure?"

"Kristen just wasn't taking no for an answer, that's all."

Shiv pressed her pink lips into a thin line, huffing a sigh of disgust. "Ah. She's a persistent one."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm going to tell the guys she's not allowed to come by our house."

Though, that ran the risk of poking the bear. I wasn't sure whether Kristen actually had a copy or not. If she did, I didn't want to piss her off. I needed to get a hold of it somehow...destroy it.

"Fine by me." She nodded. "Never liked her. Anyway, do you want to come with us to O'Malley's for a drink?"

Not a chance. My head was spinning too much to make small talk. What would Bailey do if this got out? Dump my ass. Most people would. Who'd want to have a boyfriend that had a sex tape circulating everywhere? Especially one like that. A threesome while I was getting high? Good look, Carter. I was more upset about how she'd take that than anything else.

"Thanks, but I'm good. Think I'll take it easy tonight."

"Okay." Siobhan's brow furrowed and she lingered, still studying my face. "Let me know if you need anything, all right?"

Like a fucking time machine?

"I will. Thanks, Shiv."

Boom. There it is. Remember chapter seven?