Chase

I'm lying in bed at the hotel, staring at my phone, trying to will Lindsey to call me. I still have no idea what's wrong. She's still avoiding me; she didn't even come out and say goodbye before Liam and I left for the airport. That was two days ago.

What the fuck!?

Taylor hasn't replied to me today either, which is making me anxious. She was pissed at me that night, making me feel like the whole thing was my fault. And I don't even know why? What the hell did I do?

Liam is pissed. He keeps saying if he finds out who upset his sister, they will pay big time. I'm just lucky he doesn't think that person is me. I feel like I'm the one responsible, and I'm the one who should pay the price for whatever the hell is wrong. It would just be nice if someone would clue me in as to what exactly I did, so at least I know before Liam finds out and kills me.

The whole thing is messing with my head. I sucked in the game today, made some pretty stupid and sloppy mistakes. Mistakes I don't normally make, and Coach is pissed. It doesn't help that it's affecting Liam's game too, he landed himself in the penalty box three times today.

Yeah, Coach just loved that. Both of us are on his shit list now, and the rest of the guys weren't happy about it either. Usually, our line is one of the best, but with the two of us way off our game, the whole team is suffering.

I have to try and shake this, but I need to know what happened. Things were going so well, and now, here we are, surrounded by darkness and unanswered questions. I'm too worked up just to lay here, so I start toward my running shoes, dead set on heading to the hotel gym to work off some of this anxious energy.

Right before I slip my first shoe on, my phone buzzes on the desk next to me. I nearly fly out of my seat. I pounce on my phone, hoping to see Lindsey's number sprawled across the screen. There's a wave of disappointment crashing into me when I see it isn't her. It's Taylor.

Maybe she found something out.

I read the message she sent me.

Are you alone?

I furrow my brows and type my response.

Yeah, Liam hit the gym.

Five seconds later, my phone is ringing. I pick up and brace myself for whatever Taylor is about to say.

Her voice punches me in the face, loud and angry. I have to move the phone away to prevent permanent damage. "You fucking asshole! What the hell, Chase!?"

I start to reply, telling her I have no idea what the hell I did, but she doesn't let me get a word in.

"You seriously thought it was okay to take Lindsey to the same place you took those skanks!? What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Okay, now I'm confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She lets out an exasperated breath. "The rooftop date. Where you took Lindsey. The super sweet romantic thing you did that made her so freaking happy. You took her to the same place you took Val and her army of skanks when you were out being Mr. Boytoy!"

The fuck!

Now I'm pissed. "Tay, I never took Val there! Or anyone but Lindsey, for that matter. She was the first and only one I took to that place."

"Then how the hell did Val find out about that place, huh? No one knows about that place unless they've been there! Hell, I didn't even know the place existed until you told me about it!" She sucks in a breath. "I swear, Chase, if you are lying right now-."

I cut her off. "I'm not lying! I swear, Tay, I have never taken anyone there except Lindsey. She's the only one I would do something like that for."

I'm pacing back and forth as I wrap my mind around this new information. And Taylor continues. "Then how do Val and her friends know about it?"

I stop pacing and crash down into an armchair, running a hand down my face. "I have no idea. I swear, Tay, I have no idea." My voice comes out tortured and weak.

Taylor is quiet for a minute. She finally lets out a long breath, and I wait for her next words.

"Fine. I believe you. But if I find out you lied to me about any of this, I will make Liam look like a cuddly little teddy bear. And I will make damn sure you never get to enjoy your favorite appendage ever again!"

I let out a nervous breath. I know her tone was mostly joking, but the threat is real. She'd make Liam's punishment look like child's play compared to what she'd do to me if I were lying. Good thing I'm not!

We talk for a while longer. I ask if Lindsey is okay. She tells me honestly that she's not. We try to figure out how the hell Val found out about the rooftop and come up blank. We've been talking so long that Liam has come back to the room from the gym.

He quirks his head at my phone and sends me a questioning look. "It's Tay."

"Oh, tell her I say hi." He heads for the bathroom, and moments later, I hear the sound of running water.

"What do we do now, Tay?"

"I don't know. I'll try talking to her again and tell her what you've told me, but I have a feeling it's going to take something big to get her to believe it. Val really did a number on her."

I feel my blood boiling. "What do you mean, something big?"

She replies, "I think it's going to take Val admitting she lied to make Lindsey believe you. She's been hurt by guys before, Chase, and this just piles on making her feel like she can't trust anyone again."

A short, hard laugh escapes my lips. "Great! Val will never admit she lied! So, what? I'm just fucked!? I turn Val down, so she takes Lindsey from me? That's so fucked up!"

Taylor interrupts my mini-meltdown. "Stop! We just have to outsmart her, starting with finding out how the hell she found out about your date in the first place. Once we figure that out, we'll go from there."

A tiny flicker of hope starts to flare inside of me. "Okay, good idea. How do we find that out, though?"

I can almost hear her smile. "Leave that to me. I know her usual haunts. I'll check them out this week and do some digging. If I find anything out, I'll let you know." She pauses. "And I'll try to work on Lins, okay."

I feel the lump form in my throat. I can't stand the thought of losing Lindsey for good. "Okay. Thanks, Tay."

"You're welcome. Try to keep your head up. And get your mind back on the game! You played like shit tonight."

I know she's trying to lighten the mood, but I'm too upset to let humor take root right now. "Yeah, I know."

We say goodnight, and I hang up the phone. I'm thinking about everything Taylor told me, and I'm furious. Why the hell did Val have to get involved? How did she even find out about my date with Lindsey?

As these questions and several others fly around in my head, Liam pops out of the bathroom.

"How's Tay?"

I look over at him. "She's fine. Just had to talk to her about something."

He nods as he walks over to his bed. "She say anything about my sister?"

I swallow the lump in my throat at the mention of her. "Not much."

He flops down on the mattress and grumbles, "if I find out who's responsible for the other night. I'm gonna make them regret ever being born."

I nod. "Don't worry, man. They'll get what's coming to them."

I silently promise to make sure that comes true. Val won't get away with this. And if it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure I get my girl back.