Chapter 2: Under the Spotlight

Coach’s voice, brimming with boundless fury, crashed like thunder through every hallway of Silver Hollow Academy.

“That girl from Maple Heights High—I’ll deal with her myself! I won’t rest until she’s caught!”

His anger was so intense it felt like the whole campus froze, even the leaves on the old oak trees outside the gym shivered.

A gust of wind rattled the windows, and it seemed like every kid on campus held their breath. Somewhere, the flagpole rope clanged in the sudden hush, as if the whole school braced for a tornado.

If Coach found out…

That the troublemaker from the rival school had already escaped, and the one who lingered with him all night was actually me…

Would he kick me out too—the one who was supposed to be guarding the equipment room for him?

Not just me.

The entire student body was in an uproar.

“Who from Maple Heights dares mess with Coach Harris—”

“Wasn’t Coach in his office prepping for the big championship? Someone actually managed to sneak into the restricted area and mess with him—”

“Look at those storm clouds out there…”

“It’s a full-blown lockdown! Why are you all still standing around? Hurry, listen to Coach and activate the campus alert—”

The PA speaker crackled in every hallway. Lockers slammed, kids sprinted toward the designated safe zones, tripping over backpacks and each other. The intercom’s screech was followed by the shrill ring of the campus emergency bell—a sound that always made my stomach drop.

The students scrambled, all eyes on the gym where Coach and I were.

Everyone speculated:

What on earth did that girl do to the championship-winning Coach Harris, that he’d ignore the biggest game of the year just to come out and hunt her down?

Whispers raced down the linoleum corridors like wildfire. Even the seniors in AP Calc were glued to the window, noses pressed against the glass. The school’s Snapchat story was blowing up. Someone started a group chat called #QuadGate. My name kept popping up, even from people I’d never met.

The team’s captain, Avery, and our backup quarterback, Jake, hurried to the main office. When they saw my pitiful, blood-spattered appearance…

They all pleaded on my behalf:

“Coach, please calm down.”

“Little Rookie’s just a sophomore—how could she possibly be a match for that girl—”

“Please, Coach, give her a break this once.”

Avery’s voice wavered, and even Jake—usually so cocky—looked worried as he wiped sweat from his brow. Their concern felt like a lifeline, something to cling to in a sea of accusations and confusion.

Coach only has five players he really trains. I’m the youngest and joined the latest. Everyone dotes on me and calls me Little Five.

They gave me the nickname at my first practice, when I fumbled the ball but made up for it with a killer interception two plays later. Little Five: not quite varsity, but just enough of a spark to keep them guessing.

I was scouted by Brianna, our vice-captain.

She spotted me on a rainy JV scrimmage, pulling me aside with a firm hand on my shoulder, eyes shining with hope. “You’ve got guts, kid,” she’d said. “Let’s see if you can handle the real thing.”

Avery, our captain, used countless hours and effort to help me get back on my feet.

She was the first upperclassman who ever invited me to sit at her lunch table. After that, I’d have followed her anywhere. She’d driven me home after practice, patched up my sprained wrist with a CVS brace, snuck me PowerBars when I missed dinner. I’d never had an upperclassman care so much about a benchwarmer like me.

Though I’m called Coach’s favorite, because I’m a girl, I spent the most time with Avery.

Coach pushed us hard, but Avery always shielded me from the worst of it, even when the rest of the team groaned about special treatment.

If not for this unspeakable affair with Coach, I’d still be Silver Hollow’s… delicate little rookie.

Now, it’s all ruined.

So, I dare not admit it, nor would I ever say a word.

Even when Avery, who loves me most, secretly texted me to ask:

“Little Rookie, how are your injuries? Do you need me to bring you some first aid supplies—”

“What exactly happened in the equipment room—”

“Coach… as well, he’s always cared for you most. How could he bear to see you hurt yourself—”

The three dots blinked at me on my phone. I stared at the screen so long my thumb went numb, too scared to type the truth. Her profile pic—a blurry shot of her grinning at homecoming—felt like an accusation.

Coach was brimming with rage.

The first thunder hadn’t even cracked from the sky, yet he’d already stormed out of the campus security office to deal with it head-on.

How could I dare speak of what happened…

Even more, I couldn’t possibly tell Avery:

“The girl who wanted to hook up with Coach ran away. Coach was out of it, I couldn’t resist his charm, we both fell to the aftereffects of whatever she left behind, and in the end, I took Coach’s innocence—”

And then say:

“Even though it all felt like a bad dream, there were moments I can’t explain—moments that make me feel even more confused and ashamed.”

The words stuck in my throat. No way would anyone at Silver Hollow understand—or forgive—something like that. Besides, who’d believe me over a coach with a shelf full of championship rings?

Fortunately, after Coach chased the girl out and made her cough up blood (figuratively), he collapsed from the stress.

I’d never seen Coach look so spent—shoulders hunched, sweat glistening on his forehead, like a prizefighter after ten brutal rounds.

He was unconscious and didn’t see my face clearly.

I had no time to escape and could only clean up the mess hastily.

So there were flaws everywhere in the equipment room. Even if I managed to survive, making Coach angry is the same as losing Silver Hollow—my only support.

I scrubbed at the benches and wiped my prints from the lockers. I even tried to wipe down the doorknob with the sleeve of my hoodie, like that would erase what happened. But nothing could erase the sense of panic in my gut. If Coach cut me loose, there’d be nowhere left for me in this town. I’d have to transfer. My mom would kill me. I’d lose the only family I’d found at Silver Hollow.

Alone, will I have anywhere to go in the future?

With Coach, could things possibly work out?

Would a championship-winning coach not care about his reputation?

I half-truthfully replied:

“I don’t know either. There was a surge of purple light, and I blacked out.”

“It must have been…the girl tried to take advantage of Coach and did something improper.”

My fingers trembled as I typed, erasing and retyping the message, searching for the safest lie. Lightning flashed outside, and for a moment, I saw my own reflection in the window—haunted and small.

I dared not lie to Avery; she is not only a varsity star but also the head of the team.

If she investigated, she would surely find clues in the equipment room.

It’s just that Coach is still dealing with the fallout above the gym, so no one dares approach for now.

I pushed all the blame onto the girl, hoping she can’t defend herself.

In my heart, I silently prayed:

God, please, let the storm destroy the equipment room completely.

Erase all traces.

I stared up at the popcorn ceiling, whispering a prayer I wasn’t sure I believed in, hoping a freak power surge would fry the security tapes and the old pipes would finally burst and flood away every mistake.

Avery said:

“Hang in there, focus on getting better. Leave the rest to your teammates.”

“When Coach calms down, I’m sure he won’t punish you further.”

I don’t believe it.

He will.

Avery heard my sobs turning hoarse, thinking I was just scared.

Even in her dreams, she couldn’t imagine that I had screamed myself hoarse under Coach.

To play the part of the wronged and to clear myself of any affair with Coach, I squeezed out a few tears:

“Avery, Jake, if Coach really was… taken advantage of by that girl, you have to speak up for me.”

My voice came out in hiccups, the words raw and ugly. I didn’t care if I looked weak; I just needed their protection, even if it came from a place of pity instead of loyalty.

I sobbed and acted pitiful, not caring about saving face.

Originally, it was Avery who was supposed to guard the equipment room.

But recently, the mascot’s costume got stolen, so she went to handle it.

That’s why I filled in for her to protect Coach.

After the incident, Avery felt guilty toward me. She looked up at the swirling storm and lightning outside and said:

“I only asked you to watch for a day, thinking nothing would happen. Who could have known…”

“Sigh, seeing this chaos, Coach must be…”

She squeezed my hand, her nails digging in just a little, the way my mom used to when she was worried but didn’t want to say so out loud. The storm outside rumbled, making the window panes shudder.

Damn it.

Who could have expected a girl to dare target a championship coach?

At that time, everything was chaos.

The purple lightning and the blue-white glare of the emergency lights clashed fiercely in the sky.

It showed just how furious Coach was.

Jake, who hadn’t spoken, exchanged a look with Avery and said:

“We’re screwed, this won’t be resolved so easily.”

“Looks like the girl succeeded. Otherwise, why would Coach be so furious?”

Coach’s reputation is unmatched. He’s the youngest coach in the state to win the championship, chased by every sports reporter and envied by rival teams for years.

There were stories about him in the local paper every week; the booster club even made T-shirts with his face on them. You couldn’t walk through the gym without seeing his name on a plaque or two.

He’s all about the game.

His focus is unshakable.

How could some girl from a rival school get close to him? Even the cheer captain can barely get a meeting with him.

Such an untouchable coach—only something as humiliating as having his reputation stolen could make him lose his cool like this.

Avery, seeing my misery, patted my head to comfort me:

“Little Rookie…”

“It’s also my fault for being careless. Now that I think about it, the mascot’s disappearance must have been a trick by that girl to lure me away.”

“None of this is your fault, okay? You got caught in the crossfire.”

Her touch was gentle, her voice soft but fierce. I could feel the weight of her protection, the quiet promise that she’d stand between me and whatever storm came next.

The only people who can approach Coach are us five core players.

He sets a high bar for the team, only accepting the most dedicated athletes.

I am the exception: not the fastest, but with a rare knack for strategy.

Coach once said:

“Even though Little Five isn’t the most athletic, her instincts are just like mine—sharp. If she works hard, she can inherit my playbook.”

Those words had been my armor, the reason I ran extra laps and memorized every play until they became second nature.

Now.

The playbook has been thoroughly passed on to me.

That girl has ruined me.

Not to mention Coach wants to catch her—if I see her again, I’ll find a way to get her expelled too.

I pictured her smug face at the pep rally, the way she’d smirked when we lost the mascot suit. No way she’d get away with this, not if I had anything to say about it.