Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: The Call That Changed Everything

The apartment felt like an absolute graveyard.

Audrey walked into the kitchen. The silence was incredibly thick and uncomfortable.

Chloe was standing at the kitchen counter. She was not crying. She was not screaming. She was aggressively peeling apples with a small paring knife. A massive pile of green apple peels completely covered the cutting board.

Zoya sat at the small dining table. She had her noise-canceling headphones over her ears. She was furiously highlighting a thick textbook with a bright yellow marker.

Audrey set her keys down. ”Chloe. You have been peeling apples for two hours.”

”I am making a pie,” Chloe said flatly. She did not look up. Her movements were sharp and entirely robotic.

”We do not own a pie dish,” Zoya pointed out loudly over her headphones.

”I will bake it in a bowl,” Chloe stated coldly.

Audrey let out a heavy sigh. Chloe was completely shutting down.

A loud, sharp knock hammered on the front door.

Audrey walked over and pulled it open.

Jackson stood in the hallway. He was wearing his gray sweatpants and a dark t-shirt. The usual cocky, playful smirk was completely missing. He looked frustrated and entirely exhausted.

”Is Leo here?” Jackson asked immediately.

”No,” Audrey said gently. ”He is not here. Chloe is baking a bowl pie.”

Jackson groaned loudly. He rubbed his face with both hands. ”Leo has been sitting on the floor of our dorm room for six hours staring at a blank wall. He refuses to eat. Your roommate completely broke him.”

Chloe stopped peeling the apple. Her back went rigid. She did not turn around.

”It was her choice,” Zoya said from the table. She pulled her headphones down around her neck. ”Leo completely overstepped her boundaries. Actions have consequences.”

Jackson shifted his angry gaze directly to Zoya. He stepped fully into the apartment.

”Oh, right,” Jackson said. His voice was low and extremely bitter. ”The walking encyclopedia has an opinion. You just cut people off the exact second they make you feel something. You are exactly like her.”

”Jackson,” Audrey warned gently.

Jackson ignored her. He walked right up to the kitchen table.

”You are such a hypocrite, Zoya,” Jackson said loudly. ”You dragged me into your bedroom two nights ago, begged me to stay with you—”

Zoya’s eyes went entirely wide. Pure, unfiltered panic flashed across her face.

Audrey and Chloe both froze, staring at Zoya in absolute shock.

”Shut up!” Zoya hissed frantically.

She leaped out of her chair. She grabbed the fabric of Jackson’s t-shirt with both hands and forcefully shoved him backward. She pushed him straight out of the apartment and into the hallway, slamming the heavy wooden door completely shut behind them.

Zoya pressed her back against the closed door. Her chest heaved. Her face was completely pale.

”Are you insane?!” Zoya whisper-yelled. She looked up and down the empty hallway. ”My roommates do not know about that! Nobody knows about that!”

Jackson stared down at her. The anger on his face slowly melted into a quiet, heavy disappointment.

”Right,” Jackson said softly. His voice sounded entirely hollow. ”I forgot. I am your dirty little secret.”

”I did not say that,” Zoya argued quietly. She gripped her hands together. ”I just do not want them asking questions. I do not want the drama.”

”You do not want me,” Jackson corrected. He took a step back, putting space between them. ”I dropped my date for you. I slept on your uncomfortable couch just to make sure you were safe. I actually tried with you, Zoya.”

”I told you it was a mistake,” Zoya whispered. She looked down at his sneakers.

”No, you are just a coward,” Jackson said. ”You are terrified of actually caring about someone because you cannot control it. Keep your secret, Zoya. I am done bothering you.”

Jackson turned around. He walked down the quiet hallway and pushed open the stairwell door. He did not look back.

Zoya stood completely alone in the hall. She squeezed her eyes shut. She told herself her secret was safe. She told herself she was back in control. But her chest ached so terribly she could barely breathe.

---

The journalism office was completely chaotic.

Audrey walked through the heavy wooden doors. Ben was pacing back and forth across the carpet, pulling his hair in total panic.

Daisy sat at her desk, quietly editing photos on her laptop. She looked up when Audrey walked in.

”It is a total disaster!” Ben announced loudly. ”The playoff preview spread is due tomorrow morning. I need a direct quote from the football captain about the upcoming brackets. But Calloway is completely off the grid.”

”The lockdown evaluation ended an hour ago,” Audrey reminded him. She sat down at her desk. ”He should have his phone back by now.”

”Then call him!” Ben begged. ”Audrey, please. Mrs. Higgins will literally fire me if we publish the playoff issue without a quote from the captain.”

”Okay, okay,” Audrey said. ”Calm down. I will call him.”

Audrey pulled her phone out of her pocket. She stood up and walked out into the quiet academic hallway to get some privacy. She leaned against the lockers and dialed Mason’s new Florida number.

The phone rang four times. She thought it was going to go straight to voicemail.

”Hello?”

Audrey paused. The voice on the other end of the line was not Mason. It was a strict, older man with a very heavy southern accent.

”Hello?” Audrey asked, looking at her phone screen to make sure she dialed the right number. ”Is Mason Calloway there?”

”Calloway is on the field running tactical drills,” the man said sharply. ”He left his phone in the locker room. Who is calling?”

”I am Audrey Ellis,” Audrey answered politely. ”I am a sports journalist for his university. I just needed a quick quote from him about the playoffs.”

”Ah. Audrey,” the man said. His tone instantly changed. It dropped into a cold, completely serious register. ”Mason talks about you a lot. I am Director Hayes. I run the National Development Academy down here.”

Audrey stood up a little straighter. ”It is nice to meet you, Director Hayes.”

”Listen to me very carefully, Audrey,” Director Hayes said. He did not sound nice at all. ”Mason is a top-tier prospect. He has the raw talent to sign a massive professional contract. But right now, his head is entirely in the clouds.”

Audrey felt her stomach drop. ”What do you mean?”

”He is playing on a sprained ankle, and he is entirely distracted,” the Director explained bluntly. ”He checks this phone every ten minutes. He is constantly worried about what is happening thousands of miles away on a college campus instead of focusing on the scouts sitting in my bleachers.”

Audrey stopped breathing. The cold academic hallway suddenly felt completely freezing.

”The pro scouts are noticing his lack of focus,” Director Hayes warned. ”This is a cutthroat business, Audrey. If he does not dial in completely, they will cut him. He will lose his contract.”

”He... he is going to lose his spot?” Audrey whispered. Her voice shook.

”If he keeps trying to play boyfriend from across the country, yes,” the Director stated firmly. ”He needs total isolation to survive this camp. If you actually care about his future, do not call this number again. Let the boy work.”

The line clicked dead.

Audrey slowly lowered the phone. Her hands were trembling violently.

The words echoed in her head like a loud siren. If you actually care about his future, do not call this number again.

Coach Davies was right. Logan was right. She was a distraction. Mason was literally risking his entire lifelong dream just to make sure she felt safe and loved on campus. If he kept worrying about her, he was going to lose his professional contract.

She could not let that happen. She loved him too much to let him ruin his life for her.

Her phone suddenly buzzed in her hand.

It was a text from Mason.

Mason: Hey, sorry I missed your call. Coach was yelling at us. Everything okay?

Audrey stared at the bright screen. A hot, painful tear spilled over her eyelashes and rolled down her cheek. She aggressively wiped it away. She took a deep, shaky breath and forced herself to do the hardest thing she had ever done.

She typed her reply with shaking fingers.

Audrey: Everything is fine. Ben just needed a quote, but we got one from Coach Miller instead. I am really busy with midterms this week. I probably will not be able to talk much.

The reply came a minute later.

Mason: Busy? Are you sure you are okay? I can call you tonight when I get back to the hotel.

Audrey closed her eyes. Her chest ached terribly.

Audrey: No. Please don’t call. I really need to focus on my grades right now. Just focus on your camp, Mason.

She hit send.

She turned her phone completely off and shoved it deep into her pocket. She leaned her back against the metal lockers, sliding down until she hit the floor.

She pulled her knees to her chest. She had successfully pushed him away to protect his dream. She did exactly what she had to do.

But sitting entirely alone in the quiet hallway, Audrey felt completely and utterly shattered.