Page 83 of In the Danger Zone
“So you can get Asher kicked off the fucking team!” Evan suddenly screamed.
My head shook. I took a shaky step away from my boyfriend that I felt safe with two minutes ago. Looking at Evan’s teammates, I did a quick search of their faces, desperately seeking some kindness.
But there wasn’t a shred of it.
All of the guys kept looking at me like they wanted to kill me. My arms wrapped around myself, trying to force some form of comfort. Even if I could only feel it for a second. Even if I was the one giving it to myself.
“E-Evan, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered. “And… And you’re scaring m-me.”
Evan laughed. He laughed right in my face. Just like Asher used to do. “Am I? Am I really scaring you?”
“Y-Yes. You are.”
“Is this the way you felt when Asher attacked you? You know, that little story you told me with those fake fucking tears in your eyes?” Evan kept going, the cruelty in his voice not leaving. It wasunwavering. It wasn’t a struggle for him to talk to me like that. “Is that how you feel right now?”
“Evan,” I said, voice barely audible. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re a liar. I can’t believe I fell for your stupid fucking bullshit,” snapped Evan. “No, I can’t believe you fuckingliedto me in the first place. You did all of this because of some stupid, petty revenge? Because you and your family wanted a fucking payout? Bet you were hoping to get more than ten thousand out of me.”
My eyes widened and I shook my head wildly. “T-That’s n-not true! I don’t have… M-My family do n-not want a payout. I don’t know what you’re talking about or what you heard. Can we please just talk about this properly? Without… Without…” I was desperately trying to say Asher’s name, but I couldn’t. The name wouldn’t leave my lips and I was certain it was because my heart was aching so damn much.
“You fucking lied about him attacking you.” Evan kept going. “About being in hospital for three weeks, about the fucking bakery, about fucking everything. You made that shit up. You looked me right in the eyes and you lied to me.”
My heart wasn’t just aching anymore. It broke. It really did. Every part of my body hurt as I tried to take in what Evan was saying. “It’s n-not a lie! T-That really happened. He… He… He cornered me one day… And… And he was angry because…. One of our teachers… He saw what happened… He saw what A-Asher did… And A-Asher was gonna… T-They were gonna take him off the hockey team—"
“And you couldn’t fucking pull it off then, so you’re tryna do it all over again,” Evan barked at me with gritted teeth. “Am I next? Huh? You wanna get me kicked off the team as well? What about the other guys?”
“N-No, of course n-not!” I blurted out. “I would n-never do that to you. Or the others. And I didn’t even try and get A-Asher kicked offthisteam.”
“You told me you wanted him off the team in high school,” Evan murmured.
“Yes, b-because…” My eyes closed for a second as I tried to get my bearings. “B-Because someone like him shouldn’t b-be allowed to play hockey. B-But I n-never even thought about telling your coach or whatever you think has happened here.”
“Bet she’s fucking happy she got that money out of you, though,” muttered Asher.
God, just his voice was enough to make me keep my eyes shut. I made a quick wish: to be anywhere else but in that locker room. That wish, of course, did not come true when I opened my eyes back up. All I saw was a furious Evan staring at me.
“What happened to not cashing that check?” asked Evan.
I frowned. “I didn’t cash it. I told you that I didn’t want it, and I m-meant that. I don’t want your m-money, Evan.”
“Bullshit,” he said the word fast. “I checked my phone. You cashed it.”
“N-No, I didn’t! I haven’t touched that check since you gave it to m-me. Why are you lying to m-me?”
“Why didyoulie tome?” Evan stepped forward. “Why did you tell me your parents were fucking struggling to pay rent when their bakery’s not even open anymore?”
Asher must have told him.
I couldn’t even be mad at Asher for that. I was the one who had messed up with all of my stupid lies.
“I’m sorry,” I said, lips trembling. Was I crying? My eyes didn’t feel wet but I was certain there were tears in them. “I… I should have told you the truth. The b-bakery has b-been shut for a little while. I was embarrassed to tell you that it’s shut. That they’re… That my parents are out of work and struggling to get b-by and that life is hard for them right now. That’s the truth. That’s m-me b-being honest. And I should have b-been honest from the start, b-but you… You don’t understand why I did it.”
“Sounds like bullshit,” Asher chimed up. “Iknow why the bakery shut. I know a lot about you, Daisy. Stuff Evan doesn’t. You and me go a long, long way back.”
“S-Stop,” I told Asher, shaking my head.
“It shut because your daddy is a violent fucking freak who can’t keep his hands to himself,” Asher continued, taking a slow walk over to Evan. “I showed Evan that video. Too bad your dad wasn’t counting on people filming him hitting me. Remember that, Daisy? When your dad lost his shit and tried to kill me? The truth is the opposite of what you told everyone. Your dad tried to hurtme. That’s called projection, Daisy.”
