Chapter 8 Jason

The loud crash brought the car to a gruesome halt as my head hit the steering wheel.

I groaned and grabbed my forehead.

For a few seconds, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

I turned toward the passenger seat.

Maya was clutching the seat belt, still reeling from the shock.

"Maya?"

"I'm okay," she said slowly.

I looked through the windshield.

A car was parked directly in front of mine.

I unbuckled my seat belt and stepped out.

I was going to confront the bastard who had just tried to kill me.

The driver's side door of the other car opened.

Reagan stepped out.

And he was grinning.

"Are you crazy?" I asked, walking toward him angrily.

"I should ask you that."

He looked at my car and then back at me.

"Are you blind or something?"

His voice was filled with amusement.

"You can't even drive."

He smirked.

"Same way, you can't get a win."

My jaw tightened.

"You are crazy."

I stepped closer and poked his chest.

"I'm not the one barking like a dog now, am I?"

He shrugged.

"See, you can't even handle your car."

He pointed at me.

"Same way, you can't handle your spot on the team, and you still want to blame me."

He shook his head.

"Piss off, man."

Then he walked back toward his car.

I stared at him.

"That's it?"

He ignored me.

A second later, his car pulled away.

I stood there watching him disappear down the road.

Something about that encounter didn't sit right with me.

I looked down at the damage to the front of my car and let out a bitter laugh.

"Unbelievable."

I took a deep breath before walking back to Maya.

"Are you okay?"

I opened the passenger door.

"Yeah."

She was still holding onto the seat belt like a lifeline.

"I'm sorry about this."

I tried my best to sound sympathetic.

"It's fine. I'll just walk home."

She picked up her bag.

"Come on. I can still drop you home."

I tried to reason with her.

She opened the door.

"It's fine. Thank you."

Her voice was cold.

Then she stepped out and slammed the door.

I watched her walk away.

"Fuck!"

I punched the steering wheel before burying my face in my hands.

This was going great.

Absolutely fucking great.

Later That Night

Minutes later, I pulled up at Chad's house.

I walked inside, expecting the same cold atmosphere we'd had between us for days.

Instead, Chad immediately walked over to me.

"Are you okay?"

There was genuine worry in his voice.

"Yeah."

I tried to sound dismissive.

His eyes moved to my forehead.

"Your head is swollen."

He frowned.

"Are you sure you're fine?"

Knowing Chad wouldn't drop it until I answered him, I told him what happened.

"That bastard."

He balled his fists.

"It's fine. My car just has a little scratch. I'll fix it."

I tried to reassure him.

"I'll go get my first-aid box. Just go freshen up."

He tapped my shoulder before walking away.

I was relieved Chad had finally decided to talk to me.

Even if the entire world decided to stop speaking to me, the silent treatment from Chad was torture.

He was the only real support I had besides my dad.

And lately, even my dad has been more interested in controlling me than listening to me.

After taking a shower, I returned to my room and found the first-aid box sitting on the bed.

I threw on some clothes and sat down to treat the huge bump on my forehead.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

I applied the last bit of ointment and closed the bottle.

The door opened.

Chad walked in.

"How's your head?"

He pointed toward my forehead.

"I just finished treating it."

I closed the box and set it aside, giving him room to sit.

He sat on the bed while I leaned against the headboard.

"How are things with Maya?"

"Better... I guess."

I shrugged.

"You guys figured out a way yet?"

I took a deep breath.

I hesitated before deciding to tell him.

"I asked her to be my fake girlfriend."

"You what?"

His voice shot up.

"I thought it was a good idea."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"You thought it was a good idea to fake-date a girl after you almost ruined her life?"

"If we tell the internet what really happened and add our own twist, we can win them over."

I tried to reason with him.

"You know Tiffany is a lunatic."

He shook his head.

"She'll find out."

"Not if we play the part well."

"How?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You two hate each other."

"That's why I'm trying to make peace."

I leaned back.

"Today, I got her Chick-fil-A and offered her a ride home."

I paused.

"Not that I actually dropped her home, but at least she agreed to the deal. That's something."

Chad sighed.

"I just hope it works out."

"It will."

I beat my chest confidently.

"It has to."

He stared at me for a moment before changing the subject.

"What about your dad? Have you talked to him recently?"

"My dad's just behaving like a princess."

I rolled my eyes.

"Did you apologize and he rejected it?"

"Countless times."

I shrugged.

"He keeps dropping my calls. I'm pretty sure he's blocked me."

"You just have to clear the air and convince the coach."

He patted my shoulder.

"Speaking of Coach, how's practice?"

I asked eagerly.

"It's chill."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"Nothing's the same without you, man. You have to fix your shit and get back on the ice."

"I will."

I nodded.

"I promise."

The Next Day

I cornered Maya on her way to class and apologized for what happened the day before.

She assured me she wasn't angry and asked me to meet her in the library after class so we could discuss everything properly.

I got there ten minutes late.

"For someone who's desperate, you sure don't know how to keep time."

She was writing when I approached, and I was still breathing heavily from running there.

"I had a class that ran late. Then I had to run here."

I sat down.

"You are pardoned."

She closed her pen and finally looked at me.

"I drafted my proposal."

She pushed a sheet of paper toward me.

"And you have to sign."

I picked it up.

As I read through it, a small laugh escaped my lips.

1. No physical contact unless there is a need for it.

2. No visiting unannounced.

3. No prying into each other's private lives. This is strictly business.

4. Party A, Jason Whiteson, and Party B, Maya Hilton, will go their separate ways after the reason for the contract has been fully met.

5. No payment should be made before the stipulated time stated in the agreement.

6. Failure to abide by these rules will result in the termination of the agreement.

I looked up at her.

"You really planned this out, didn't you?"

She folded her arms.

"I don't trust you."

"Clearly."

I picked up the pen and signed.

"Now that this is out of the way..."

I pushed the paper back toward her.

"What's next?"

Maya sighed.

She hesitated for a moment.

Then she looked at me.

"We make the relationship public."

I nodded.

"Okay."

For the first time since this whole mess started, I felt like we might actually have a plan.

We were still talking when my phone pinged.

I looked down.

A message from Chad.

Watch this.

There was a video link underneath it.

I frowned.

"What is it?"

Maya leaned closer, trying to peek at my phone.

I clicked the link.

It took me straight to Tiffany's Instagram account.

My stomach dropped.

She had posted something about the crash between me and Reagan.

"What the fuck?"

I clicked the video.

And the moment it started playing, my blood ran cold.

Tiffany's face appeared on the screen.

Then she smiled.

"Hi, everyone..."

I froze.

Whatever she was about to say, I already knew it wasn't going to be good.