Chapter 27: Truth, Consequences, and the Run That Matters May 8, 2025 Jakes POV The blood was still on my knuckles.
Somewhere between the roar of the crowd and the harsh echo of my own breathing, I had forgotten how it even started.
I only remembered his words:You shouldve joined your brother.
After that, everything turned red.
The principals office smelled like cold sweat and old furniture.
The chairs were too small, the fluorescent lights too harsh, and the air was thick with a tension none of us dared to break.
I sat across from Travis, each of us flanked by a principal from our schools, locked in silence, waiting.
I could still feel the rhythm of my fists colliding with his jaw vibrating through my bones.
My forearms were tight.
My hands ached.
But none of it compared to the thing twisting in my chest.
Lily.
I hadnt seen her after the fight.
I didnt know if she had stayed or if she had left, or if she had witnessed the worst parts of me unfold in front of a crowd.
That thought terrified me more than anything else.
Principal Harlow, ours, leaned forward and folded his hands on the desk.
Jake, tell us your side, he said.
I didnt look at Travis.
I kept my eyes fixed on the surface of the desk and spoke as flatly and clearly as I could manage.
No one tripped by accident, I said.
Leo did it intentionally.
Mike fell hard.
I called it out.
Travis stepped in.
He escalated.
Said something personal.
I lost it.
Principal Raynor, from Traviss side, raised an eyebrow.

Something personal? he prompted.
I didnt answer.
Not that part.
Not when Lily might still be out there hearing my name tangled with words likeviolent andunstable .
Travis scoffed from across the table.
He lost it because I told him the truth, he said, his voice casual, almost proud.
Principal Harlow frowned and turned to him.
Your version? Travis leaned back in his chair, rubbing his bruised jaw like it was some kind of trophy.
Jakes obsessed with looking like a hero, he said.
I called him out.
He punched me.
End of story.
Liar.
But I stayed quiet.
I had already said my piece.
My blood wasnt clean.
I wasnt proud of how far I had gone.
But I wasnt going to twist the truth into something it wasnt.
The door opened then, and two teachers entered the room.
Sorry to interrupt, one of them said.
Weve spoken with several students.
Teammates.
They all confirm that Leos trip was intentional.
They say Jake responded, but it was Travis who provoked the fight further direct insults, personal matters.
Principal Raynor stiffened visibly.
Principal Harlow shifted his gaze back to me.
Anything else you want to say, Jake? I looked up then not at him, but at Travis and asked, Whyd you do it? Travis didnt answer.
He just stared at me, his expression unreadable.
You couldve just played the game, I said.

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You couldve walked away.
He rolled his eyes, dismissing me without a word.
You jealous? I asked, my voice low but cutting.
That question hit something inside him.
I saw it the way he shifted, the way his mouth tightened, even if he tried to hide it.
You didnt like that she picked me, I said.
That she didnt come crawling back to you.
Dont flatter yourself, he muttered under his breath.
You brought up her past.
Her pain.
And then you brought up my brother, I said, not letting him off easy.
Like he wasnt a quitter? Travis sneered.
I stood up so fast that both principals jolted in their chairs.
But I didnt lunge.
I didnt move toward him.
I just looked at him.
And he knew.
You didnt break me, I said quietly.
But youre the reason I snapped.
They gave Travis a suspension two weeks.
It was enough to miss the playoffs, enough to put a permanent crack in his golden-boy reputation.
I didnt get off easy.
I wasnt expecting to.
I would lose my eligibility for the next match.
I would have to sit down with the school counselor for mandatory sessions.
And maybe, if I managed to keep my record clean after that, I could return in time for finals.
I nodded through all of it without arguing, without explaining any further.
Because the only thing I cared about wasnt in that room.
When I stepped out of the office, still dazed and aching, I saw them immediately.

Erin, Maisy, and Willow stood outside, lined up like a wall of heartbreak.
I stopped short.
Where is she? I asked.
Willows eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
Shes not okay, she said.
What happened? I demanded, my voice already hollow.
Her mom, Erin whispered.
She grabbed her off the field and took her home.
No ones heard from her, Maisy added quietly.
She hasnt answered any texts.
Not even ours.
My heart dropped straight to the floor.
She saw the fight? I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
They nodded.
I felt the floor tilt underneath me, like gravity was shifting just to make it harder to stand.
Did she… did she see me lose it? I asked, barely able to get the words out.
Willow reached out and touched my arm gently.
She saw enough, she said.
I ran.
Every step toward Lilys house felt heavier than the last, like my body was trying to hold me back, like it already knew I was too late.
My legs burned with the effort.
My chest ached with every breath.
My hand throbbed from the fight, but none of it compared to the way my heart felt broken and frantic and desperate.
I didnt know what I would say when I got there.
I just knew I needed her to hear the truth.
All of it.
Even the ugly parts.
Because this time, if I lost her, I wasnt sure I would survive it.