Madison wasted no time reaching out to her North Ridge friend. She sent a quick text, her fingers moving rapidly over the screen while Lena, Jaxon, and Ethan waited in tense silence.
"And now we wait," she muttered, setting her phone down on the bleachers.
Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "You sure he's gonna go for this?"
Madison gave him a pointed look. "Oh, he'll go for it. He's been waiting for a reason to mess with Ryan. I just need to give him the final push."
Moments later, her phone buzzed. Madison picked it up, eyes scanning the message. A slow smirk spread across her face. "He's in."
Lena exhaled, her shoulders sagging in relief. "So, that's it? It's happening?"
Madison nodded. "It's happening."
Ethan leaned back against the bleachers. "Alright. Then I guess we have a game to play."
Jaxon stretched his arms out, glancing between them. "So, how do we do this? We just show up to practice and pretend like nothing happened? Because I doubt Coach is gonna let us slide back in without a fight."
Lena exchanged a glance with Madison before looking at Jaxon. "That's why we tell him the truth. At least part of it."
Jaxon scoffed. "Yeah, because honesty has worked so well for us so far."
Madison rolled her eyes. "You don't have to tell him everything. Just say you're ready to play again, that you needed to take a stand, and now you're focused. He doesn't need to know the details."
Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "And what about our dad?"
The air shifted instantly.
Lena stiffened, watching as Jaxon's easy smirk faded. His jaw clenched, his fingers tightening into fists.
"We tell him the same thing," Jaxon said finally. "We're playing. That's all he needs to know."
Ethan eyed him warily but didn't press. "Alright. Let's do this."
---
Later that afternoon, the four of them made their way to the gym. The second they walked in, all eyes turned to them. Teammates. Coaches. Other students lingering by the doors.
Coach Marshall stood in the center of the court, arms crossed, an unimpressed look on his face. "Well, well. Look who finally decided to show up."
Jaxon stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "We're here to play."
The gym was dead silent for a moment before Coach let out a low chuckle. "You walk out on my team, and now you think you can just waltz back in like nothing happened?"
"We took a stand," Ethan said evenly. "Now we're back. We're ready."
Coach studied them carefully, his gaze lingering on Jaxon. "You sure about that? Because I don't have time for any more theatrics. Either you're in, or you're out."
Jaxon held his gaze. "We're in."
A scoff echoed from the side of the gym. "Guess abandoning your big moral stance didn't last long, huh?" The words dripped with sarcasm, and when they turned, Ryan was leaning against the lockers, arms crossed, a smug grin playing on his lips. "All that talk, and you're back like nothing happened."
Jaxon's jaw tightened, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he smirked. "Oh, don't worry, Ryan. You'll get what you deserveâone way or another."
A beat passed before Coach gave a short nod. "Then get changed. Practice starts in five."
As they turned toward the locker room, Jaxon let out a slow breath. Ethan clapped him on the shoulder, a rare show of support. "We got this."
Lena watched them go, a sense of unease settling in her stomach. Ryan might've been acting cocky now, but something told her he wouldn't be smiling for long.