The Trellis

Chloe spent the rest of the day in her dorm room, packing her life into cardboard boxes. Her roommate had conveniently made herself scarce.

She felt hollow. The injustice of it burned, but the betrayal cut deeper. Liam had let them paint her as a villain to save his draft stock. He was just like the rest of them. Invincible. Untouchable.

It was 11:00 PM. The dorm was quiet.

*Tap. Tap. Tap.*

It came from the window.

Chloe ignored it. She was on the third floor. It was probably a branch.

*Tap. Tap. Tap.* "Chloe."

She froze. She walked to the window and threw up the sash.

Liam Sterling was hanging off the decorative ivy trellis, looking terrified. The trellis was old wood; it creaked ominously under his weight.

"Are you insane?" Chloe hissed. "Get down! If they catch you here, you're done."

"Let me in," Liam begged. "Please. I'm slipping."

Chloe stepped back. Liam scrambled over the sill and collapsed onto her rug, breathing hard. He looked worse than he had in the office.

"Get out," Chloe said, turning her back on him. "I have nothing to say to you. I'm a 'predator,' remember?"

"I didn't say that!" Liam scrambled up. "My agent did. My dad did."

"And you stood there!" Chloe spun around. "You let them destroy me, Liam! I fixed you. I kept your secret. And you threw me to the wolves."

"I know," Liam said, his voice cracking. "I panicked. They told me... they said if I admitted it was consensual, the scouts would think I was distracted. Unfocused. That I lacked discipline. They said you were replaceable."

"Well, clearly I am," Chloe said bitterly.

"No!" Liam stepped forward, grabbing her shoulders. "You're not. I tried to practice today. I couldn't stop a beach ball. I kept looking at the bench, waiting for you to be there. I can't do this without you, Chloe."

"You have to," Chloe said, shaking him off. "I'm suspended. I'm leaving on Monday."

"I don't care about the draft," Liam said. "I don't care about the scouts."

"Yes, you do. It's your whole life."

"It's not," Liam said. He looked at her, his eyes blazing with a sudden, fierce clarity. "You know what I felt when that photo came out? Relief. Because for a second, I wasn't the Wall. I was just a guy who liked a girl."

He took her hand. "I'm not going to ghost you, Chloe. I'm going to fix this."

"How?" Chloe asked, tears welling up again. "It's the Championship tomorrow. The Headmaster banned me."

"I'm the goalie," Liam said, a grin touching the corner of his mouth. "I decide when the game starts."

He kissed her knuckles. "Do you trust me?"

"I shouldn't," Chloe whispered.

"Watch me," Liam said. "Just... be there. Sneak in. Please."

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