Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: He Won Everything Except Her

The athletic dorm room smelled entirely of stale pepperoni pizza and cheap body wash.

Leo sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning aggressively toward the television. His thumbs mashed the buttons on his video game controller. He was playing a WFA football simulator.

Jackson was lying upside down on his bed. His head hung off the edge of the mattress. He was throwing a small tennis ball at the ceiling and catching it.

"Pass the ball to the winger, Leo," Jackson instructed lazily. "Your midfield strategy is completely embarrassing."

"Shut up, Jackson," Leo grunted. His eyes never left the screen. "I am building an impenetrable defense. You literally do not understand tactical patience."

"I understand that you are losing three to zero," Jackson laughed. He caught the tennis ball and threw it back up. "You play like a granddad."

Leo opened his mouth to yell a highly creative insult.

The heavy wooden door of the dorm room clicked open.

Leo paused the game. Jackson stopped throwing the tennis ball. They both looked toward the doorway, expecting to see a freshman bringing them fresh towels.

It was not a freshman.

Mason stood in the doorway.

He was still wearing his dark hoodie and faded gray sweatpants. His heavy black duffel bag hung loosely from his right hand. He looked completely pale. Dark, purple circles hung heavy under his eyes. He looked like a guy who had just walked through a war zone.

Total silence fell over the messy dorm room.

Leo dropped his controller on the floor. Jackson slowly sat up on his bed, the tennis ball rolling away completely forgotten.

"Captain?" Leo asked. His voice was laced with pure shock. "What are you doing here?"

"You are supposed to be in Miami," Jackson said, quickly standing up. He looked at Mason carefully. He immediately noticed the completely dead look in his captain’s eyes. "Mason. What happened?"

Mason stepped into the room. He pushed the door shut behind him. He did not say a word. He walked over to his empty bed in the corner and dropped his heavy duffel bag onto the mattress.

"Did Director Hayes do something?" Leo asked frantically. He stood up from the floor. "Did he kick you out of the academy? I swear to God, I will fly down there and tackle that old man into a swimming pool."

Mason sat down on the edge of his bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands.

"I signed the contract," Mason said. His voice was completely muffled.

Leo and Jackson looked at each other.

"You got the London deal?" Jackson asked cautiously. "The direct WFA transfer?"

"Yes," Mason nodded slowly. He did not look up. "Marcus found their dirty charity money. We blackmailed them back. Elena has no leverage. I am officially free."

Leo let out a massive, booming cheer. He threw his hands in the air.

"Yes!" Leo yelled happily. "I knew you would figure it out! You are a genius, Captain! You beat the system!"

Jackson did not cheer. He crossed his arms over his chest. He watched the way Mason was sitting. A guy who just secured a multi-million dollar professional contract did not sit like his entire world had just ended.

"Leo, stop yelling," Jackson commanded quietly.

Leo dropped his hands. He finally looked closely at Mason. "Captain? You won. Why do you look like someone died?"

Mason slowly lifted his head. His dark eyes were completely red and entirely hollow.

"Because I lost her," Mason whispered.

The heavy silence returned to the room. It felt completely suffocating this time.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked softly.

"I went straight to her apartment," Mason explained. His voice sounded like sandpaper. "I showed her the contract. I told her I was finally free. I told her the stuff with Elena was totally fake."

"And she took you back," Leo prompted, wanting the happy ending so badly. "Right? She hugged you."

"She told me to leave," Mason said flatly.

Jackson winced. He leaned back against his wooden desk. "Ouch."

"She said we cannot work," Mason continued, staring blankly at the floor. "She said my life is too chaotic. The media, the WFA, the blackmail... it terrified her. She just wants a normal, quiet life. She wants to drink cheap coffee and write local articles."

"But you fought for her!" Leo argued passionately. "You literally took down a billionaire director just to come back to campus!"

"It does not matter, Leo," Mason said. "I cannot force her to want my world. If she stays with me, she will always be waiting for the next disaster. She will always be scared. I had to let her go."

Mason ran his trembling hands over his face. He let out a long, ragged breath.

"She is moving on," Mason whispered. The words sounded incredibly painful. "She went out today. She went on a date. She is finding someone normal."

Leo completely froze. All the color drained out of his tanned face.

Jackson looked over at Leo. He saw the pure, absolute guilt suddenly wash over the giant defender’s expression.

"Leo," Jackson said slowly. "Why do you look like you are going to throw up?"

Leo swallowed hard. He looked at Mason, then he looked at his shoes. His broad shoulders slumped terribly.

"I knew," Leo confessed. His voice was barely a whisper.

Mason slowly looked up. His dark eyes locked onto Leo. "You knew what?"

Leo rubbed the back of his neck. He looked incredibly miserable.

"I knew about the guy," Leo admitted. "Chloe told me yesterday. She said Audrey met some quiet art history guy at the convenience store. His name is Rowan. Chloe told me Audrey was finally smiling again."

Mason stared at his friend. He did not yell. He did not jump up and grab Leo by the shirt. He just sat there, taking the emotional hit like a physical punch to the gut.

"You knew," Mason repeated quietly. "And you didn’t call me."

"I wanted to call you!" Leo pleaded frantically. He took a step forward. "I swear to God, Captain, I literally grabbed my phone. But Chloe stopped me. She said you were in the middle of securing your WFA contract. She said if I told you about this Rowan guy, you would completely lose your focus and ruin your career."

"Chloe was right," Jackson chimed in gently. He looked at Mason. "If Leo called you yesterday, you would have blown up the meeting with the London scout. You would have given Director Hayes everything."

"I would have come back a day earlier," Mason said. His voice was totally dead.

"And you still would have lost her," Jackson pointed out logically. "But you would have lost your football career too."

Mason looked away. He stared at the blank wall.

He knew Jackson was right. He knew Leo was just trying to protect him. His friends were not the enemy. The entire situation was the enemy.

"I am so sorry, Captain," Leo whispered. He looked like a kicked puppy. "I felt like a massive traitor keeping it a secret. If you want to punch me in the face, you have my complete permission."

Mason let out a dry, humorless laugh.

"I do not want to punch you, Leo," Mason sighed heavily. "You did the right thing. You protected my focus."

"It doesn’t feel like the right thing," Leo muttered softly.

Mason stood up from the bed. His massive frame looked entirely heavy. The adrenaline that had kept him awake for three straight days was completely gone. Now, there was just pure, heavy grief.

"I just need to sleep," Mason announced quietly. "I feel like I am going to pass out."

"Take my bed," Jackson offered immediately. "It is closer to the window. It gets better air."

"My bed is fine," Mason said.

He didn’t bother changing his clothes. He didn’t bother taking off his hoodie. He just fell face forward onto his mattress. He buried his face in the pillow and pulled the heavy blanket over his shoulders.

Jackson and Leo stood in the middle of the room. They watched their captain shut down completely.

Jackson walked over to the television. He picked up the remote and turned the game console off. The room plunged into near silence, save for Mason’s heavy, exhausted breathing.

Leo walked over to Jackson.

"What do we do?" Leo whispered anxiously. "He is completely broken. I have never seen him like this. Not even when we lost the championship final last year."

Jackson looked at the lump under the blankets. He shoved his hands deep into his sweatpants pockets.

"We do exactly what a defensive line does," Jackson said quietly. "We form a wall. We make sure nobody bothers him. We buy the food, we block the reporters, and we let him sleep."

Leo nodded seriously. He looked ready to physically fight anyone who tried to enter the dorm.

"And what about Audrey?" Leo asked softly.

Jackson let out a quiet sigh. He thought about Zoya, and the strict contract she had forced him to sign to keep her own emotions safe. He knew a little bit about girls who built walls to protect themselves.

"We leave Audrey alone," Jackson decided firmly. "Mason fought his battle. He made his choice. Now we just have to help him survive the fallout."

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