Monday came like a freight train.
Athena barely had time to breathe between first period and cheer practice. The halls buzzed with the usual post-weekend energy—rumors, drama, whispers. But something felt… off.
People stared just a little longer. Conversations stopped when she walked by. And Brooke? She wasn't talking at all.
By lunchtime, the tension wrapped around Athena's chest like a vice.
She slid into her usual seat at the cheer table in the cafeteria, forcing a smile. "So... did anyone finish that psych paper?"
No one answered.
Instead, Brooke turned her phone around on the table.
A photo filled the screen. Blurry, but unmistakable.
Athena. Sitting on the hood of a car. Mason Black's arm wrapped around her shoulders. Their faces close. Too close.
The cliffside. The night. Them.
Athena's stomach dropped.
Brooke's voice was ice. "Want to explain?"
---
Across town, Mason stood in the Ridgeway locker room. He was lacing up his cleats when Jackson tossed a phone toward him.
"You've got balls, man."
"What are you talking about?" Mason asked warily.
Jackson didn't answer. He just pointed to the screen.
Mason picked it up.
There it was. The photo.
His chest clenched. His first instinct was panic—then fury.
"How the hell—"
"Don't look at me," Jackson said quickly. "It's all over Snap already. Someone posted it to that 'High School Drama' story account. The anonymous one."
Mason cursed under his breath.
Coach wouldn't care. But the school? The team?
They would.
And if Lincoln saw it too… Athena.
---
At Lincoln, Athena's world was falling apart.
Brooke stood up, arms crossed. "How long, Athena?"
She stayed quiet.
"You're dating Mason Black?" Brooke snapped. "Do you have any idea what this looks like? You're cheer captain. He's our rival's quarterback!"
"It's not like that," Athena said quickly. "We didn't mean for it to happen—"
"But it did. Behind our backs."
The other girls murmured. Some looked sympathetic. Others just shook their heads.
"You kept it from us," Brooke said, voice sharp. "And now the whole school's laughing at Lincoln's squad. Saying we're chasing Ridgeway boys instead of wins."
Athena stood. "That's not fair. You know I've given everything to this team."
Brooke narrowed her eyes. "Then you know what you have to do."
A thick silence.
"What are you saying?"
"Pick," Brooke said coldly. "Him… or this squad."
---
That night, Athena sat on the edge of her bed, tears burning behind her eyes. Her phone buzzed.
Mason: Are you okay?
She stared at the screen.
How could she explain the way her world had cracked in two?
Before she could answer, a knock came at her window.
She turned.
There he was. Mason. On her roof. Soaking wet in the rain.
She pushed it open, heart lurching. "Are you crazy?"
He shrugged. "A little."
She pulled him in, rain dripping from his hoodie.
"You saw it," she said quietly.
"Yeah."
"They want me to choose," she whispered. "You… or the team."
He was quiet for a long second.
"I won't ask you to choose," he said softly. "But I also won't pretend this doesn't hurt."
"I don't know what to do," she said, her voice breaking.
He reached out, gently cupping her face. "Then don't decide right now. Just... breathe. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
She collapsed into his arms, heart pounding.
But outside the window, behind the curtains and closed doors—
The world was watching.
And waiting to see what she'd do next.