Lola POV
“I told you to stay the fuck away from him!”
My eyes snapped open.
My heart jumped so hard I almost choked on my own breath. I sat up fast, hair wild, body tangled in blankets, the room still dim in early morning light. My head whipped toward the door—and there he was.
Cassian.
Standing in my doorway like a walking explosion. His fists were clenched, chest heaving, jaw locked. I swear to God, I could almost see steam coming out of his ears. He was furious. No—fuming.
“What the fuck?” I croaked, wiping the sleep from my eyes. “Why are you yelling? Get the fuck out of my room, Cassian.”
But he didn’t move.
Instead, he stormed in, phone in hand, and tossed it straight onto my bed.
“Look at that!” he snapped, voice cracking. “Look at fucking that, Lola!”
Still confused and barely awake, I picked up the phone and stared at the screen.
And then everything stopped.
Oh. My. God.
Photos. Videos. Dozens of them.
Of me—on the motocross track. In Jace’s arms. My legs wrapped around his waist. My mouth on his. My hands in his hair.
Captured. Frozen. Posted. And then there were the comments.
“Wait… isn’t that Sinclair and Reyes?? Aren’t they RIVALS???”
“Y’all they’re fighting for the same scholarship, how is this not a conflict of interest?”
“Oh wow, so THAT’S how you win now? By kissing the enemy???”
“Professionalism? None.”
“Coach needs to reevaluate who’s leading the team.”
“She’s done.”
My mouth dropped. My entire body went ice cold.
I completely forgot there were cameras there. Fans. People recording everything. I forgot what Jace’s world was like—fast, loud, public.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Cassian barked, pacing like he couldn’t stand still. “Do you know how BAD this looks? Do you know what people are saying?!”
“I…” I tried to speak, but nothing came out. “I didn’t know. I didn’t think—”
“You didn’t think?” he snapped. “No, clearly not. Because if you had, maybe you wouldn’t have shoved your tongue down Jace Reyes’s throat in front of a hundred people with iPhones!”
His voice was too loud. The words hit like punches.
I could barely breathe.
“You just ruined it,” he said, his voice lower now, but not calmer. Just darker. “You ruined your shot at the scholarship. You think the committee wants to invest in someone who’s literally sleeping with the competition? You think Coach won’t consider removing you as captain? You think you’re still reliable after this?”
“Stop!” I cried, tears already slipping down my face. “Just stop talking!”
But he didn’t.
“You embarrassed us. You embarrassed me. Do you know how hard I’ve worked to get back on that court? And now I’m Cassian Sinclair, the guy whose sister is fucking Reyes.”
I covered my ears, sobbing now. “GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”
“Is this what Mom and Dad would’ve wanted?” he threw, voice sharp, bitter, unforgiving. “Because if they were alive to see this… they’d be so fucking disappointed in you.”
My entire world shattered in one breath.
I looked up, eyes swollen and red, tears running down my cheeks, my throat burning from holding in every scream I wanted to let out.
Cassian just stood there, watching me crumble, chest rising and falling like he wasn’t even sorry for saying it.
He grabbed his phone from my bed and walked toward the door.
And just before he left…
He turned back.
And said the one thing that broke me in half.
“They were always proud of you. But if they saw you now, Lola… I think even they would give up on you.”