Chapter 146: A little help from Coach Reddick
Rhys
The news came as a shock to me as soon as the coach announced it. Kayden was revealed to be a bully during his time with the Westbridge Falcons, but I knew all of that was a lie.
There was no way he would have ever done that.
But I didn’t have the chance to speak to him, to ask him questions, or to make sure that he was alright before he bolted out of the locker room.
I had wanted to rush after him, but Miller stopped me.
"What the hell, Miller? I need to find out where he is and—"
Miller shook his head at me, cutting me off. He pointed toward the entrance and then back at me. "The press is everywhere, probably waiting for us so they can ask questions. Leave Kayden; at least until we are out of the press’s reach."
I heaved a deep sigh, yanked my hand off his, and ran it through my hair. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do, Miller? I am his captain, his—" I paused before I could let out our secret. "I have to make sure he is alright. And what’s up with this stupid video, anyway? How and why is it surfacing now?" I let out a groan.
My teammates just stared at me; some of them were staring at their phones while others just murmured among themselves.
I couldn’t hear them, but I had hoped that just like me, they would trust Kayden and believe that he would never do something like that.
"I need to call him, I have to make sure he is—"
"He didn’t take his bag with him. He just left," Luca informed me, and then he heaved a deep sigh. "Also, it’s not looking good for Kayden online, as everyone is requesting that he be cast out of the team."
I clenched my fist tightly, then turned toward one of the lockers and hit it hard. "Leave the team? We don’t even know if the video is true, or if this is all a fabrication to take Kayden out of this team!" I screamed, my voice resounding through the room.
I couldn’t keep up with this anymore. I couldn’t lie and pretend that I didn’t care, that I didn’t want to find out where Kayden had run to and how he was feeling at that moment.
"Do you all think that he is a bully?" I asked, but I got no response.
They all exchanged looks, but none of them spoke up.
I hit the locker again and screamed at them. "Answer me and stop pretending as if you didn’t hear me the first time!"
"Calm down, Rhys," Miller muttered, trying to grab my hand, but I almost shoved him away. I would have if not for the coach, who arrived in time and grabbed my arm.
I turned toward him, my eyes blazing with fire, and tried to speak, but he pulled me away toward the restroom. When we reached it, he pushed me against the wall and screamed at me.
"What the hell is going on with you, Rhys! Have you lost it? You are supposed to be the captain, and in this case, you are supposed to hold the team together and not act like an idiot!" He threw his hands up angrily and then placed one above my head.
"Kayden is in trouble right now, and it’s your duty as the captain to keep everyone in check, but instead, you are screaming at them! That is not going to solve the situation."
I leaned forward until there was no space between the coach and me. "But you know that Kayden would never do this and—"
"There is a video attached to it. People always believe in evidence, whether fabricated or not."
"But—" I tried to argue, but Coach Reddick placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it.
"Listen to me, son," he began, lowering his voice as if we were not the only ones present. "This is beyond me and the CEO because it’s the fans’ opinions. Kayden was revealed online as a bully with a video as evidence!"
I slapped his hands off my shoulders and pointed toward him. "We both know that is not true. There is no way Kayden would ever do that. He is—"
"Which is why I managed to find grace for Kayden. The CEO and the board, even the NHL, are thinking of dropping him. They started planning his termination the instant the videos were released online."
"What!" I screamed, my voice resounding off the walls of the restroom. "What the heck, Coach?" I lowered my voice and placed a hand on my pounding chest.
The news about a sudden termination made my heart race so fast I thought I might have a heart attack at that moment, but I didn’t, thankfully.
"There is no way they can terminate Kayden based on that one video," I said, grabbing a handful of my hair and pulling. "He has worked to become a hockey player all his life, and now that he is about to reach his goal, suddenly he is in a scandal? Think about this, Coach; someone is sabotaging him and—"
Coach Reddick heaved a deep sigh, cutting me off. "I am sorry, Calder, but there is nothing I can do about this now. The brands you both were supposed to work with once the season ended are already calling and demanding answers, and I don’t know what to say yet. Kayden is benched until further notice, and he will be interviewed by the press in a few days. If there is no evidence..." he lowered his head. "I am afraid there is nothing that I can do."
"There is no way," I groaned and slammed my palms against the wall. "He has been playing so well ever since he arrived and never had any trouble with anyone here, so why the hell is he suddenly in trouble? You know he is a good person, Coach. You—"
Coach Reddick nodded in response, agreeing with me.
"Yes, I know he is a great kid, but that is not the thing we should focus on right now, Rhys. If we want to proceed, if you want to protect Kayden and make sure he remains on the team, you have to find the rest of the video."
"The rest?" I asked, giving him a questioning look.
He nodded. "Kayden said there is another part of the video that was altered. If we can get whoever uploaded it, then maybe we can help Kayden, but right now, my hands are tied."
"A second part?" I demanded, and the coach nodded again.
This might be it, I thought. If there was another video, then it meant that whosoever uploaded it wanted to paint Kayden as the bad person and ruin his career. But who could it be?
My first thought was my grandfather or my father. They were the ones who hated Kayden and wanted him gone. But if it were my grandfather, he wouldn’t ruin his chances of turning me into his puppet.
He would rather use Kayden’s situation to get to me instead of revealing it to the press. It was the same with my father. They loved being in control and wouldn’t stoop to this level of altering videos just to punish Kayden.
It wasn’t them. This was done by someone else.
"How..." I paused, panting for a moment. "How do we find out?"
Coach Reddick brought out his phone and then typed on the screen furiously. "I sent you the contact of someone who is highly experienced in tracking down videos like this. Contact him." He leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "Tell him Scar sent you. If he is able to track down the video, then good. If not, then I am afraid there is nothing else I can do and—"
I hugged the coach before he could finish speaking. "Thank you so much, Coach. I appreciate this."
"Right. And make sure you do this on your own. If there is anyone trying to harm Kayden, we have to beware. And that boy is not a bully, I know that for sure. So I will do everything to make sure we bring him out of this and back to the team, but there is also a condition attached to this."
I raised my brows in confusion as I pulled away, staring into the coach’s face. "And what will that be, Coach?"
"The condition is that you win the conference finals. I am sure the video was released to create chaos for our team, which is why I need you, as captain, to unite the team. Make sure they know we have a game to win. Do you understand, Rhys?"
I nodded immediately, clamping a hand on the coach’s shoulder. "I do, Captain, and I am not going to fail. I will protect Kayden and the team."
"Good," he patted me gently on the shoulder. "Now get out there and put everyone’s mind at ease."