Chapter 33

Chapter 33

There wasn’t much to discuss on the way home, at least nothing that would lead back to an unfavorable outcome.

In the passenger seat, Aria sat with her arms crossed and her face pinched into a scowl. It didn’t feel appropriate to coerce her

into light conversation, but I hated seeing her so upset. She was banking on getting that new place, but the matter with Timothy

was simply one that I couldn’t ignore.

Before I could make the next turn, she finally spoke up. “I need to run some errands. Would you mind dropping me off at the

plaza?”

I frowned, but then nodded anyway as I continued going straight. “Uh, sure.”

By the time we reached the plaza, Aria was already taking off her seatbelt and gathering her purse. She muttered a quick

“thanks” before letting the door slam behind her. I would have pressed on and tried to amend things in any normal

situation.

However, I had already made the decision to find a certain someone and demand some answers from him.

I spent my drive to the sports center debating what I’d say. Honestly, there was a good chance that he wouldn't even be there.

The teams hardly practiced on Fridays, from what I recalled.

Still, I was prepared to catch him by surprise if need be. He could worm his way out of a conversation through text or a phone

call, but a confrontation might stun him into submission. I felt more confident with this decision as I jumped out of my car and

speed walked to the entrance.

Upon entry, there was the usual sound of pucks clanking together and skates skidding along the ice. I drowned it all out and

followed my usual path to the team’s lounge. There was a sweet, tangy scent drifting out of the lounge as I came closer.

Things hadn't gone so well with that last time, particularly with Timothy

threatening him. He seemed to be pretty well-mannered, so Timothy’s outburst was troubling.

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A

13:05 Wed, 20 Mar

Of course, it could’ve just been another case of Timothy butting into my life.

As I got closer, I spotted a figure moving around behind the glass window of the lounge. It didn’t take long before I figured out it

was Timothy, who was cooking. something in the microwave. Guess I was catching him during his lunch.

I opened the door and slipped inside, although he hardly noticed my presence with his back turned. He plopped down on the

sofa and switched on the TV before starting on his meal.

“Hey,” I said, trying to sound as stern as possible.

He jerked in reflex, then twisted around with a perplexed look that was comical when combined with his cheeks stuffed with food.

He blinked at me for a moment, then swallowed harshly before setting down what looked like a burrito bowl down on the seat

beside him.

“Evie?” He stood abruptly and started marching toward me. “Is something wrong?”

My lips parted just as he came to tower over me. His hands hovered over my shoulders as he looked me over, as though

searching for injuries.

“No,” I said faintly, forced to inhale the woodsy scent of his musk. “It’s about the apartment.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced to the side. “Apartment? What apartment?”

I huffed. “The one you discussed with my roommate,” I told him. When his confusion seemed to deepen, I added, “The luxury

apartments downtown.”

“Oh!” Then it hit him, and he started to nod in recognition. “Your friend Aria came up to me, actually. Said you guys needed some

help looking for good apartments.”

“And you could've left it at that,” I said, scowling. “But instead you’ve been going around recommending me to landlords like I’m

some sort of superstar. No one asked you to do that.”

Timothy stepped back, finally moving his hands and placing them on his hips in a defensive stance. His expression hardened as

he thought it over.

to/d

“No one had to ask me to do anything, Evie,” he said softly. “I just figured I could help out. Aria told me about the place you two

are currently living at and those are some crappy apartments to be living in.”

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13.05 Wed, 20 Mar

1B FR50%

Of course, it could’ve just been another case of Timothy butting into my life.

As I got closer, I spotted a figure moving around behind the glass window of the lounge. It didn’t take long before I figured out it

was Timothy, who was cooking. something in the microwave. Guess I was catching him during his lunch.

I opened the door and slipped inside, although he hardly noticed my presence with his back turned. He plopped down on the

sofa and switched on the TV before starting on his meal.

“Hey,” I said, trying to sound as stern as possible.

He jerked in reflex, then twisted around with a perplexed look that was comical when combined with his cheeks stuffed with food.

He blinked at me for a moment, then swallowed harshly before setting down what looked like a burrito bowl down on the seat

beside him.

“Evie?” He stood abruptly and started marching toward me. “Is something wrong?”

My lips parted just as he came to tower over me. His hands hovered over my shoulders as he looked me over, as though

searching for injuries.

“No,” I said faintly, forced to inhale the woodsy scent of his musk. “It’s about the apartment.”

He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced to the side. “Apartment? What apartment?”

I huffed. “The one you discussed with my roommate,” I told him. When his confusion seemed to deepen, I added, “The luxury

apartments downtown.”

“Oh!” Then it hit him, and he started to nod in recognition. “Your friend Aria came up to me, actually. Said you guys needed some

help looking for good apartments.”

“And you could've left it at that,” I said, scowling. “But instead you’ve been going around recommending me to landlords like I’m

some sort of superstar. No one asked you to do that.”

Timothy stepped back, finally moving his hands and placing them on his hips in at defensive stance. His expression hardened as

he thought it over.

“No one had to ask me to do anything, Evie,” he said softly. “I just figured I could help out. Aria told me about the place you two

are currently living at and those are some crappy apartments to be living in.”

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13-05

Chapter 33

“But it works for us!” I snapped, pointing a finger at his chest. “Just because your and your celebrity friends love living in luxury

doesn’t mean you can force that onto me. Some of us put our pride in other, more meaningful things.”

50%.

Somehow, this made him start to laugh. His shoulder shook with the sound as he turned away and strolled back to the couch.

“So you're saying you prefer living ina dump?”

My cheeks began to burn. “That's a strong way to put it. It’s small and cozy. Perfectly functional.” It’s also swarming with

paparazzi but that was more temporary.

Timothy sat down and placed the bowl of food back on his lap. As he raised at forkful of beans to his lips, his smile widened. “I

wasn't trying to wrong you in any way. If I’d known your taste, I would’ve pointed you to the grimiest part of town just for your

comfort.”

I snorted. “Oh, you are funny. Really nice of you to make yet another decision that affects my livelihood. Didn’t we discuss this

before?”

“Yes, Evie, we did,” he grumbled, and the amusement quickly escaped his face. “And I do recall stating that I would be willing to

help as much as I can. Making you life easy also extends to me as your client, you know?”

“If that’s what you want to tell yourself!” I hissed. “But I’m not taking any more of your gifts. You don’t have to bribe me into

winning this case.”

Timothy wrinkled his nose. “These aren’t bribes, Evie.”

“Well, whatever they are,” I interrupted, tossing a stray hair out of my face, “They are verging on inappropriate. I am ina

committed relationship with Lucas, so if he found out about all of this, it could hurt him.”

“Again, not my intention,” he stated. He started scooping around the food in hist bowl, but he didn’t eat any more of it. The

mention of Lucas left him sulking once again, an unfortunate but necessary tactic of mine.

I shifted on my feet, feeling slightly less secure standing there. Telling him off was getting a little less satisfying, and at this point I

couldn’t stomach the hurt on his face. I looked away and fixed my attention to the wall where several old team. photos were on

display.

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7

13:05 Wed, 20 Mar OS.

“You don’t have to take the offer,” Timothy said finally. He had set the food aside. and was watching me intensely. “But I can’t

help how people react to you when I bring you up. Maybe you’re just that remarkable.”

I halted at his words, my previous rebuttal dying at the tip of my tongue. Remarkable. That wasn’t a word that people often used

to describe me, but he seemed confident enough to use it.

After a long stretch of silence, I started backing away toward the door. Timothy shifted a little, then made a move to stand, but my

hand was already on the door handle.

“Look, I need to go,” I said. “Just....consider what I said. It would be appreciated.”

He had opened his mouth to speak, but I was already leaving the doorway and entering the hallway. I was practically running

down the hall just to get away, which was an even bigger hit to my pride.

Why did he always leave me feeling this way?

By the time I got home, my stomach was gargling from hunger. I had almost forgotten that my breakfast had been half a glass of

water. As was less patient with. the paparazzi, although their presence had become typical.

Reentering our apartment was like getting whiplash after experiencing the luxury apartment we’d viewed. As I turned on the

stovetop and waited for it to heat, I. thought over Timothy and Aria’s words. While I hated to admit it to myself, they were both

right about these apartments being far below quality.

I walked to the fridge and took out some of the leftover stir-fry. I held my hand. over the skillet to see how hot it had gotten. As I

went to grab the container of food, I heard some shuffling behind me, followed by laughter.

“Aria?” I turned around, but there was no one in sight. I walked out of the kitchen and stood in the hall, waiting quietly for any

more noise. “Aria, is that you?”

More silence.

I walked into Aria’s room, then into my own, but both were empty as far as I could tell. I figured Aria wouldn’t have gotten back so

early, but then I had to wonder where that noise came from. It couldn’t have been Lucas playing a prank since he

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4

was at work all day.

Was I going crazy? They say that intense amounts of stress can cause psychosis, but I’d been through more stressful situations

without so much as a hallucination. I. searched the bathroom for good measure, but there was no one.

The front door slammed, and I jumped in reflex.

“Hello?” I squeaked. When no answer came, I grabbed the bottle of hairspray from the bathroom counter and entered the

hallway. The living room was empty, but there was a noticeable difference with the sofa.

The pillow had been moved to the side to make room for a folded piece of paper. I looked around, waiting for some other

disturbance to occur. Finally, I mustered up the courage to walk over and pick up the note..

I unfolded the paper and looked over the roughly scribbled words. My hands. began to tremble.

I'm onto you, Coco. I know what you've been up to. We have some things to discuss.

At the very bottom, it was signed “Bruce*.

“He was here!” I gasped, collapsing onto the couch. The note slipped from my fingers and landed under the coffee table. Texts

were one thing, but that fact that he’d been inside my home not even a minute ago was unthinkable.

I pulled my knees to my chin and eyed the note. Just the feeling of it on my hands. left a lasting sting. He didn’t leave any other

signs of his presence, which meant Aria wouldn’t notice either. Perhaps, she didn’t need to know?

Besides, acknowledging that Bruce was slowly edging his way into my reality. would solidify him there as a problem. That was

something I didn’t need right

now.

The trial was just a few hours away.

5/0

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