Noah
I show Ethan the text the second it comes in, and I watch his expression shift from concern to something harder, something protective that mirrors exactly what I'm feeling myself.
"He's threatening you," Ethan says, voice flat with anger.
"He's trying to. I don't know if it's an actual threat or just him trying to rattle me before I get too settled." I set the phone down, forcing myself to think it through instead of just reacting. "Either way, it's working. I am rattled."
"What'd Coach say exactly, when you two talked?"
"That he's going to reach out to a few contacts in scouting, get ahead of the narrative before it spreads further. Said stuff like this happens more than people think, and the guys who handle it with confidence instead of hiding usually come out fine on the othe
