After the match

The walk home felt endless, my thoughts spiralling in a mix of anger, confusion, and dread. By the time I got to my place, Chris was already waiting for me on a video call.

His face lit up when he saw me, but his smile quickly faded when he noticed my expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, his tone serious.

I hesitated, unsure how to start. "Chris... there's something I found out today. And it's bad."

His brow furrowed. "Bad how? Just tell me, Lewis."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. "You remember the video—the one that got spread around? I found out who recorded it."

Chris froze, his expression shifting from confusion to anger in an instant. "What? Who?"

I hesitated, but I knew I had to say it. "Ryan. My new doubles partner."

Chris stared at me, disbelief etched into his features. "You're kidding."

"I wish I was," I said bitterly. "I saw it on his phone after practice. He admitted to it—said it was 'curiosity.'"

Chris's jaw clenched, and I could see the storm brewing behind his eyes. "Curiosity? He ruined our lives for fun?"

"He swears he didn't show it to anyone," I said, though the words felt hollow even as I said them. "But I don't believe him. Why would he even keep it if he didn't mean to use it?"

Chris ran a hand through his hair, his frustration palpable. "I can't believe this. That little—" He cut himself off, taking a deep breath. "What are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Part of me wants to report him, but... if we bring this up again, it might drag everything back into the spotlight."

Chris nodded slowly, his jaw tightening. "And if we don't, he gets away with it. Like it's no big deal."

Silence hung between us for a moment before Chris spoke again, his voice low. "I want to confront him. Face-to-face. He doesn't get to just walk away from this."

"I figured you'd say that," I said with a small, humorless laugh. "But if we're doing this, we have to keep it under control. No more trouble for you, Chris. You can't afford it."

Chris sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Fine. But I'm not letting this slide. He needs to know he messed with the wrong people."

The next day after practice, we waited outside the locker room, leaning against the wall as the team filtered out. Ryan was one of the last to leave, and the moment he saw us, he froze.

Chris straightened, his eyes locked on Ryan like a predator sizing up its prey. "Hey, Ryan. Got a second?"

Ryan's face paled. "Uh... sure," he said, though his voice wavered.

We stepped into the now-empty locker room, closing the door behind us. Ryan stood near the lockers, fidgeting nervously as Chris and I faced him.

Chris didn't waste any time. "Explain," he demanded, his voice cold and sharp.

Ryan looked like he wanted to disappear. "I—I already told Lewis. I'm sorry. It was stupid. I wasn't thinking—"

"That's not good enough," Chris cut him off, stepping closer. "You humiliated us. You put us in danger. And for what? A joke?"

Ryan's eyes darted to me, as if hoping I'd step in. "I didn't mean for it to get out," he said quickly. "I swear. I never showed it to anyone—"

"Then how did it spread?" Chris snapped.

Ryan flinched, his hands trembling. "I... I don't know. Someone must've gone through my phone or something. I swear, I never wanted this to happen."

Chris stared at him for a long moment, his jaw tight. "Do you have any idea what you did to us?"

"I'm sorry," Ryan said again, his voice barely above a whisper.

I could feel Chris's frustration radiating off him, but he didn't make a move. He just stood there, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Delete the video," I said firmly, stepping in. "Now. And if we ever hear about this again, you'll regret it. Got it?"

Ryan nodded quickly, fumbling for his phone. He deleted the video right in front of us, then showed me the empty gallery as proof.

Chris leaned in, his voice low and dangerous. "You're lucky we're letting this go. But if you ever mess with us again, I swear, you'll wish you hadn't."

Ryan nodded frantically, his face pale. "I won't. I swear."

"Good," Chris said, his voice icy. "Now get out of here."

Ryan didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his bag and bolted, leaving Chris and me alone in the locker room.

Chris let out a long breath, running a hand through his hair. "I still want to punch him."

"Trust me, I do too," I said with a small smile. "But we handled it. It's over now."

Chris nodded, though the tension in his shoulders didn't entirely ease. "Yeah. I guess it is."

We stood there for a moment, the weight of everything settling over us.

"You okay?" I asked, placing a hand on his arm.

Chris glanced at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I am now."

A/N- I don't really like this chapter but whateverrr