Level the Playing Field

New Rules

A/n: I don't know. Just enjoy ☺️

The tension in the room is palpable. Celine and Mikayla sit cross legged on the floor while Sadé paces. She can't sit still, sitting still means she becomes hyper-aware of the fast paced fluttering of her heart and that will make her even more anxious than she already is. She doesn't want to have a panic attack right now. But her foot still isn't fully healed and it's starting to get sore; she knows she can't keep this up for much longer. She has been walking back and forth in the living room since she got Jude's message that he's about to go into a meeting with Ms. Summers and the school board- that was nearly fifty minutes ago.

"Another one." Mikayla whispers cautiously. Sadé walks over in her direction leaning down to read what she found. Another major sports account with Jude's name plastered in the headline: "Hey Jude! New superstar signing caught getting naughty with TA at Erlhedge." A screenshotted image from one of the videos accompanies the post. It was uploaded ten minutes ago and already has thousands of likes and more than a million impressions.

"Fuck, that's the tenth one." Sadé pinches the bridge of her nose and resumes her pacing. How fucking long will this take?

"At least the headline isn't as cringey as the others. And the comments are mostly lighthearted jokes?" Celine smiles awkwardly.

"Fuck, what if it all backfires? What if Summers gets off, Jude gets expelled and loses the contract and I'm left stuck on campus with that slithering little viper who obviously has very devious plans for me?" Her chest rises and falls at a quicker rate; "what if I actually ruin his life, both our lives?"

"Hey now, you can't blame yourself here. Remember what she wanted him to do to you, it was either that or... this is the best course of action you could've taken to try saving yourself and Jude." Mikayla's voice is stern. Celine nods eagerly in agreement.

"I want to believe that but my brain is playing tricks on me. How long do these stupid meetings take anyway?!" The frustration is evident in her tone.

"Uh, I wouldn't know. This isn't something that happens often, Sadé."

"It was a rhetorical question, Mikky." Sadé rolls her eyes in exasperation.

"Have a seat Sadé, you're gonna give yourself a stroke." Mikayla chides softly.

Sadé heaves a heavy sigh but flops on the couch. Her friends try distracting with trivial conversation but it does little to keep her from checking her phone every minute or the insistent bouncing of her leg.

"It's been about an hour and a half now." Sadé feels like crying. If she doesn't hear from him soon her heart might actually explode.

"They probably just want all the facts befo-" Mikayla breaks off into a scream as the door to their flat is suddenly flung open. Maybe Jude was right about locking their door. Speaking of Jude... it's him who stands in the doorway. He stays still for a second or two, eyes looking almost crazed before they land on her. Sadé holds her breath trying to decipher the expression on his face, but he's charging toward her before she can blink. She squeals when she's suddenly lifted clean off the couch.

"You're a fucking genius, Sadé." His voice is giddy with excitement as he twirls her around in his arms. Sadé's giggles are loud and bright as they fill the small space.

"It worked?!" Mikayla's question halts Jude's antics and he looks over in her direction as if just now noticing her friends on the floor.

"Uh sorry." He says bashfully as he gently places Sadé on her feet. "It did, I am currently suspended for the next couple of months but that only means I'll miss my exams. I can sit those next year with my others in senior year or during the summer. The club has given me a stern warning in regards to their image and scandals but that's it. Oh and Ms. Summers was fired. She tried to do exactly what we assumed she would, it was a very believable performance too. It's almost scary what would've happened if I didn't have proof. They agreed she looked too... eager for her accusations to be believable."