I couldn’t shake the voice from the call. It haunted me like a shadow I couldn’t escape. By morning, I knew I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer. I found Coach Reid in his office, surrounded by stacks of playbooks and half-empty cups of cold coffee.
“Coach, we need to talk,” I said, closing the door behind me. My voice must have given me away, because he looked up, brows knitting together in concern.
“What is it, Harrison?” His tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp, studying me as if I were an open play.
I swallowed hard, feeling the crumpled letter burning in my pocket. “I got this a few days ago, and then last night, there was a call.” I handed him the letter, watching his expression shift from confusion to something darker as he read the words.
“Who’s Kermit?” he muttered, glancing up at me.
“I don’t know, but they’re threatening Hadassah,” I said, my voice cracking. “And last night, they said... they said to not let her out alone. Coach, I don’t think this is a joke.”
Before he could respond, my phone buzzed, a shrill, insistent sound that made my heart skip. Without thinking, I answered and hit speaker. The room felt too small, too quiet as we waited for the voice.
“Well, well, Harrison,” the voice croaked, distorted and cruel. “You just can’t keep a secret, can you? Telling the coach won’t save her.”
Coach Reid’s face hardened, jaw tight as he leaned forward. “Who is this? You think you can threaten one of my players and get away with it?”
A sick laugh came from the other end. “Hadassah won’t make it if you’re not careful. Tread lightly, or you’ll see how serious I am.”
“Leave her alone!” I shouted, my pulse racing. The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then, with a final, venomous whisper, the voice said, “Tick-tock.”
The call ended, the room turned back into silence, broken only by the thudding of my heart. I glanced at Coach, whose eyes had shifted from anger to worry.
“She’s with Isiah right now,” I said, more to myself than to him, but it did nothing to ease the knot in my chest.
Coach nodded grimly. “We need to get to them. Now.”
As we rushed out of the office, one question echoed in my mind: Who was Kermit, and how far would he go to make good on his threats?
