Page 72 of Walk the Line

It’s almost time to head out from the locker room, but something beside me catches my attention.

“This is so weird. I’m still getting texts from this unknown number saying they’re planning on exposing your secret soon.” I turn instantly to find Tamarah talking to Sierra.

Her words instantly make me think of the anonymous messages I’ve been getting.

Before I can think too much about, I listen out for Sierra’s response.

“They’re still messaging you?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s weird. Like I said, I don’t have any secrets. I’ve told you, like, everything about me.”

It seems as if the conversation ends there, but when we get out on the ice, it doesn’t take long for me to realise that Sierra’s quick shut down of the accusation didn’t mean she wasn’t affected by it.

Seeing as she fumbled every pass she received and chance to get the puck into the net, I would say that she was definitely affected by something and I would bet that it’s this secret she denied having.

But then again, she’s been doing this for a while now and I was meaning to speak to her today anyway.

I can’t press her on it straight after the game because we go off to our separate locker rooms.

It’s not long before I’m out of there, though, and that’s when Tamarah comes from somewhere else in the building, a worried expression on her face as she says, “There’s something wrong with Sierra.”

There are a few of the women and the men out of our respective locker rooms at this point, in reception of Tamarah’s words, and I respond with, “What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know, she’s…not really making sense but she’s upset about something and saying she lied and she’s a fraud and she’s gonna hurt herself, but I don’t know what she⁠—“

“Where is she?” Kaylah’s voice appears.

“She’s upstairs by the patio.”

Kaylah takes the lead suddenly, heading upstairs to the patio while the rest of us follow behind.

I know that as co-captain it’s important for me to make sure my team member is good, so while Kaylah takes the reins in having the conversation with her I’ll hang back here just in case I’m needed.

“Sierra? Is there something I can do for you?” Kaylah says as she crouches down to join Sierra.

She’s got her back against the wall as she says, “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t lie like this anymore.”

“Okay, you don’t have to,” Kaylah says.

“Someone knows and I don’t know how they know.”

“That’s fine.”

“But that’s not why I want to be honest. And maybe it’s good they know because I need to be honest.”

I’m trying to follow the trail of this conversation but I’m confused already, so I appreciate when Kaylah responds by asking, “What do you need to be honest about?”

Tears fall from Sierra’s face as she says quietly, “It’s a mess. It’s all a mess.”

“You don’t need to tell me anything you don’t want to but I’m worried about you up here.”

“I shouldn’t have done it. And then I should have stopped when I did it for the first time.”

What the hell is she talking about?

“Why didn’t you?” Kaylah asks.