A Search for Balance

Chapter 36 - Desperate Offers

Lizzie balled her fists at her side. Suddenly, the words seemed to pass her lips more easily.

"As you're all aware, there's been a lot of back and forth with my contract this season."

She looked over the room filled with the people who had been by her side for the last couple of years, her friends, her team. Her eyes settled on Ethan and a bewildered-looking Skye standing next to him. There was no turning back now.

"Having taken my career matters into my own hands again, I wanted to let you know that I've finally made a decision about my professional future."

From the corners of her eyes, Lizzie saw smiles spreading on Bethany and Scout's faces, but before they could move in to congratulate her on her renewed contract, she carried on.

"I'm proud of how far we've come, and I loved my time here more than anything." She took a deep breath. "Regardless, these will be my last matches with the Wigtown Wanderers. Come next season, I'm going to play for the Montrose Magpies."

The silence following her words was deafening. Lizzie dropped her gaze, studying the pattern in the tiled floor so she wouldn't have to see the shocked and disappointed looks directed at her. Eventually, Skye spoke up.

"You're kidding, right?" she said, her voice flat. "Jameson, come on. That's bullshit."

Lizzie slowly raised her eyes and shook her head.

"It's not."

Skye's face changed from white to red more quickly than Lizzie had thought possible.

"You let us blow smoke up your arse all this year, and now you have the guts to stand here and tell us that you want to leave? For Montrose?" Skye pushed herself off the locker she had been leaning against, joining Lizzie in the middle of the room with a couple of wide, angry strides. "Have you lost your bloody mind? You can't do that to us!"

Lizzie couldn't hold Skye's burning gaze any longer, looking down at the tip of her Quidditch boots instead.

"Yes, I can. And I have. I'm sorry."

"As you should be!" Skye's voice was barely short of screaming. "You're the co-captain! We're banking on you, and you just go and drop us because some bloody club from bloody Montrose waves their trophies and money at you!"

"That's not the reason I'm going."

"Yes, it is. Everyone knows all you care about is fame. Be honest about it, at least."

"That's not the reason," Lizzie repeated, her voice pressed.

"What is then, huh? Spit it out!"

Skye had raised her hands to Lizzie's shoulders, looking like she was about to shove her, but then Ethan was there, bringing his hands between the two witches and firmly pushing them apart.

"Enough," he said sternly. His face was anything but friendly as he turned to Lizzie. "That true, lass? You're leaving?"

All Lizzie could do was nod. Ethan's face was unreadable.

"Got anything else to say on the matter?"

There were a lot of things, actually, but it wasn't like Lizzie could say any of them out loud. Her eyes flicked to Orion, who sat beneath his locker, staring at the ground. Her anger dying down, Lizzie pressed her lips together and shook her head. Skye scoffed.

"Aye, keep quiet, like always when it counts." She jerked her shoulder away from her father's hand. "You did a lot of crappy things lately, but this is taking the Cauldron Cake."