The new apartment felt colder than the last one.I woke early and checked the windows twice before I left. Dad had said no more cleaning shifts for a few days, but I still went to campus. Sitting still made the waiting worse.The basketball court was already busy when I arrived. Ryan and two other players were running drills. Coach Harlan stood near the bleachers with his arms crossed. When he saw me, his face tightened.He walked over. “You’re not scheduled today.”“I know. I just came to talk.”Coach lowered his voice. “Your father called me last night. He made certain things very clear. The sponsorship stays. Your job stays if you want it. But he also said you need to keep your head down.”“I’m trying.”Coach looked past me toward Ryan. “Then stay away from the team. Ryan is already spreading stories. I don’t need more trouble.”I nodded and left the gym.In the student café I opened my laptop and kept digging through the money trail. Hale’s payments still linked to the chemical co