After that confession, we remained in my room. I was now shirtless, still on the bed, while Victoria lounged on my couch and Mel sat beside her, holding her arm down. Why? "You did what?!" She screeched, and when I said nothing, she lunged for me, fingers stretched out, scrambling to reach me as Mel held her back. "Let me fucking be!" I made no move, not even to throw her out of the room, because at that moment, I couldn't find the will to stare her down. Now she glared at me, opened her mouth to say something, then shut it, narrowing her gaze at the wall. So much for telling her, huh? Nothing had changed except maybe her rage and the silence that filled the room. "You're despicable." Mel broke the silence with a groan, leaving a still simmering Victoria. She sat beside me, space hoarding as her knees were wide open. "But unlike my mistress, I'm here to help." A mock smirk appeared at the corner of my lips. I'd never get used to her calling the pest that. She caught the grin, th
I stared, frozen at the door, at his forehead pressed against the wood, dark hair hiding half his face. It was him. It was him, alright. But Tristan… Tristan would never apologize to me. So what was this?“I know,” he said, his voice low. “It doesn’t matter if it was a mistake or if it wasn’t your mother’s calls. I shouldn’t have been doing that in the first place.”My grip on the door slackened, my thoughts going quiet. What was he doing?As if sensing the shift, he pushed himself off the wall, standing before me. He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking up at me while I still hadn’t found my words.“I’m not usually like this,” he continued, his eyes searching mine. “But since you ask why, I guess I have to say something.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “Watching you that day, I realized I did steal your position. So… I gave it back. It was never mine in the first place.”I pushed the door wide open and stepped aside.He glanced at the open doorway, then back at me. I turned
JADE'The number you're trying to call is switched off, please try again later...'I turned to my side on the bed, the covers up to my chin, staring at the blank screen of my phone.Another weekend, and once again, Myles wasn’t picking up. Which meant one thing—Tristan.I had given up trying to understand why Tristan got to him like that. Ever since the project day, when Tristan sent George to the hospital for making a move on Myles, things had been a mess.Did Myles hate him or not? Should I wish Tristan death or not? The thoughts clawed at my head so badly it was hard to concentrate. It didn’t help that Myles had been scarce ever since the coach made it his mission to ensure Myles was more than ready.Why did Tristan leave the team? Why let Myles stand in his place? So many questions swirled in my head, and not even that fucking Eros wanted to help.Urgh.I’d cornered him once, pushing a black parcel into his locker. He turned, his eyes falling on me with my arms akimbo. He shut the
JADE"Jade, it's me, Eros... Shh, don't make a noise."I stood there with my back pressed to his pounding chest while the crashing continued in the sitting room. My body relaxed, almost fainting, but then I saw the gleaming muzzle of a pistol in his hand. My body went rigid, and my heart sank."You really saw him get in here?" A voice bellowed from the sitting room. "If he's on the run, you think he'd just dive into some house?""I know I saw him scale the barbed fence," another frustrated voice responded, followed by something heavy being pushed. "O penso.""Oh now, you fucking think? This is what the boss means when he says you're getting in over your head, silver. Now you ruined the fucking place!"With his grip still tightened on me, Eros pulled back until we were hidden behind my thick dark curtains. Just two seconds later, my room door slammed open, accompanied by a snap."We wouldn’t be fucking here if you had just kept your mouth shut and aimed right."My body stiffened as sil
My fingers dug into the edge of the table, knuckles white, as I leaned in. "All I ask is for a chance to prove myself, and you won’t fucking let me!" "Mind your language, Myles Astor," Coach Daniel snapped, his gaze flicking up briefly. The words were cold, indifferent. Like I was some kid throwing a tantrum. Outside the office, cheers roared from the party in full swing. Each burst of laughter and clinking glass grated against me, a reminder that while my life was falling apart, everyone else was having the time of theirs. They were celebrating *him*—Tristan Medici, the golden boy with the golden ticket, stepping right into my spot, *my fucking spot*, on the team. My chest tightened. I wasn’t breathing. "Please." My voice cracked, more fragile than I wanted it to be. I hated myself for it. I took a step closer to his desk, my hand resting on the edge for support. "At least let me play the next match." The next match meant everything. NHL scouts would be there, watching, eval
The shrill sound of my alarm clock wasn’t what jolted me awake. It was the yelling. My stepfather’s voice cutting through the walls. I stared up at the ceiling, straining to hear my mom’s voice fighting back, but it never came. It never will.. “If this was toast, the whole of America would be fucking dead!” His voice boomed again. I sighed, sitting up in bed. Pain shot from my hips and... lower down, a raw reminder of last night. It wasn't a dream. It happened. *“Changing the list?” The phone camera clicked. “You little devil.”* “Listen, it’s not what you think,” I had said, heart pounding. “Oh, I know *exactly* what I think.” His voice dripped with amusement. Shit. “But I’ll keep my mouth shut," he whispered, stepping closer, "if you fuck me." I shook my head, the memories flooding back with nauseating clarity. The worst part was I didn’t even know who he was. Yet, I had agreed. “Myles?” My mom’s voice, soft and hesitant, floated through the door. “You’re late for school
“Yes, Myles, what’s the answer?”I blinked, yanked out of my trance by the teacher’s voice. The whole class turned toward me, eyes wide, some barely stifling laughter. I stood up, trying to shake the fog from my mind.“Sir… could you repeat the question?”“Repeat the question?” He raised an eyebrow. “Caught you smiling. Figured you knew the answer.”If only class made me smile that much. But no, my smile was all because of the little chat I had with Coach Daniel earlier."I had a nap and realized I wasn’t fair to you. There’s a way to get you back on the team, but it’ll cost you your dignity."That “dignity” translated into being the water boy during training, just so I could hold on to a sliver of a chance of rejoining the team. It was humiliating, but at least it was something.“Sir, I have no idea.”“The answer is ‘cell,’” a soft voice offered from behind. “The smallest unit of life.”Natalie. My brows furrowed as I turned to see her offering a small, sympathetic smile. I nodded in
I dropped my gaze to my still throbbing fingers, feeling Coach's eyes on my face. It was the day after the brawl at the rink, and I hadn't even fully entered the school gate before Coach's voice came over the speakers, demanding to see me in his office. "...We had a deal, Myles. What were you thinking?!" I had no clue, but I knew what I thought after it all happened: run! And I did—taking my bag and the strange money home after the biology teacher discovered no one else's was missing. Things to worry about just kept multiplying. Now Coach stood up straight. "All you had to do was lay low." "Which I did." "That wasn’t laying low, Myles." "He fucking came at me!" When Coach said nothing, I quickly toned down my voice. "I know you're trying to help, but goddammit, it gets hard when you're punched in the midsection." Coach sighed and sat down. "I understand." He gestured for me to sit down too, but I didn’t. "That’s why I said it’s going to be hard. George doesn’t want y
JADE"Jade, it's me, Eros... Shh, don't make a noise."I stood there with my back pressed to his pounding chest while the crashing continued in the sitting room. My body relaxed, almost fainting, but then I saw the gleaming muzzle of a pistol in his hand. My body went rigid, and my heart sank."You really saw him get in here?" A voice bellowed from the sitting room. "If he's on the run, you think he'd just dive into some house?""I know I saw him scale the barbed fence," another frustrated voice responded, followed by something heavy being pushed. "O penso.""Oh now, you fucking think? This is what the boss means when he says you're getting in over your head, silver. Now you ruined the fucking place!"With his grip still tightened on me, Eros pulled back until we were hidden behind my thick dark curtains. Just two seconds later, my room door slammed open, accompanied by a snap."We wouldn’t be fucking here if you had just kept your mouth shut and aimed right."My body stiffened as sil
JADE'The number you're trying to call is switched off, please try again later...'I turned to my side on the bed, the covers up to my chin, staring at the blank screen of my phone.Another weekend, and once again, Myles wasn’t picking up. Which meant one thing—Tristan.I had given up trying to understand why Tristan got to him like that. Ever since the project day, when Tristan sent George to the hospital for making a move on Myles, things had been a mess.Did Myles hate him or not? Should I wish Tristan death or not? The thoughts clawed at my head so badly it was hard to concentrate. It didn’t help that Myles had been scarce ever since the coach made it his mission to ensure Myles was more than ready.Why did Tristan leave the team? Why let Myles stand in his place? So many questions swirled in my head, and not even that fucking Eros wanted to help.Urgh.I’d cornered him once, pushing a black parcel into his locker. He turned, his eyes falling on me with my arms akimbo. He shut the
I stared, frozen at the door, at his forehead pressed against the wood, dark hair hiding half his face. It was him. It was him, alright. But Tristan… Tristan would never apologize to me. So what was this?“I know,” he said, his voice low. “It doesn’t matter if it was a mistake or if it wasn’t your mother’s calls. I shouldn’t have been doing that in the first place.”My grip on the door slackened, my thoughts going quiet. What was he doing?As if sensing the shift, he pushed himself off the wall, standing before me. He shoved his hands into his pockets, looking up at me while I still hadn’t found my words.“I’m not usually like this,” he continued, his eyes searching mine. “But since you ask why, I guess I have to say something.” He dropped his gaze to the floor. “Watching you that day, I realized I did steal your position. So… I gave it back. It was never mine in the first place.”I pushed the door wide open and stepped aside.He glanced at the open doorway, then back at me. I turned
After that confession, we remained in my room. I was now shirtless, still on the bed, while Victoria lounged on my couch and Mel sat beside her, holding her arm down. Why? "You did what?!" She screeched, and when I said nothing, she lunged for me, fingers stretched out, scrambling to reach me as Mel held her back. "Let me fucking be!" I made no move, not even to throw her out of the room, because at that moment, I couldn't find the will to stare her down. Now she glared at me, opened her mouth to say something, then shut it, narrowing her gaze at the wall. So much for telling her, huh? Nothing had changed except maybe her rage and the silence that filled the room. "You're despicable." Mel broke the silence with a groan, leaving a still simmering Victoria. She sat beside me, space hoarding as her knees were wide open. "But unlike my mistress, I'm here to help." A mock smirk appeared at the corner of my lips. I'd never get used to her calling the pest that. She caught the grin, th
TRISTANIt all happens in a whirlwind: the quiet probing of hundreds of eyes, the burning rage as my fists got wet, the stilling aftermath—and finally...here he was. Reachable, warm, and goddamn relieving. I knew I couldn't be gentle, no matter how hard I tried, but this roughness... it was different. It reeked of fear.The fear that if I just took my hands off him, he'd leave. I pulled tighter. It would be the last time I'd ever see him.But he let me... following the sway of my tongue, holding onto it like a lifeline. Why did he let me? What was this feeling? If my chest got any heavier, I was going to die. Where was the ache in my skull?"Oomph... Tris..." His fingers softly pressed against my chest as if to push me away, but it didn't. The pressure dissipated and lay docile instead.Myles...Pathetic! the voices in my head growled. WHAT HAVE YOU BECOME?!But it wasn't loud. Every little sound emitting from his lips made their roars sound like breezes instead. Ha... Myles.Then, he
I saw Natalie’s jaw clench, her hardened gaze locked on the smug figure at the far end of the room. The murmurs continued, some fragments I could catch, most I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear.“Come on…” George said, the smile on his lips not quite reaching his eyes. “Don’t be shy.”From behind, Leo held Natalie’s arm. “Let’s leave. We’re done here.” But even as he said it, he seemed to know it was a lost cause, for that little grin was already playing on Natalie’s face.She raised her chin in that way that shifted the air in the room. I heard Leo murmur, “Shit.”“You just can’t wrap your head around it, right?” Natalie said, a tinge of laughter in her voice. The room went silent as she stepped forward. “It’s not really hard to understand, George—why I would rather not continue being with a fool.”There went the ooohs and the murmurs rising to the ceiling. George’s hands clenched into fists, and the science teacher pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.George let out a chuckle—t
MYLES The next week came fast. The high of the match temporarily forgotten as everyone worked in a frenzy finalizing their project and thankfully I didn't have much to do for surprisingly Natalie and Leo had a actually worked together and cleared it up."Wow." I mumbled, looking up at them standing proudly before me, i felt a pang of shame, "So what am I going to do?"The seemed puzzled at my question, looking at each other before Nat shakes her head, "Nothing."I blinked unsure if I heard right. "Nothing?"She nods again. "Yes nothing. All you have to do is go home, get some beauty sleep, and come back tomorrow looking like a million box."Leo nodded in agreement. With the guilt that I let them do all the work, I don't argue. They didn't expect me to, turning away and talking amongst them like I wasn't there.The last thing I expected to see happen was watching Leo and Jade, two polar opposites work so peacefully together without their opinions competing to override the others.But
TRISTAN Watching the coach lead Myles out of the rink, I sat there, hands buried in my pockets, finally understanding why he was the one kicked off the team. That had been the worst game I’d ever seen. It couldn’t just be nerves—what the hell was he doing out there? Maybe he’d made the right call, giving up the deal. Even if he made it to D-day, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. Jade had gone quiet, her face a mix of worry and confusion as she scanned the rink, muttering something to Leo and Natalie. Well, that was that. I sighed, standing up. My guilt faded, replaced with a hollow sense of vindication. So much for stealing his position—*his fucking position.* But just as I turned toward the exit, he slid back onto the rink, cutting through the ice like a wrecking ball. I froze mid-step, blinking. It was so smooth I had to double-check to see if it wasn’t someone else. But no, it was him—Myles—gliding around his team with a swagger that was impossible to ignore. I dropped ba
TRISTANMy week was ruined the very hour Victoria announced she was moving in. Announced. Because that’s exactly what she did."What are you doing, Al? You don't even know who she is!" I growled, stomping over to where he was.Al nodded gently. "I don't, but you saved her life. Surely you care about her."I turned sharply, glaring at Victoria, and she gave me an awkward smile. "You're leaving. Right now!"To my surprise, she turned to Al, and I heard him sigh. "I think you're making a hasty decision, Master Tristan," he said. I still couldn’t believe my ears. "Have you heard what she has to say? She doesn’t have anywhere to go."And suddenly that was supposed to be my business? This was my space, my sanctuary. I’d created it to protect myself from people like her, and now I was just supposed to give her a room?I heard her heels clicking, and soon she stood before me. There was no mischief in her eyes as she searched mine. "My father found out about me and Mel. Mel’s in hiding because