Chapter 23

     Chapter 23: What is your problem?

    Gavin Hawkins POV

    Several days had passed since Lyric Spencer left my house in my clothes. I thought I would be over it by now, but I wasn't.

    Practice was tougher than it had ever been before. Coach Seth's voice echoed through the hockey rink.

    "Hawkins, get your head in the game! If you keep zoning out, we might kick you out," Coach Seth yelled, his voice firm but concerned.

    I gripped my stick tighter, but it was too late. I watched the puck slip through the five-hole. I breathed out hard, trying to keep my cool.

    "Hawkins, I need to talk to you. The rest of you, continue with the exercise," Coach announced.

    As I walked towards him, I noticed Aaron staring at me. I ignored him and focused on getting my scolding from the coach.

    Upon arriving at his office, Coach Seth was behind his desk, going through some documents while our last practice played on his phone.

    "Have a seat, Hawkins," he said, without raising his head from the screen of his mobile. He probably was thinking of more ways to criticize us into acting better.

    "Okay, coach," I nodded, pulling out the seat. When I sat, he looked up at me. I noticed freon lines forming on his forehead.

    "You're in great shape, Hawkins," he said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

    I was taken aback by the praise. Coach never started with a compliment. I could not help but smile like a teenager who was kissed by a boy.

    "Thank you, coach," I replied coolly, fighting the compliment off.

    My eyes scanned the shelf of books behind him, trying to keep my attention on what he was saying. Those books consist of mostly self health books on coaching among others. In all, it was all hockey in pretty covers.

    "Are you eating?" Coach asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

    I was confused. "What?"

    Coach ran a nervous hand through his thin hair. "You seem to be starving. You've lost three kilos in two days. Are you following the nutrition plan?"

    I shifted in my seat, trying to sound calm. "I am, coach."

    Everyday, we climbed on the scale to ensure we were in proper shape. I already was.

    Coach could see the look on my face, and he let out a sigh of relief. "I'm worried about you. You're one of our top players, and I don't want anything affecting your performance."

    "I understand, coach," I replied.

    "You need to take care of yourself, Hawkins. Hockey is a physically demanding sport. If you're not healthy, you'll fall apart on the ice," Coach emphasized.

    I shifted in my feet, trying to sound calm. Coach couldn't kick me out of the game because of this, right?

    My nutrition was a priority at this time. I took vitamins, protein shakes and even prophylactics so I could not get sick at his point. I even stopped drinking alcohol.

    "I know, coach. I'll get back on track," I promised, swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nodded frantically. "I will."

    Coach's expression softened. "I worried about you again. I hope whatever you're going through doesn't affect your abilities on the ice."

    "It won't, coach," I replied hastily. Hockey was one of the few things that kept me sane in this town. I might relocate if this didn't work out. Hockey wasn't my first love, but I had grown to adore it.

    Coach nodded, seeming to accept my response. "Good. Now, let's move on to tutoring. How's that going?"

    I hesitated, unsure how much to reveal.Letting out a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. "I'm still looking for one, coach."

    Coach stared intently, confusion flickering on his face. "I thought you reached out to Lyric Spencer."

    I gripped the armrest, fighting the urge to wipe the dust off Coach's desk. "Yes, coach, but she's occupied. I'm searching for another."

    Coach nodded. "Okay. Meet me after practice tomorrow, and I'll introduce you to other tutors you can choose from."

    "Thank you, coach," I appreciated his help before getting out of the seat and leaving.

    As I stepped outside, Aaron approached me.

    "What did Coach say that made you sweat?" Aaron asked, his voice laced with curiosity.

    I rolled my eyes at him and headed towards the locker room. Coach had told us to be civil, but that didn't mean we had to talk to each other.

    In the locker room, I changed into my normal clothes, my body aching from the goalie outfit. I turned the locker one, two, three – a habit I couldn't break.

    Grabbing a tissue from my backpack, I applied sanitizer and wiped the bench before taking a seat.

    As I started watching a video, Aaron's annoying voice interrupted me. "Why are you learning sign language?"

    My entire being froze. I shut the phone off and picked up my things to leave.

    "It might sound stupid, but I've been trying to learn sign language so I can understand what she said that day," I thought to myself.

    Aaron followed me, his voice echoing in the locker room. "You're really into Lyrics, aren't you?"

    I ignored him, quickening my pace.

    But Aaron caught up, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "You're not fooling anyone, Hawkins. Least of all yourself."

    I stopped, turning to face him. "What's your problem, Ryder?"

    "My problem?" Aaron raised an eyebrow. "You're my problem, Hawkins. You're letting your feelings for Lyric cloud your judgment."

    "I'm fine," I lied.

    Aaron chuckled. "Sure you are, Hawkins. Keep telling yourself that."

    "But it's difficult to go through even the alphabet. The pro version isn't helping much," I thought, frustrated.

    As Aaron followed me, he slapped me on the back, and I gave him a side-eye.

    "What's with the attitude today, Hawkins? Did you miss breakfast?" Aaron teased.

    "I'm not interested in talking to you, Ryder," I replied.

    "I can see that, but I'm interested in talking to you, Hawkins," Aaron said, his voice firm.

    "Why? Don't you have anything better to do, like breaking young girls' hearts?" I shot back.

    "It was mutual, Hawkins. Iris is too precious for me to hurt," Aaron defended himself.

    "But you did, and I won't forgive you for that," I said, my voice cold.

    "Neither would I forgive you for what you did to Lyric," Aaron retaliated.

    "She told you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

    "No, I overheard Wren," Aaron replied.

    His eyes snapped to mine, and I saw rising anger in them. "You're an asshole, Gavin, but why did you have to bring my Iris into it?"

    I saw the same protectiveness I felt for Iris in his eyes, but this time, it was for Lyric.

    "Your Iris?" I chuckled. "You two are no longer together. If she's anything, she's my Iris."

    "Enough of this," Aaron said, his voice rising.

    We stopped walking, and Aaron turned to face me, his face full of remorse.

    "I'm not here to talk about Iris, but Lyric," he said, his voice softer.

    My heart clenched at the mention of her name. "What?" I asked, my eyes wandering around.

    "Did something happen to her?"

    "No," Aaron shook his head. "Someone's been following her for a week now, and it worries me."

    Panic colored my face. "Why don't we report it to the police?" I asked, my voice louder than I intended.

    "She doesn't want to get them involved," Aaron replied.

    Why? The police would help. Then again, it was a small town, and almost every cop was in Alessio's pocket.

    "What's your plan now?" I asked.

    Aaron stared at me with a strange look in his eyes, scratching his head. "Do you want to make it up to her?"

    "Of course. I'll do anything," I replied without hesitation.

    "Good," Aaron nodded. "Wren's not feeling well, and I can't leave her at home while our parents are out of town."

    "So?" I urged him to continue, hating the suspense.

    "I want you to accompany Lyric home. She doesn't have to know, just make sure she returns home safely. Even if it's just for today," Aaron said.

    "I'll watch over her," I interrupted, determination in my voice.

    If Lyric was in danger, I owed it to her to protect her. I had a feeling it was Alessio's men after her.

    "I heard he's comatose, which angered his men. But why don't they come after me instead of Lyric, who's innocent?" I thought.

    For the first time, I regretted bashing that rapist.

    "If you're interested in learning sign language, you can ask Wren to teach you," Aaron said, breaking my train of thought.

    "No," I shook my head, trying to keep my words cool. "I don't want to learn. My FYP just got mixed up."

    Aaron Ryder shook his head, but I could see amusement in his eyes. He could see past my lies. "Anything you say Hawkins. Anything!”