Chapter Nine: It's a Date Gavin's POV The first time I set my eyes on Lyric Spencer, she didn’t know I was watching her. I remember it was after we lost a game, and one teacher decided it was the perfect time to give an impromptu test. I left the hockey rink for school after changing into jeans and a baggy shirt. My steps were fast, ignoring the observing and admiring eyes of the students around me. I was “The Wall” in the rink and “Hot Gavin” at school. I knew I was handsome, dashing, hot. The only fortunate trait I took from my father. I’ve seen the way women acted around him despite him being in his late fifties. It was the same way they acted around me. Puck bunnies. Women who were ready to fuck the brains out of every hockey player they saw. I didn’t give two fucks about them. For me, a relationship was a transaction: I give them orgasms, and they keep me satisfied. The other stuff didn’t matter to me. Until her. Lyric Spencer. A unique name.
Chapter Ten: It was mutual Gavin POV Practice sucked. Our team captain Aaron was a fucking ghost throughout. If we kept playing this shitty, we might lose the finals. I was determined to win the next Stanley Cup for this town. Velmont needed the tourist attraction; it was a town of farmers and bikers. People were living hand to mouth, the system failing them. No one who went to college had dreams of staying back in this town. I was one of them. Velmont was stagnant water which could only attract mosquitoes, while these hockey games were the pollen calling the bees from Chicago and New York. Inside the changing room, I was surrounded by half-naked men with towels tied around their torsos. My eyes were fixed on Aaron; he was talking to his girlfriend Iris Vega, who happened to be my best friend. Even though Aaron made an amazing team captain, he was a shitty boyfriend. Iris deserved better. Five foot five inches, stunning hazel eyes, and dark brown long hair -
Chapter eleven: Shitty human being Gavin's POV It was decided, I added arts class for extra points. What I had no expected was to meet Lyric in there. From he threshold, I stared at how focused she was when she had that brush in her hand. I told Iris about her and she had told me Lyric suffered from Psychogenic mutism. She had not always been mute, she only stopped talking. I wondered why. I was not the type to act like a therapist to someone,but this girl piqued my interest. Not only her hot body. The teacher noticed me standing at the door, a big smile placate on her face. I remembered what Coach I had said about the town and my shoulders slagged. I needed to help this town. "Oh Gavin my sweet boy come in," At her words, I giggled. I was not sweet neither was I boy. I was twenty one,a freaking man. Holding on to my backpack, I walked into the class. I felt the attention of the class shifting to me, that girl __ Jane waved at me. I had not called her ever si
Chapter twelve: Good fuck Gavin POV For my pre-game ritual, I knocked the post with my stick three times and groaned. Crouching in the crease, I adjusted my goalie mask. Coach blew the whistle, and the team erupted into motion. Wearing the fifty-pound goalie gear, I stood in position. "Alright, let's work on breakaways!" he yelled. I focused on the players zooming toward me, tracking the puck. Aaron, the team captain, charged first. His stickhandling was a blur as he deked left, then right. I shifted, weight transferring to my left skate. He released the puck, and I snapped my glove hand up, snagging the wrist shot. "Nice save, Gav!" Aaron called out, grinning. It was strange because we were only friendly on the ice. Yet today we were super friendly; coach had to see we were willing to work on our relationship for the team. We needed to make it to playoffs. Next up was Alex, our rookie winger. His eyes locked onto mine, and I sensed his determi
Chapter thirteen: To get a tutor Lyric Spencer POV I spent the entire semester avoiding Gavin Hawkins like a shark. My uncle Freddy losing his job wasn't helping things; it meant I had more shifts to cover. It was too much to be boy crazy. I didn't like that the only boy I liked was a jerk. It seemed I had bad taste in men; my last boyfriend dated me for the summer because of a bet he made with Emilia. First year of college, they were together, and I found myself crying in the school bathroom more often than before. This wasn't going to happen this time. I wasn't going to fall in love with a boy who was dating my bully Janice. Why did she even start bullying me in the first place? I had no fucking clue. Did I just curse? Damn it. Fortunately, it was the end of the semester, which meant a two-week break. Two weeks of working—I could make at least five hundred bucks before that. I needed to. My eyes flew to my wristwatch. It was secondhand, which I g
Chapter Fourteen: Just fun Lyric Spencer's POV "So how are you enjoying the break?" I sat at my reading desk while on a video call with my best friend. My phone was positioned on the seat where it could give her a full view of what I was doing - painting my nails blue instead of my usual black. I didn't know much about manicures or anything, but I was giving it a try. My shoulders slagged in exhaustion, I could feel my legs begging to collapse > "Wow." Lyric's mouth made an 'O' shape. For a minute, I glanced behind her at the photo of her mother on the wall. Like me, Lyric lost her mother too. Hers to cancer, mine... well, I don't want to talk about it. "No wonder you look exhausted." To that, I shrugged. When you're mute, body movements are the basics of communication. Sometimes I even think in sign language with all the hand gestures. "Well, how about the party I told y
Chapter Fifteen: She Is Back Gavin's POV It was two a.m. when I heard loud knocks on my door—urgent, one after the other. Rolling out of bed, I yanked my trousers off a chair where they had been thrown and slipped them on quickly. My heart raced faster than normal; only one person knew my address, and that was Iris. She might be in trouble. Thinking this, I sprinted down the stairs, almost spraining my leg in the process. "I'm coming!" I yelled, my voice strained as I approached the door. "Gavin—" I didn't even let her finish before I slammed the door in her face. It wasn't Iris. "Gavin, please, let's talk, okay? I'm sorry," she pleaded, her tone shaky and desperate. I could almost picture her on the other side, hands pressed against the door, fear in her voice. The sound of her screeching made my ears ring. I hated her voice. I loathe her. I hate her. Why was she here? Years had passed since the incident, yet she kept coming back. I
Chapter Fifteen: You might be a masochist LYRIC POV "Orders up!" Sasha yelled urgently. Pizza and Stuff had its biggest day; we were packed with hungry hockey players and their fans. Some were pretty angry. The Velmont Sharks won, so the whole town was out celebrating. For pizza lovers, this restaurant was the right move, except for those who wished to drive two hours to the next pizza place. Hence, Lelli took the opportunity and increased the prices double. It happened whenever tourists were in town or during games like this. Even motels doubled their prices. For me, I got three extra dollars per hour. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Grabbing the order, I carried each plate in both hands, making my way outside where they ate. The smells of sweat and women's perfume almost knocked me off my feet. I drew in a sharp breath, my heart racing. So many people. Puck bunnies, fans, hockey players, other jocks, normal customers and me. It was
Chapter 88: Breaking up with you Lyric POV "A lady back there asked if I could give her a drink since she's 'lack toast and tell her aunt,'" Viktor said over the counter, his eyes crinkling with amusement. I stared at him blankly, barely registering his laughter. "She meant lactose intolerant," he added, letting out a deep chuckle. I didn’t laugh. I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. My mind was too preoccupied with my fight with Gavin yesterday. What did he mean by what he said? Shaking off my thoughts, I left the counter to prepare the order Viktor handed me. My body moved on autopilot, my mind still trapped in yesterday’s argument. Then suddenly—pain. Hot coffee spilled over my hand, scalding my skin. The cup hit the floor with a shatter, but I didn’t scream. I didn’t even flinch. I only stared at the mess, the burning sensation barely registering through the numbness inside me. "Lyric, are you hurt?" Viktor’s voice was tight with concern as he hurr
Chapter 87: Who gave you that title? LYRIC SPENCER POV My hands trembled as I sat on the bleachers, clutching the edge of my phone like it was the only thing keeping me grounded. The crowd was still buzzing with energy after the win, but my focus was gone. I didn’t hear the cheers. I didn’t see the flashing lights. I couldn’t feel anything but the weight in my chest. He saw. I knew it the moment I looked up and saw Gavin’s face on the ice. The way his expression fell. The way his shoulders dropped like the air had been knocked out of him. He saw Viktor kiss me. And he thought I let it happen. I swallowed hard, trying not to cry, but the tears blurred everything—my screen, the rink, the people. I wanted to go to him, explain, scream if I had to, but I couldn't even speak. All I had was this goddamn phone, and I couldn’t get close enough in time. I tried to follow him after the ceremony, but the crowd was too thick, and he disappeared before I cou
Chapter 86: A nobody GAVIN HAWKINS POV I couldn’t move. The roar of the crowd faded into a low, muffled hum—like someone stuffed cotton in my ears. Everyone around me was cheering, celebrating, soaking in the win, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart and the static in my head. Because on that giant screen… I saw her. Lyric. Smiling. Laughing. And Viktor… kissing her like he had the damn right. No. No. No. My throat tightened like it was closing up. My gloves suddenly felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. My chest ached, like someone had slammed a hockey stick straight into it. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t do anything but stare. She didn’t push him away. She didn’t even look surprised. I wanted to believe it was a mistake. That Viktor forced it. That it was out of nowhere. That she didn’t mean to let it happen. But none of it mattered. Because it still happened. And I felt so goddamn stupi
Chapter 85: Sugar town Third person POV “Gavin is back,” Aaron asserted, stepping into the room with urgency in his voice. “Where was he?” someone asked, confusion etched on their face. “Family emergency,” Aaron paused. “He forgot his phone at home, and it was switched off.” “That bigot,” Coach Fedelin cursed under his breath, shaking his head. He turned to Lyric, his expression softening. “Sorry to bother you. We’ll leave now.” Lyric offered him a tight, polite smile, though her mind was already spinning. She wondered how Gavin was doing. What kind of family emergency could make him leave his phone behind? And if his phone was really off... why did he reply to her text? Her eyes narrowed. Why was Gavin lying? A voice broke into her thoughts. “I saw Coach leaving. Is Gavin okay?” someone asked. Lyric nodded and signed, > “Okay. That’s great.” --- In the locker room, Gavin sat on the bench, already dre
Chapter 84 Third Person POV Finally, it was Friday—the day of the long-awaited match. Foreigners and out-of-town visitors filled the town stadium, eager for the game to begin. The scent of grilled hot dogs and burgers filled the air as vendors lined up their stands, taking advantage of the large crowd. Inside the locker room, the coach gathered his players for a final pep talk. The team was fully dressed in their uniforms and hockey gear, ready to take on their opponents. However, as they huddled together, the coach quickly realized someone was missing. "Where is Gavin?" he asked, his voice laced with irritation. The players exchanged confused glances, searching each other’s faces for an answer. "Shawn, you're closest to him. Where is he?" the coach pressed, narrowing his eyes at the player. Shawn hesitated before answering, his voice uncertain. "I don't know, sir. He hasn’t been picking up my calls or responding to my messages." The coach’s express
Chapter 83: Out of the game GAVIN HAWKINS POV The cold evening wind breezed past me, sending a shiver down my spine. I had driven over two towns to reach the Baby Dragon Casino, the location Allesio had assigned me to. The plan was simple: deliver over ten grams of methamphetamine. It was the most sought-after drug of the month, going for over a thousand dollars per 1.5 grams. I pulled over a few blocks from the casino, scanning the area for anything unexpected. By that, I meant the police. This place was notorious for drug dealing, thanks to its location by the famous casino. Politicians, celebrities, and the elite stopped here, not just for high-stakes games but also for a quick fix. Allesio was one of the biggest dealers in town. I was just the messenger. The deal was to dress decently—not enough to raise suspicion, but just enough to blend in while standing out slightly. With tight security and police dogs patrolling the area, the risk was high. I hoppe
Chapter 82: Just some guy > I signed before lowering my hands. Viktor smiled, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “She thinks she’s unlucky. Says I’m too overbearing.” > I teased, raising an eyebrow. "Hey!" He placed a hand on his chest, feigning offense. "I’m just helpful. It’s not my fault people don’t know how to take care of themselves." I rolled my eyes and turned away, stepping toward the main street. The town was quieter now, with most businesses closed for the evening. A few groups of people wandered around, probably visitors in town for tomorrow’s hockey game. Viktor easily fell into step beside me. “Are you walking home alone?” I nodded. "I’ll walk with you," he said casually, shoving his hands into his pockets. > "I know." His voice was light, but his steps remained firm. "But I want to." I didn’t argue. It had been a long day, and honestly, I di
Chapter 81: Gorgeous It was a little hotter than expected in the middle of January. The café was getting fewer and fewer customers during this time. People in Velmont didn’t drink much coffee in winter since snow rarely fell in town. The last time it snowed was at my sixth birthday party. I only remembered because Mama had kept the photos at home. I had clocked out of my shift earlier that day. It had taken a lot of convincing to get both Gavin and my aunt to let me work. The head chef, Sasha, was at the grill, her face red from the heat. She was also washing dishes in the back, her movements sharp with frustration. Then Michael stepped in. He stood by the threshold of the double doors, scanning the room like a hawk. "You, with the ugly hairband." I froze, pointing at my nose in question. "Yes, you," he clarified. Self-conscious, I touched the hairband resting atop my head. My mother had given it to me. It was beige and outdated, but I loved it.
Chapter 80: I pity her Gavin Hawkins’ POV I would like to say everything was going according to my plan. But it wasn’t. Lyric was never meant to be part of my life, and it would take me a year to realize it. Because if something wasn’t yours, it would hurt you until you realized it. --- I pulled my Jeep into the driveway of Alessio’s house, gripping my keys tightly as I made my way to the door. Lyric and her aunt were safer in my house than they were anywhere in Velmont, but that didn’t mean Alessio couldn’t still harm them. I wasn’t going to let that happen. Running a hand through my hair, I tried to ignore the weight of the steel tucked into my jeans. I pressed the doorbell. A sharp voice erupted from the speaker beside the gate. "Who is it?" "Gavin Hawkins. I'm here to see your boss, Alessio," I spoke into the intercom. The response was immediate and laced with hostility. "My boss says he doesn’t know a Gavin Hawkins. Leave be