LOGIN“Where were you yesterday?”
Noah looked up from his locker.Joe stood there, arms crossed, eyes sharp. He looked more serious than usual.“What?” Noah asked.“Yesterday. After lunch. You vanished.” Joe’s voice was steady. “You can’t just skip class, Noah. We’re on scholarship. People notice stuff like that.”Noah shut his locker, slower than usual. “I know.”“So? Where’d you go?”“I just...needed some air.”Joe narrowed hThe address Jay texted wasn’t even close to what Noah imagined.Not a house. Not even a building, actually.It was just a park on the edge of town. The kind with creaky old swings and crooked benches. Nobody around at night but maybe someone walking their dog.Noah rolled in, glanced around.Jay’s motorcycle sat tucked under some trees at the far end.He headed over, got off his bike.Jay sat by himself on top of a picnic table, bag dropped at his feet. Still wearing his jacket, staring off at nothing.He didn’t look up when Noah got close.“Hey,” Noah said, voice low.Jay gave a nod but kept quiet.Noah hopped up and joined him, planting himself next to Jay on the table. Their feet swinging in the cold, breath fogging in the air.They sat like that. No words. Just the wind and stray cars in the distance.Eventually, Jay spoke. “I fucked up.”“You won the ga
The puck dropped.The crowd exploded.Noah leaned forward, eyes glued to the ice.Jay was a blur out there smooth, fast, like he was born for this.He took the puck and sliced through two defenders. No problem. Passed it off, darted into open space, got it back, fired a shot.Blocked.The crowd groaned, all at once."Was that good or bad?" Joe asked."Bad. That was Jay’s shot.""Oh."The teams reset.Now the other team had possession. They pressed hard, charging Westbridge’s net.Jay snatched the puck right back. Quick as anything. He spun it the other way and raced down the ice.He passed to Liam.Liam went for the shot.And scored.The buzzer screamed. The arena blew up everyone screaming, stomping, hugging.Liam’s teammates piled on, losing their minds.Jay, though? He didn’t even celebrate. He skated back to center, hel
Noah couldn’t eat. He just sat there at lunch, poking at his food, his attention locked on the senior side of the cafeteria.Jay wasn’t there.“You’re staring again,” Joe said.Noah jerked, pretending not to hear. “What?”“At the empty table. You’ve checked over there, like, five times.” Joe took a bite of his sandwich. “He’s probably in some meeting or whatever.”“I wasn’t staring.”“Sure.”After that, Noah picked at his food, not really tasting any of it.Joe was quiet too had been since last night. He smiled and laughed when he was supposed to, but something wasn’t right.“You okay?” Noah asked.“Yeah. Fine.”“Joe—”“I said I’m fine, Noah.” Joe’s voice had an edge, but then it faded. “Sorry. I’m just tired, that’s all.”Noah wanted to say more. Wanted to ask if Liam had reached out again or if Joe was thinking about running back to him. But he bit it back. Joe woul
Noah stepped out into the sharp evening chill.The parking lot was mostly empty now. A few cars lingered teachers holding on to the last scraps of daylight.He was halfway to the bike rack when some voices loud and angry cut through the quiet.Noah froze.He spotted them around the corner by the equipment shed, just out of reach of the streetlights.Liam and Joe.Noah’s stomach went tight.He step closer, close enough to hear but keeping himself hidden."—why did you do that?" Joe’s voice, tight and upset."Do what?" Liam sounding annoyed, dismissive."Hit Jay. He's your friend.""Ex-friend. And it's none of your business.""It is my business. You hurt someone on purpose. That's not okay."Liam let out a laugh, sharp and cold. "You're gonna lecture me now?""I'm just saying—""'Just saying' what? Be nice? Play fair?" Liam’s voice jumped a notch loude
Noah waited outside the locker room, leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone. The hallway barely had anyone in it just a mess of voices drifting through the door. Laughter, somebody celebrating, another cursing a missed shot.Teammates started filing out, nodding or ignoring Noah as they walked past. Marcus from the swim team caught sight of him and stopped, surprised. “Carter? What are you doing here?”“Waiting for someone.”Marcus grinned. “Vale, right?”Noah didn’t answer.Marcus just laughed. “Good luck, man,” and left.Players kept leaving. The hallway emptied out, finally going silent.Noah pushed off the wall and stepped inside.The locker room smelled like sweat and soap. Most lockers were empty just a few towels, someone’s water bottle left behind. Jay sat on a bench at the back, still in his gear, staring at nothing in particular.Noah walked up. “How’s it goi
Noah woke up to a quiet apartment.His mom’s door stood open, bed already made. The smell of toast drifted from the kitchen.On the counter sat a plate, covered with a paper towel. Two pieces of toast, scrambled eggs. Next to it, a note.Morning, sweetheart. Had to leave early Mrs. Chen needs me for a full day. Orange juice is in the fridge. Have a good day at school. Love you.Noah ate standing there, scrolling through his phone.Joe had texted, asking if he wanted to walk together. Jay had sent a simple one-word message.Jay: morningNoah: morning. you okay?Jay: yeahNo follow-up. Noah waited, hoping for more, but nothing came.Plate in the sink, backpack slung over his shoulder, he headed out.The ride to school was quiet. Early traffic rumbled by, a couple joggers braced against the cold under a pale blue sky.He pulled up to the gates just as the bell rang.He







