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CHAPTER 2

Author: Selara
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-27 14:47:20

“You look like hell.”

Adrian didn’t lift his head. “Thanks for the observation, Jake. Really helpful.”

Jake snorted and slapped the back of Adrian’s shoulder pad. “Rough night?”

“You could say that.” Adrian tugged his hoodie lower and shoved his phone deeper into his duffel bag like it’d burn him if he stared at it too long.

He hadn’t slept. Again.

MidnightViper had been more active than usual—posting clips, dropping messages, pushing buttons. That last line still echoed in his skull: “You’re thinking about someone else.”

It shouldn’t have hit that hard.

It had.

On the ice, Adrian skated like something was chasing him. Quick, sharp turns. Unforgiving hits. Like he could slam the obsession out of his system if he just moved fast enough.

Coach whistled. “Calloway, eyes up!”

Too late.

The puck skimmed off his stick and spun uselessly into the boards.

Groans.

Coach glared. “You wanna sit this one out?”

“No, sir,” Adrian muttered, breathing hard. He could feel eyes on him. Judgment in every glance.

He skated back into line, ignoring Jake’s raised eyebrows.

He hated how off his game he felt.

He hated even more that he knew why.

After practice, the locker room buzzed with typical noise—banter, gear clattering, and the stench of effort.

Adrian didn’t speak. Just sat on the bench, towel around his neck, replaying the day in his head. That puck. That missed shot. That DM.

His phone buzzed once.

He didn’t check it.

He already knew.

MidnightViper again.

He clenched his jaw, knuckles tightening on the towel.

Get. It. Together.

Back at his apartment, he tried to focus. Studied clips of rival plays. Reviewed goalie habits. Anything to drown out the whisper in his head.

Until his phone pinged with a calendar alert.

Thursday – Charity Panel Event: Mental Health Awareness

Venue: Civic Arena, Co-Host: Julian Carter

His stomach sank.

No.

Not him.

Julian freaking Carter.

Adrian tossed his remote across the room. It bounced off the couch harmlessly, but the surge of irritation didn’t fade.

Out of every player in the league, it had to be Carter.

Julian Carter—the league’s golden boy. Poster child of polished PR and practiced charm.

Adrian hated him.

He hated his media-perfect smile, his carefully worded interviews, his fake-humble act. On the ice, Carter played like he was dancing. Always clean, always flashy, rarely hit hard. Fans ate it up.

Adrian was different. Grit over gloss. Hard checks. Real effort.

Carter was a show pony. Adrian? The warhorse.

They’d clashed since their rookie year. Rival teams. Rival positions. Rival everything.

And it was always the same—Julian flashing that smug smirk, pretending like they weren’t at each other’s throats the second the cameras turned off.

Adrian rubbed his temples. This charity event was going to be a nightmare.

He could already hear it:

“You seem tense, Calloway. Not sleeping well?”

“Still checking your temper at the door?”

He was gonna snap.

The panel started late. Small room, high ceilings, media scattered everywhere. Fans outside with signs. Cameras flashing.

Adrian adjusted his mic and tried not to scowl.

Then Julian Carter walked in.

Adrian didn’t need to look up to feel his presence. The room shifted. He hated that. The way people noticed Carter. Like he was light in a dark place.

Julian slid into the seat beside him.

“Hey, Adrian,” he said casually, sipping water like they weren’t mortal enemies.

Adrian gave him a blank stare. “You’re late.”

Julian smiled. “Fashionably.”

Adrian grit his teeth. “No one’s here for a fashion show.”

“Oh, you’re definitely not,” Julian said, eyes flicking down at Adrian’s unpressed polo.

Adrian leaned in slightly. “You’re not funny, Carter.”

Julian shrugged. “You’re not original.”

The moderator cleared her throat. “Shall we begin?”

Questions came quickly. Mental health struggles. Pressure in the league. Public expectations.

Julian answered smoothly, using words like “support system” and “mindfulness.” The crowd loved it.

Adrian hated how convincing he sounded. Like he actually cared.

Then it was Adrian’s turn.

“What’s your experience with pressure, Adrian?”

He hesitated. Glanced at Julian, who watched him with that unreadable look.

“I don’t talk about it much,” Adrian said. “Because talking doesn’t fix everything.”

There was a pause. An unspoken tension.

“But,” Adrian added, “it’s better than pretending you’re perfect all the time.”

Julian’s expression didn’t change, but his grip on the mic tightened just slightly.

Score one for Adrian.

The panel ended with polite applause. Smiles for the press. Julian clapped a hand on Adrian’s shoulder as cameras clicked.

“You always have to make it personal?” Julian said under his breath.

“You always have to make it fake?” Adrian shot back.

Julian turned to him, too close now. “You think I’m faking my mental health, Calloway? That’s low—even for you.”

Adrian’s chest rose and fell. “I think you’re faking everything.”

They locked eyes, both too stubborn to break first.

“You know what your problem is?” Julian said, voice soft but venomous. “You hate what you don’t understand. That’s why you’re alone.”

Adrian barked a laugh. “Better alone than surrounded by liars.”

Julian didn’t flinch.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Later that night, Adrian paced his apartment, replaying the argument in his head. He didn’t know why Carter got under his skin so easily.

Yes, he hated the guy—but also… he noticed everything. The way Julian’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. The way his shoulders sagged when no one was looking.

Adrian hated himself for noticing.

He unlocked his phone.

Another message from MidnightViper.

MidnightViper: “Rough day?”

He stared.

Adrian: “What makes you say that?”

MidnightViper: “Because I know your patterns.”

MidnightViper: “You pace when you’re mad. You clench your jaw. You scroll but don’t click.”

Adrian froze.

Adrian: “How do you know that?”

MidnightViper: “I pay attention.”

He didn’t reply. Couldn’t.

His skin prickled.

He closed the app. Tossed the phone across the couch again.

Julian Carter haunted his days.

MidnightViper haunted his nights.

And the worst part?

They both knew him better than he wanted them to.

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