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CHAPTER 3
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2026-08-27 11:23:38The air in the arena tunnel was freezing, but my blood was boiling hot.
I didn't look back as I pushed through the heavy double doors, leaving the bright glare of the ice behind. My sneakers squeaked against the wet concrete floor of the corridor.
I just needed to get to the locker room, grab my duffel bag, and get out of this building before my resolve crumbled.
"Maya! Stop."
The voice was a low, dangerous rumble that echoed off the concrete walls.
Heavy, aggressive footsteps threw the double doors open behind me.
I didn't stop. I forced my legs to move faster, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.
A hand caught my upper arm.
It wasn't a gentle touch. It was a firm, inescapable grip that spun me around and pinned my back flat against the cold concrete wall of the tunnel.
Ryder towered over me, still in his full hockey gear. Up close, the sheer size of him was terrifying. The heavy shoulder pads made him look twice as wide, his chest heaving under his jersey as he breathed in sharp, ragged gasps.
"Have you lost your mind?" he growled, his face inches from mine. His eyes were dark, burning with a mix of fury and genuine panic. "State? You’re going to work for those bastards?"
"Let go of me, Ryder," I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to keep it steady.
"No," he snapped, his grip tightening just enough to let me know he wasn't going anywhere. "Explain it to me. Now. My dad literally pays your tuition, Maya. If you need money, you come to me. You don't sell our playbooks to the one team that wants to ruin us."
"Your dad pays my tuition because he felt guilty!" I yelled, the truth tearing out of my throat before I could stop it. "And I am sick of being your family's charity case. I am sick of watching you..."
My voice cracked. I bit my inner lip, trying to blink away the hot tears threatening to spill over.
Ryder froze. The anger in his eyes suddenly flickered, replaced by something raw, exposed, and deeply pained. His gaze dropped to my mouth, then back up to my eyes.
"Watching me what, Maya?" he whispered, his tone losing its harsh edge, turning dangerously soft. He leaned his forehead down, almost touching mine, his breath warm against my cold skin. "Tell me."
"Watching you pretend you care," I whispered. "While you go back to her."
He let out a low, ragged sound. His hand on my arm slid up, his calloused fingers cupping the side of my neck, his thumb resting right over my racing pulse.
"I have to, Maya," he muttered, his eyes searching mine with a desperation I had never seen in him before. "You don't understand. If I don't stay with Bianca, my father's deal falls through. My entire draft profile..."
"I don't care about your deal, Ryder," I said, pulling my head back to break his touch. "And I don't work for you anymore."
I shoved against his heavy chest. He let me go this time, stepping back with a hollow look on his face.
I turned and walked away, not stopping until I reached the exit.
But as I stepped out into the freezing morning air, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
It was a text from a restricted number.
Restricted: You think escaping to State will save you, Maya? Ask Ryder about the contract his father signed last week. You're just a pawn to keep him in line.
My blood ran cold.
I stared at the screen, a new, terrifying question locking into my mind.
What did Ryder's father do?
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