LOGINAva’s POVI turned my back on the ice rink and ran.Down the concrete stairs of the arena, my boots made echoing thuds against the ground. Behind me, the screams of the crowd were still booming, celebration music shaking the steel beams above.Ryan had won the championship. He had played like a wild animal on the ice, unstoppable and terrifying. And then he looked straight up into the stands and caught me watching him.I wiped a hot tear from my cheek as I pushed open the double doors leading into the main corridor."Ava, wait up!"My mom was standing near the concessions stand, holding two paper cups of hot coffee. She had insisted on coming to the game today, wanting to support the school despite everything that had happened.I stopped beside her, trying to catch my breath. "Mom, we need to go. Right now.""What's wrong, honey?" my mom asked, her eyes searching my face with concern. "Did something happen
Ava’s POV"You stood me up."Ryan swung his long legs over my window sill, dripping freezing rainwater all over my bedroom floor. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead, his jaw clenched tight as he pulled his hood back.I backed up until my spine hit my study desk, my hands shaking behind my back. "Ryan, get out. My mom is sleeping in the next room.""Why didn't you come to the bleachers, Ava?" Ryan asked, his voice low, rough, and icy. He took a heavy step toward me, water soaking into my thin bedroom carpet. "I waited forty minutes. I had Coach breathing down my neck, and I still sat there waiting for you.""Because I didn't want to come!" I hissed, keeping my voice down to a whisper. "I don't want to see you again, Ryan. Not here. Not under the bleachers. Nowhere."Ryan froze. "What?""You heard me," I said, forcing my voice to stay dead cold. I dug my fingernails into the edge of the desk so he wouldn't se
Ava’s POVAt 3:00 PM sharp, I was sitting in the darkest corner of the school library, staring at a blank page in my notebook.My phone was facedown on the table, buzzing once every few minutes. I didn't turn it over. I didn't need to check the screen to know who was texting me.The key Ryan had slipped into my palm sat at the bottom of my backpack, wrapped tightly in a paper napkin so it wouldn't rattle. My heart was pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird, but I kept my seat. I forced my eyes onto my history textbook, highlighting random sentences I couldn't even read.I couldn't go. If I went to the bleachers today, everything we broke apart to save would mean nothing."Hey," a soft voice whispered.I jumped, dropping my yellow highlighter onto the floor.Lily stood beside my table, holding two iced coffees and a stack of review sheets. She looked exhausted, her cardigan slightly off one shoulder. "I sa
Ava’s POVThe silence in this new apartment was loud enough to make my ears ring.Three days. It had been three full days since we packed our bags and left the Carter mansion, but my brain still hadn't caught up to reality.I stood in the tiny kitchen, watching the yellow light flicker on the ceiling. There was no grand chandelier here. No marble countertops or heated floors. Just a small table, two cheap chairs, and the faint sound of traffic echoing from the street three floors below.Just like before, before Carter Mansion."Ava? Honey, are you okay?"My mom stepped out of her small bedroom, wrapping a worn cardigan around her shoulders. She looked exhausted, dark shadows hanging beneath her eyes, but for the first time in months, her hands weren't trembling."I'm fine, Mom," I said, offering a small, tight smile as I poured hot water into two mugs. "Just getting used to the noise from the street.""It's smal
Ava’s POVThe loud sound of my suitcase unzipping echoed off the walls of my bedroom.I pulled open my closet doors and grabbed a handful of clothes, tossing them carelessly into the black bag. My hands were shaking so badly I dropped a few hangers onto the floor. I didn't bother picking them up. I just needed to pack. I needed to get out of this house before I lost my mind."You're not actually doing this."I froze.Ryan was standing in my doorway. His wide shoulders took up the entire frame. He had finally taken off his hockey gear, wearing a plain black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, but the intense look in his eyes hadn't changed at all."My mom is waiting for me downstairs," I said, keeping my voice low. I turned my back to him, grabbing my sweaters from the drawer. "I only have ten minutes to pack my essentials."I heard his footsteps step into my room. He crossed the floor in three long strides, stopping right
Ava’s POV"Do you have any idea what you just did out there, Ryan?!"Coach’s roar rattled the cabinet inside the principal’s office. His face was bright red, veins bulging along his neck as he slammed a hand onto the desk."You jumped over a barrier in front of three regional scouts!" Coach yelled. "You smashed a girl's phone with your skate! Do you think college recruiters care about your knight-in-shining-armor routine? They care about control, Ryan! Control!""She was blackmailing her!" Ryan snapped back, his jaw tight as he stood tall in his heavy gear. Sweat was still dripping down his neck, but his eyes were cold. "She was trying to destroy Ava!""I don't give a damn about the girl drama!" Victor barked, stepping right into Ryan’s face. "Well I give a damn, she's going to be my sister right?" Ryan yelled back.Victor stood frozen for a second. His expensive suit was wrinkled, his hair messy for the first time in his life. "The local sports blog just posted a headline about a pl
Ava’s POV"You look beautiful, honey," my mother said, her voice tight with a nervous kind of excitement I hadn't seen in years. "Victor is so excited to finally have us all together. His son is joining us, too. I’ve heard he’s... well, he’s a bit intense, but I’m sure you’ll get along.""I'm s
Ava’s POV"Are you two... actually together?"The question came from a girl in the hallway who had her phone angled perfectly to catch the answer. The crowd had slowed waiting for the punchline.I opened my mouth to say something, anything to lower the heat, but a heavy arm went over my shoulde
Ava’s POVI was kissing the most popular person in school, and I couldn't stop.I had expected him to push me away. I expected him to laugh or look at me with the same boredom Daniel did. Instead, I felt his hand slide from my waist to the back of my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair with a g
Ava’s POVI didn’t know my boyfriend was cheating on me until someone handed me the video."Ava… don’t freak out, okay?" Lily whispered as she handed me the phone."Why would I—""Just… watch."It was a livestream. The comments were pouring in and the views kept rising. When I saw the username







