Chapter 003

Noah's POV

The ice held firm under my feet as I skated out of the rink. Today's practice had been a tough one, and I feared that I had let it show.

I couldn't let my teammates know that something was up with their captain. The season would be starting soon, and then sponsors and scouts would be pouring in. We were hoping to get on the NHL, but none of that could happen if they found out their captain was sick.

I walked off to the locker room, trying to ignore the questions in their gaze. I played like a total wreck today. Maybe because I was. I saw Coach Lockwood standing by the side of the door like he was waiting for me.

"Carter. My office."

I followed him without a word, my jaw tight. The moment we were inside and the door clicked shut, he turned on me.

"What the hell was that out there?"

"Just a bad day, Coach. It won't happen again."

"A bad day?" He scoffed and ran a hand over his bald head. "You looked like you'd never held a stick before. You missed passes, you fumbled shots, and don't even get me started on your defense. You need to get your head in the game."

"I know what's happening," I said, my voice tight. "But I can't help it. It gets to me."

He studied me for a long moment, his eyes narrowing. "Look, if you don't want your teammates to find out about what happened, then you need to get it together. And what about your academics? That challenge I gave you?"

"I have it all under control," I said quickly.

He raised a brow. "Do you?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Not yet.

"Just get it done, Carter. Or you're off the team."

He dismissed me with a wave of his hand, and I walked out of his office feeling like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.

The locker room was buzzing when I entered. My teammates were scattered around, some still pulling off their gear, others already changed. Steve looked up the moment I walked in.

"Yo, Cap. Coach give you hell for practice today?"

I shrugged. "It's fine. Just got to fix some things."

"Like what?" Another teammate asked.

I pulled off my jersey and tossed it into my bag. "I need to get a tutor. Keep my grades up so I can stay on the team."

Steve nodded. "Right. That's why I suggested Ivy. She's the best."

I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. But you blew my shot with her."

Steve frowned. "What do you mean? What did I do?"

"The way you sounded at the bar. She was already mad, and you didn't exactly help with all that 'easy' talk. She stomped off before I could even ask her properly."

Steve winced. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just messing around."

"Doesn't matter. Now she hates me." I ran a hand through my hair. "She looked at me like I was her enemy. Like she wanted to set me on fire."

"Well, she seemed mad at you before I even said anything," Steve argued. "I thought you two used to get along pretty well."

"We did?" The word slipped out before I could stop it. Everyone turned to look at me, and I swallowed, forcing my expression to stay neutral. "Oh… I guess we did."

My teammates exchanged glances, but I ignored them. Steve had been the one to suggest I ask her to tutor me in the first place. I hadn't been entirely sure why he recommended her, but I went along with it.

There were a lot of things I went along with these days and I would be a liar if I said it didn't bother me.

It was messing with my head. It was messing with the game.

"Well, she's quite hot," Steve said with a grin. "And those curves…"

"Shut your mouth, Steve."

The words came out faster than I intended. Steve blinked at me, surprised, and I felt my ears burn. I didn't understand why I was acting possessive of her. She was just a girl I used to see around campus. Just someone I had spoken to a few times.

A few times. But when I had spoken to her at the bar yesterday, it felt like we'd spoken more than just a few times. I think I had offended her greatly.

I finished changing in silence and left the locker room without another word.

Later that afternoon, I found myself at the Admin office. I needed to check my current pass rate, see exactly how much damage I was looking at. The semester was barely halfway through, and already everything was spiraling.

I was walking down the hall when I saw her.

Ivy was walking ahead of me, a stack of papers clutched to her chest. I tried to call out to her, but she didn't hear me. She just kept walking, her head down, her shoulders hunched.

I moved faster until I was walking beside her. She still didn't look at me, neither did she acknowledge me at all. It was like I was invisible.

"Hey," I said, stepping in front of her. "Can we talk?"

She finally stopped and looked at me. But there was nothing in her eyes. No form of emotion at all.

"I already said no, Carter. Find someone else."

"I heard you," I said quickly. "But please, just think about it. I really need your help."

"Find someone else."

She stepped around me and walked into an office. I read the sign above the door and my brows rose. Scholarship Admin.

That was where students went when they were at risk of losing their financial aid.

I watched the door close behind her, and something twisted in my chest. A plan was slowly forming in my mind.

I pulled out my phone and called Coach Lockwood.

"Coach. I think I found a tutor. But she's a tough one. Help me get to her. Her name is Ivy Sullivan.”