LOGINThe next morning, I walked over to my stall. My name, *SIMPSON*, was printed in gold letters above my locker. I pulled out my key and turned the lock. A small piece of paper was sitting right on top of my folded jersey. It looked out of place against the white fabric. I reached out and picked it up.Inside it was a photo. It was from three nights ago. It was the night Jax had showed up drunk at my door. The photo showed the two of us in the hallway, right in front of my room. The lighting was dim, but you could see everything. You could see the way Jax was holding my hoodie. You could see the way I was leaning into him. And most of all, you could see the kiss.It was clear and undeniable. For a minute, I was dumbfounded and in shock but then, the shock turned into a hot, burning anger.Someone had been there. Someone had stood in the dark and held up a phone or a camera while we were at our most vulnerable. They had watched us. They had waited. And now, they were putting this in m
Every time my skates cut into the surface, I was trying to outrun the memory of that meeting in Room 302. I was playing like a man possessed. During the drills, I was hitting the pads too hard. I was taking shots at the net that were fast enough to break the goalie's glove. The team could feel it. Coach Mike was standing on the bench, his whistle in his mouth, but he wasn't saying much. "Line change!" Mike yelled.I skated toward the bench, my breathing heavy and ragged. As I crossed center ice, I collided with Davis. It Davis was the one who had been making the comments. Davis was the one who complained about favoritism. In my mind, he was the only person who could have sent that letter hence all these trouble."Watch where you’re going, Davis," I snapped, my voice sharp.Davis stopped. He turned around, his face turning red under his helmet. "It’s a big rink, Liam. Maybe you should stop acting like you own it.""Maybe you should stop acting like a coward and say what you want to sa
The sun had not even fully come up when my phone started ringing on the nightstand. I didn't want to pick it up. My head was heavy, and my body felt like it was made of lead. But the ringing didn't stop. I reached out and grabbed the phone. Coach Mike.“Liam. Administration building. Room 302. 7:00 AM sharp. Don't be late.”My stomach did a slow, painful flip. 7:00 AM was an hour away. Usually, we were on the ice at that time.Going to the administration building meant one thing: the Board.I stood up and walked to the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face, put on a clean shirt, and grabbed my bag.The walk across campus was the usual.. I saw a few students heading to the gym or the library, I kept thinking about why I was summoned. When I reached the administration building, I found Room 302. I took a deep breath, adjusted my collar, and knocked."Come in," a voice said.I opened the door and stepped inside.The room was large, with a long table in the center. At the head of the
When the alarm went off at 4:00 PM, we both groaned. Jax looked better, but his eyes were still a little puffy."You ready?" I asked, sitting on the edge of the bed."No," Jax said. He ran a hand through his messy hair. "I feel like everyone is going to be staring at us. Those jokes from this morning ... they’re going to keep going, aren't they?""Maybe," I said. "But we just have to act like they don't bother us. If we get angry or shy, it looks like we have something to hide. Just laugh it off. Pretend you’re still a bit sick if you have to."Jax nodded. He stood up and stretched. "I’ll head to my place now. I checked the peephole. It was clear. I opened the door a few inches and squeezed his hand one last time. "See you at the rink.""See you, Liam," he whispered, and then he was gone.When I walked into the locker room an hour later, the noise was already at a high level. Guys were shouting across the room, throwing tape at each other, and complaining about the late hour.I saw Sw
It was at exactly 6:00 AM, the bubble burst.A loud, aggressive knock thundered against the door. Bang! Bang! Bang!Jax bolted upright, his eyes wide with panic. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. My first thought was the RA. My second thought was my father."Liam! Open up! We know you’re in there!"I recognized the voice immediately. It was Swiss."Don't move," I whispered to Jax. He looked like he wanted to crawl under the bed. He was wearing my clothes, his hair was a mess, and the room was covered in food wrappers.I stood up, smoothed out my shirt, and tried to find my voice. I walked to the door and looked through the peephole. It wasn't just Swiss. I could see Toby, Mark, and two other guys from the defensive line. They were all crowded in the hallway, looking impatient.I couldn't just leave them there. If I didn't open the door, they’d think something was wrong because the door wasn’t locked from the outside or call the RA. I turned back to Jax and gestured for him to get
The morning sun crept through the thin gap in the curtains, hitting my eyes. I blinked, feeling a weight on my chest that I wasn't used to. Then I felt the warmth. I looked down and saw Jax. He was still fast asleep, his face tucked against my shoulder. Then, Jax stirred. He let out a low groan and rubbed his eyes. As he started to wake up, I could feel his body go stiff. He realized where he was. He realized whose bed he was in.He sat up so fast he almost hit his head on the shelf above the bed. He looked at me, then at his own clothes ;the grey sweatpants I had put him in last night. His face turned bright red."Oh, no," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Liam... I... did I?""You were pretty drunk, Jax," I said softly, sitting up beside him. "You were sitting outside my door."Jax put his face in his hands. "I remember some of it. I remember the hallway. I remember... I remember saying things. And the kiss. Oh, god. Liam, I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't have p







