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The Dead End

Penulis: Enistory
last update Tanggal publikasi: 2026-03-05 08:42:11

The bass in the club always vibrated in my teeth. It was a physical sensation, a rhythmic thumping that usually helped me drown out the world. But tonight, it just felt like a headache keeping time with my heartbeat.

Thursday night. Three days since the video went viral. Three days since Dean Vance threatened my scholarship. Three days since I blocked Evans Thorpe.

I wiped down the bar counter for the hundredth time, the smell of sanitizer mixing with the spilled lager and lime wedges. My phone
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  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Blackout and The Blindside

    Tamine’s POVThe espresso machine screamed, a high-pitched hiss of steam that mirrored the violent, frantic noise inside my own head."Jordan, you're burning the milk again."Marcus reached past me, firmly turning the steam dial off. He pulled the stainless steel pitcher away, setting it on the counter. "Go take five. You've been staring at the wall for ten minutes. You look like you're about to throw up.""I'm fine," I lied automatically, my voice a dull, hollow scrape. "Just a long day."It was 1:00 AM on Saturday. The guilt of snapping at Evans on the phone was a physical weight, pressing so heavily against my ribs I could barely breathe. I had hung up on him. I had built the wall exactly where I promised I wouldn't.But every time I closed my eyes, I saw the black American Express card hidden in my wallet. I owed Atlas Thorpe four thousand, eight hundred and fifty dollars. I was trading one billionaire’s cage for another’s debt.I stepped away from the counter, wiping my damp hand

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   Mission Accomplished

    I didn't run to the dorm. I walked. I walked through the freezing morning air, my hand clenched tightly around the metal card in my pocket. Atlas had done it. He had taken his billionaire father's invisible, suffocating cage and smashed it with a single swipe.I reached my dorm building. I pulled my plastic keycard out, my heart stuttering against my ribs as I pressed it against the black scanner.Beep.The light flashed a brilliant, beautiful green.The heavy magnetic lock clicked open.I pushed through the door, walked up to the third floor, and let myself into my tiny, cramped room. It looked exactly as I had left it. My drafting supplies, my clean clothes, my narrow twin bed.I locked the door behind me, slid down the wood until I hit the floor, and finally let myself cry. They were ugly, exhausted, violently relieved tears. I had survived the siege.An hour later, after a scalding hot shower and a change of clothes, I walked into the architecture studio.The room was buzzing with

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Black Amex and The Green Light

    "You shouldn't drink black coffee this late, Atlas," I said, my voice raspy. "It'll stunt your growth."Atlas whipped his head around.The irritated scowl on his face instantly vanished. His dark eyes locked onto me, sweeping over my pale face, my shivering frame, and the stained apron tied around my waist. The shock was visceral."Tamine?" Atlas breathed, completely ignoring Marcus handing him his cup. He stepped away from the counter, closing the distance between us in three long strides.He stopped a foot away, his eyes narrowing into sharp, calculating slits as he took in the absolute wreck of my physical appearance."What happened to you?" Atlas demanded, his voice low and dangerous. "You look like a walking corpse. Are you sick?""Midterms," I deflected automatically, crossing my arms over my chest to hide the shaking. "Architecture is demanding. What are you doing in Chicago?""We played Northwestern this afternoon," he said impatiently, not taking his eyes off my face. "Don't

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Black Card

    Tamine’s POVFriday. 5:00 PM.The deadline.I stood in the entryway of my dorm building. My heavy canvas bag was slung over my shoulder. In my right hand, I held my plastic university ID card.The rain from earlier in the week had cleared, leaving behind a bitter, biting cold that signaled the true beginning of the Chicago winter.I took a deep breath, my hand shaking violently, and pressed my ID card against the black security scanner next to the heavy glass doors.Beep-beep.The light flashed red.The heavy magnetic lock didn't click. The door didn't open.My heart completely stopped. I stared at the red light, a cold, absolute terror seizing my lungs."No," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Please."I pressed the card against the scanner again, rubbing it frantically against my jeans first.Beep-beep. Red light.They had done it. The financial aid office had officially processed the eviction. My keycard was deactivated. All of my clothes, my textbooks, and my drafting supplies for t

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Red Light

    Incoming Call: Evans.I stared at the screen. I couldn't do the fake smile today. I didn't have the energy to pitch my voice an octave higher and pretend everything was fine.But if I didn't answer, he would worry. And if he worried, he lost focus on the ice.I took a slow, jagged breath, swiped the green icon, and pressed the phone to my ear."Hey," I murmured."Hey, sunshine," Evans's voice was loud, vibrating with an adrenaline-fueled energy that felt completely alien to my exhausted reality. "I only have five minutes before film review, but I had to call you. Kavanagh just posted the roster for the exhibition game against Michigan this weekend.""Did you make the cut?" I asked, forcing a supportive tone through my raw throat."I'm starting center," Evans said, a fierce, undeniable pride radiating through the speaker. "First line. As a freshman. It’s unheard of, Tamine. The scouts are going to be swarming the glass.""Evans, that's incredible," I said, closing my eyes. "I'm so prou

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Decimal Point

    I looked into his green eyes, completely entirely tethered to my promise. No Thorpe money. If I told him, he would blow up his life in Boston to save mine in Chicago. He would fight his father, he would lose his focus on the ice, and Kavanagh would destroy his draft ranking.I couldn't let Richard Thorpe destroy us both."The midterm is great," I lied, my voice steady, my smile completely fixed. "Chloe is a bit of a handful, but the structural design is solid. And my dorm is fine. Everything is fine, Evans."Evans stared at me through the screen for a long, heavy second. His brow furrowed slightly. He was exhausted, but his instincts were still razor-sharp."You look pale, Tamine," he noted gently. "Are you sleeping? You aren't pulling all-nighters at that coffee shop, are you?""Just a few late shifts," I deflected quickly. "You know how architecture programs are. Sleep is a myth. But I'm okay. I promise.""Okay," Evans breathed, though he didn't look entirely convinced. "Just... don

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Golden Cage

    The box had arrived at noon.It was sleek, black, and heavy, tied with a gold ribbon. There was no card. No note. Just the Blackridge crest embossed on the lid and a courier standing on my porch, looking nervously at the peeling paint of my front door.I opened it in my bedroom, the only sanctuary

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Dean's List

    I sat on the cold concrete curb for twenty minutes, my breath hitching in jagged, ugly gasps. The school parking lot was empty now, save for a few distant cars and the ever-present hum of the highway.I had done it. I had nuked the only good thing in my life to save it from the fallout of my own ex

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Fallout

    I didn't sleep. I spent the night sitting on the floor of my bedroom, listening to my mother pass out in the living room, staring at the screen of my phone. The notification had come through at 2:00 AM. A single ping that sounded like a gunshot in the silent house. Blackridge Buzz: New Video Upl

  • Stuck between Hockey Player and his Quarterback Brother   The Fallout Begins

    The drive was quiet, but it wasn't the heavy silence of the theater or the tense silence of the library. It was comfortable. The heated seats warmed my frozen bones, and the soft hum of the engine was a lullaby compared to the chaos of my life.Evans navigated the streets with practiced ease, drivi

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