star of the show changed

Evelyn’s P.O.V. (Continued)

Kaelen and two more players followed Evan and tried to block him.

Zack tried to push himself between them but struggled badly.

“Come on, Evan.” Coach Henry screamed one more time, using all his strength.

The time slowed down again.

Kaelen tried to snatch the puck from Evan one more time, but Evan passed it to our left winger, Jason Shepherd.

He hit the puck towards the Black Raven’s goal post without wasting a second after getting the puck.

The puck slid towards the net in very slow motion.

Or this was what I felt.

Their goaltender was a second late to react.

The puck hit the inside of the net, and the final whistle blew a fraction later.

For a second, the whole stadium fell into a drop-dead silence.

My fingers stopped drumming against my thigh; time stopped the second the whistle was blown.

Thirty-one seconds.

Only thirty-one seconds to send me to my grave.

And to pave their way to their graves.

Five years of deceit, betrayal, and abuse replayed in front of my eyes like a hurricane.

And then my gaze settled on a lone figure, frozen in the middle of the field.

Zack Hayes

His shoulders hunched, his stick fell beside his feet, and his face was still facing the opponent’s net.

He was still standing straight, but the defeat had crushed his posture.

A lone tear escaped my eye, and then the whole stadium exploded into a deafening roar.

But I heard nothing.

Our team, the Mountain Hawk, stood frozen for a second, and then they screamed at the top of their lungs.

We won…

Just like in the previous life, we won.

But the glory didn’t belong to Zack Hayes.

Nor did it go to Evan Sterling or Kaelen Thorne.

It went to Jonah Shepherd.

Whose career as a winger finished after he left university in the past life.

He never ever held glory, and tonight, he was smiling so widely and brightly with tears in his eyes.

This was the true happiness.

Zack didn’t even an inch from his place.

But I was done looking at him.

I shifted my gaze to the next person standing tall in his place.

Kaelen Thorne.

Unlike Zack, he was still standing like a human wall, unaffected by whatever was happening around him.

He moved, and his silver eyes found my amber eyes.

His eyes were still cold, still indifferent, but for a fraction of a second, I felt as if something crossed his eyes, and before I could read it, it vanished.

He moved away, as if our brief connection had meant nothing to him.

It hurt, but it had always been like this, right?

“We won!” Coach Henry screamed at the top of his lungs with the rest of the team members.

The players rushed onto the field, throwing their sticks into the air and embracing one another.

The crowd was going insane.

Our supporters were chanting the name of the Mountain Hawk while the Black Raven supporters sat in stunned silence.

The MCs screamed our victory.

A smile broke on my lips, but tears blurred my vision.

“Evelyn!” I flinched but smiled widely while moving in Cathy’s direction.

Cathy had something important to do. So, she went out after the first half.

I spread my hands when she came running like a fast-running train.

“We wonnnnnnnnnnn!” she screamed excitedly, and I laughed, catching her securely when she jumped on me.

“Ouch, Cathy.” I yelped in pain when she wrapped her legs around my waist, but her shoe heel hit my lower back.

She had wrapped her hands around my neck.

I bumped my forehead on her but smiled widely.

I was actually happy, and why shouldn’t I be?

Cathy and I did our happy dance to our heart's content.

We stopped when the team came back.

The joy was the same as in the past life, but with someone else as the star.

The whole team came back while shouting and cheering and surrounded Jonah and Evan, punching them playfully.

I looked behind them and smirked coldly.

He was still standing at the same spot.

For a moment, I saw the Zack from my memories.

The boy who had smiled at me with a bouquet of red roses, promising to love me forever, and kissed my cheek after scoring that winning goal.

The boy I had spent years believing was my soulmate.

And the boy who killed with his own hands.

“And here comes the swarm of bees with the queen bee showing her a**hole.” Cathy whispered in my ear; her voice was filled with venom and disdain, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I didn’t need to look in that direction.

“Congrats, guys.” All of the cheerleaders screamed excitedly.

“Let’s go,” I whispered to Cathy, as I had no intention of watching their drama.

I already knew the script.

I was about to move when I stopped, curiosity seeping into my heart.

Zack is not the hero of this win.

Then who is Jessica going to latch onto this time?

I stepped aside, dragging Cathy with me so that we don’t get bumped by the cheerleaders.

My gaze remained fixed on Jessica Stone.

She was already pushing her way through the crowd.

Her blonde ponytail bounced behind her as she walked with the confidence of someone who believed the entire stadium belonged to her.

She swayed her hips seductively, boo*s almost popping out of her tight cheerleading top, and that wide smile on her lips….

In my past life, she approached Zack when he was holding me tightly.

She congratulated him, trailing a finger over his chest, giving me a side glance, and then walked away to the others.

So many warning signs were there.

Right in front of my eyes.

But I only saw Zack, smiling like an idiot while my heart swelled with pride.

“Get your hands off me.” I looked at the team when someone growled.

“Aaahhh.” Jessica almost fell on her butt when Evan pushed her away harshly.

Two girls behind her caught her, saving her from humiliation.

My eyes widened in surprise because she went to Evan.

Not to Zack like in the past life, nor to Jonah, who scored the last winning goal, but to Evan.

Why?

Jessica’s face turned crimson.

For a moment, she simply stood there, staring at Evan as if she couldn't believe someone had dared to reject her in front of everyone.

Then her expression changed.

Anger took the place of embarrassment.

“You pushed me?” she asked through her teeth, still keeping her polished persona.

Evan didn't even blink; his blue-grey eyes were still as cold as they had always been.

“I told you to get your hands off me.” His voice was cold enough to freeze the air around us.

The players nearby slowly stopped laughing.

A few exchanged uncomfortable glances.

Even Coach Henry, who had been celebrating with Jonah, turned toward them.

Jessica crossed her arms over her chest.

“I was only congratulating you.”