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Penulis: Aya Starr
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-07-24 00:22:21

HAYDEN

The rink was already humming by the time I laced up my skates.

Coach didn’t even need to give the usual pre-game speech. We all knew what was at stake. Game night against Westport State wasn’t just about points or rankings, it was personal.

They played dirty. They trash-talked in DMs. They hacked at your ankles and smiled when the ref wasn’t looking.

I thrived on that kind of pressure.

But tonight, it wasn’t just about winning.

It was about her.

Coleen.

I’d seen her in the stands during warm-ups. Third row, wrapped in a dark hoodie, hair up, arms crossed like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be here or disappear. But she was here. and that mattered more than I could admit to anyone, including myself.

I was going to play the best game of my life. Not for Coach, not even for the win.

For her.

“Center up,” Coach called out, motioning me forward. “Let’s go, Michaels.”

I stood, tapped my stick twice on the ice, and skated to the face-off circle.

The Westport center gave me a grin l
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  • The Hockey Star Regret    121

    COLEENMy lungs burned, my heartbeat louder than the wind screaming in my ears. I stumbled through the snow. I just needed to reach the road, if I could get there, someone would drive by, someone would…A hand caught my arm.I screamed, twisting, but Jared’s grip was iron. “Stop!” he barked, dragging me backward. I clawed at his sleeve, kicked at the ground, but my feet slid uselessly on the ice.“Let go!” I gasped, but he only tightened his hold, fury etched into every line of his face.“Enough running, Coleen!” His voice cracked through the night.“I’d rather freeze than stay with you!”He jerked me hard, pulling me against him, his breath hot against my ear. “Don’t say that.”He dragged me back toward the cabin, ignoring my protests. “You don’t get it, do you? You think you can just walk away from this family like we’re nothing.”“You’re insane!” I struggled harder, nails scraping against his arm. “This isn’t about your family, it’s about you!”“About me?” His laugh came out cracke

  • The Hockey Star Regret    120

    COLEENThe wind outside howled like a wounded animal, swallowing the sound of tires crunching over snow.I stared out the window, trying to recognize the road we were on, but nothing looked familiar. We should’ve been heading back toward the Michaels’ estate by now, but the narrow road we were on twisted into unfamiliar darkness.“Jared,” I said carefully, turning my head to look at him. “I think you missed the turn.”He didn’t answer right away. His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, a muscle ticking in his jaw. The car heater blew too hot, making my skin prickle.“Did I?” he finally muttered, eyes fixed ahead. “Funny. I didn’t think you were paying attention.”My pulse stuttered. There was something off about his tone.“I was,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “The road to the house is the other way.”He exhaled, something that could have been a laugh, except it wasn’t. “Relax, Coleen. I just want to talk. It’s been… tense at the house. Thought we could use some privacy

  • The Hockey Star Regret    119

    COLEENThe wind cut across my face like knives. Snow whipped around me, sticking to my lashes, my hair, my coat. I didn’t even realize I’d forgotten my gloves until my fingers went numb.How stupid could I be?God, the image wouldn’t leave me. It replayed again and again, each loop making my stomach twist harder.The snow beneath my boots squeaked as I trudged down the narrow road leading toward the main gate. I didn’t even know where I was going. It wasn’t like I had a car. The cold seeped into my bones, but somehow it still didn’t hurt as much as my chest did.I hugged myself tighter, trying to keep the shaking at bay. I couldn’t go back to that house. I couldn’t face his parents’ smug faces or his brother’s smirk or Jessica’s knowing little eyes. I couldn’t face Hayden.Not after what I saw.A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. The warmth lasted barely a second before the wind froze it against my skin. I scrubbed it away roughly and whispered into the night, “You’re

  • The Hockey Star Regret    118

    HAYDENSpace.For the first time in our relationship, I wasn’t sure what to do. I have never seen Coleen this heartbroken or sad, and it killed me knowing that I was the one that made her this way.I hoped when I found her, I would be able to explain to her and all would be settled but it turned out not to be the case.Now I had no choice but to watch her walk away from me while she held the fate of our relationship in her hands.Tonight has been an absolute shit show.“Hayden?”I turned sharply. Jared was standing under one of the terrace lights, glass of whiskey in hand, his expression somewhere between curiosity and amusement.“Looking for someone?” he asked lazily.“Don’t start,” I growled, brushing past him.I initially thought that he had gone after Coleen. It turned out I was wrong.He followed anyway. “You know, it’s funny. Jessica’s lipstick looked pretty familiar when I saw you two.”I froze. “What did you just say?”He smirked. “You heard me. She’s got that same color all o

  • The Hockey Star Regret    117

    COLEENWhat made my heart crack wasn’t just the sight of them together. It was the sight of her lips on his.For a second, my brain refused to believe it. I blinked once, then twice, but the image didn’t go away. Jessica’s body pressed against his, his shoulders tense, her manicured hand gripping his tie.Then Hayden shoved her back.I saw the look on his face. Disgust, anger, but it didn’t matter. The damage was done.It felt like the world fell out from under me.My throat closed, the air around me turning icy. I could still taste the sweetness of champagne in my mouth, the memory of how safe I’d felt in his arms earlier that night, how certain I’d been that nothing and no one could come between us.I was wrong.Jessica turned her head slightly, her lipstick smeared, and I saw her smirk. That was all it took.I didn’t wait for explanations. I didn’t wait for Hayden to see me.I turned and ran.The cold hit me like a slap when I burst through the side doors into the garden. The air o

  • The Hockey Star Regret    116

    HAYDENThe ballroom had quieted into softer music and low conversation. I had spent most of the last hour keeping one arm around Coleen, partly out of pride, partly because I didn’t trust my family or Jessica to keep their claws to themselves.But eventually, Coleen excused herself to the restroom again, and I decided to get us both some drinks. I needed a breather anyway and my jaw still ached from how tightly I’d been clenching it all night.I’d survived worse nights under this roof, but rarely had I wanted to burn the place down as badly as tonight.Coleen had handled everything with a grace that put everyone else to shame. Her calm had humbled me, even when Jessica had deliberately humiliated her. I didn’t know how she did it. I just knew that I didn’t deserve someone like her, and that my parents’ approval meant less and less the longer she was in my life.I didn’t notice the movement behind me until it was too late.“Well,” came a familiar, syrupy voice, “look who finally decide

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