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096

Author: Aya Starr
last update Last Updated: 2025-10-06 15:07:57

HAYDEN

I got off the truck back into the heat of early July, my duffel slung over my shoulder and my body still humming with the mix of exhaustion and adrenaline from the cabin trip. Jason and Logan were behind me, still arguing about who cheated at cards on the last night, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.

It was on Coleen.

I hadn’t seen her in over a week, and while we texted and called, it wasn’t the same as seeing her face, hearing her laugh without a phone muffling it, or holding her hand.

The Uber dropped me off at my apartment, but I didn’t even bother unpacking. I tossed my duffel on the floor, showered quickly, and changed into clean jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing my keys. My pulse quickened as I drove toward her dad’s neighborhood. The whole trip back, I’d been picturing this moment, seeing her again.

When I pulled into her driveway, she was already waiting outside, sitting on the porch steps with her phone in hand. The moment she saw me, her whole face lit up, a
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  • The Hockey Star Regret    104

    HAYDENThe text from my parents came in while I was tying my skates at practice.Dad: Winter break’s coming up. Bring the girl home. We’d like to get to know her.The girl. Not your girlfriend, not Coleen. Just… the girl. Typical.I stared at the screen until Jason leaned over, smirking. “What’s got your face all twisted up like that? Don’t tell me Coleen dumped you already.”I shoved his shoulder. “Shut up. It’s my parents.”He whistled. “Oof. Say no more.”But I couldn’t brush it off. The thought gnawed at me all through drills, even during scrimmage when Coach barked at me to focus. By the time practice ended, my mind wasn’t on hockey, it was on Coleen.How was I supposed to tell her? That my parents, the same ones who had spent months questioning her existence in my life, now suddenly wanted to meet her? I wasn’t naïve. It wasn’t curiosity.It was about control. They wanted to weigh her, measure her, figure out if she was worth the trouble of distracting me from the NHL.Still, if

  • The Hockey Star Regret    103

    HAYDENI knew with the way we ended last season that we were going to come back with a vengeance. We might have bowed out of the previous season earlier than we have liked but this year, we had something to prove. And so far so good, we have been doing a good job.The season started strong. By the time October rolled into November, we were racking up wins, and the locker room carried the light, confident energy that only came from finding a groove early. Our passes clicked. Our communication worked like a machine, it was very seamless.The chemistry Coach had hammered into us at practice was finally showing up on the scoreboard.I thrived in that space, skating hard, scoring, but also playing smarter than I ever had before. Every time I touched the puck, I thought about the team first. Every time I skated off the ice, I thought about Coleen watching from the stands.She had become a fixture at games. Sometimes she sat with Alicia, sometimes with Mark, but every time my eyes scanned th

  • The Hockey Star Regret    102

    HAYDENThe rink smelled like fresh ice and sweat. It was a familiar, grounding scent. I tugged my practice jersey over my head and rolled my shoulders, muscles stiff after the lazy pace of summer.“Feels weird to be back, huh?” Jason said, tossing his stick onto the bench beside me.“Yeah,” I admitted. “But good weird. Like, this is where we belong.”Logan, stretching his long legs on the floor, smirked. “Speak for yourself. I wouldn’t mind another week at the cabin.”Jason laughed. “You just miss me beating you at cards every night.”“You mean me beating you,” Logan shot back.I shook my head, smiling as I laced up my skates. That cabin trip had been exactly what I’d needed, a chance to reset, laugh, and not think about scouts or my parents for once. But now, with the crisp chill of the rink air against my skin, I felt the weight of the new season pressing down.Coach blew his whistle sharply. “Let’s go, boys! New year, clean slate. Time to set the tone.”We filed onto the ice, blade

  • The Hockey Star Regret    101

    COLEENThe apartment door creaked open, and before I even had time to set my duffel bag down, Mark’s voice boomed from the kitchen.“Coleen! Finally, my roommate returns from her summer of secrecy!”I laughed, dropping the bag just inside the door. “Secrecy? Please, I was working half the time. Meanwhile, you were probably lounging on a beach somewhere.”He emerged from the kitchen with a wooden spoon in his hand, grinning. “Correction, lounging by a pool. My parents don’t ‘do’ beaches. Something about sand being unsanitary.”I rolled my eyes and threw my arms around him. “I missed you, Mark.”He hugged me back just as tightly, lifting me slightly off the ground before setting me down. “I missed you too, Coleen. The apartment’s been too quiet without you. When I came back and you weren't here, I had to play my own audience when I made sarcastic comments.”“That must’ve been tragic for you.”“You have no idea.”We broke apart, and I kicked off my sneakers, glancing around. The place lo

  • The Hockey Star Regret    100

    COLEENI closed the door behind Hayden, pressing my forehead against it for a second as though I could still feel the warmth of his presence lingering there. My lips still kinda tingled from our last kiss, and my stomach did this little flip I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to.From the living room came the creak of Dad’s recliner. “So…” His voice carried low and I knew he did that deliberately. “That went better than I expected.”I groaned and trudged into the room, flopping onto the couch dramatically. “Dad, you were practically interrogating him like he applied for a job interview or something.”He smirked over his glass of water, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “And yet he didn’t flinch. That's a good sign, if you ask me. It means he's not a coward.”I grabbed a throw pillow and buried my face in it, muffling my voice. “You embarrassed me.”“No,” he said calmly, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I protected you. There’s a difference. If a boy’s going to sit at my

  • The Hockey Star Regret    099

    HAYDENI pulled out of Coleen’s driveway with my chest still buzzing from the evening, the image of her dad’s half-smile burned into my mind.My grip on the wheel was tight, not because I was nervous anymore, but because I was still riding the adrenaline of surviving dinner with him, and not just surviving, but actually feeling like I’d been accepted.The roads were quiet, the glow of the streetlights stretching across the hood of my car. My phone buzzed on the passenger seat, and for a second I thought about ignoring it until I stopped at the next light. Curiosity got the better of me. At the red light, I glanced at the screen.Did you get home safe yet?A smile tugged at my lips. I typed quickly with one hand. Not yet. Still driving. But don’t worry, I’ll text you when I get in.Almost immediately, the dots popped up. Good. Because if you don’t, I’ll assume the cupcakes poisoned you and Dad will blame me for it.I laughed under my breath, shaking my head. Your dad liked the cupcakes

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