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Chapter 14: held, chosen, loved
Last Updated:
2025-05-26 12:50:51
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The One I Can't Escape Chapter 28: The One You Don’t See
The BCE Stadium is a roaring coliseum of noise and light. It's not just an arena.This is a full-sized American football stadium—converted for the night into a battleground of hardwood and pride. Giant screens loom above the end zones, flashing player stats and roaring flame graphics. Floodlights bathe the court in white heat. The air hums with anticipation, music blasting through speakers the size of cars. Every seat is taken. The stands stretch high into the night sky, packed with thousands of students, alumni, fans—each one screaming for blood.Popcorn and body paint. Banners and thundersticks. This isn’t just a season opener. It’s a spectacle.And a home defeat? It’s not just unthinkable—it’s unforgivable.We are the Crimson Lions. Champions. Icons. The name that echoes across campuses from coast to coast. And Zane? Zane is the heartbeat. The headline. The one the crowd came to see.I’m in the lower tier, third row, surrounded by a sea of red and gold. My heart pounds in sync wit
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 27: Beneath the Quiet
For a long moment, I don’t move.The silence feels heavy, like the room itself is waiting—braced for what comes next.Then the bed creaks behind me. Slowly. Deliberately.Zane emerges.He doesn’t explode. He doesn’t yell.He just stands there, eyes dark and distant like a storm gathering far off—but coming fast.His voice is quiet. Too quiet.“What the hell was that?”I turn, still sitting on the edge of the bed. “What do you mean?”He laughs once, sharp and hollow. “That. That little bedtime story. The kiss on the forehead. The ‘I’m here with you’ speech.” He mimics it with a mocking falsetto. “‘Not you. Not again.’” He scoffs. “Wow.”“Zane—”“No.” He raises a hand, eyes flashing. “Don’t. Don’t act like I imagined all of it. I was right there.”He gestures to the space under the bed like it physically offends him.I stand up now, finally. “You shouldn’t have come.”“Oh, clearly.” He paces a few steps, then spins to face me. “What was I doing here?” he repeats, bitterly. “Let me think
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 26: Smoke and Shadows
I freeze.The knock still echoes in the air, heavier now, like it carries weight Oliver doesn’t want to name out loud.Then his voice—calm but clipped. A little too careful.“Hey Jude. I know you’re here. Please, open the door.”My pulse spikes.Zane doesn't move.I whirl on him, wide-eyed, and whisper sharply, “Under the bed. Now.”He raises both eyebrows. “Seriously?”“Yes! Go!”But he just stands there, arms crossed like we’re in the middle of a casual argument—not a situation that could shatter everything if Oliver walks in and finds him here.He tilts his head. “You really think he’s the jealous type?”“Zane,” I hiss, panicked, “if he sees you here, it won’t be jealousy. It’ll be war.”He smirks like the idea doesn’t bother him one bit. In fact, he looks like he wants to be caught. Like some part of him is hoping Oliver will walk in and see him here, smug and unbothered, draped in implication.“Zane—please.”Finally, he sighs. “Fine. But only because you asked.”He drops to the f
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 25: The Gift of Time
The knock comes just after eight.Soft. Measured. Polite.Isabella opens the door before I can even stand. A moment later, her voice drifts down the hallway.“Jude? There’s a package for you.”A pause.Then, quieter: “It looks… nice.”By the time I reach the entryway, she’s already stepped aside, leaving me alone with the delivery guy and a rectangular box between us.“Signature here, please,” he says, handing me a tablet.I scribble my name.He leaves.I close the door behind me, box in hand, heart tightening just a little. There’s no name on the label. No return address. Just my first name. Printed. Smooth. Cold.My first thought: Is it him again?Zane.Another watch? Another mind game? Another way to wrap something shiny around my wrist and call it affection?Taking the stairs to my room, I pass Isabella again. She throws a quick glance at the box.“So?” she asks. “What is it?”I shrug. “A gift. I think. No idea who it’s from.”She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t push. “Let me know i
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 24: Fractures and Faultlines
By morning, the whispers have grown teeth.The halls feel smaller. The air heavier.People stare.Some with amusement. Others with awe.And then there are those who look at me like I’m a character in a drama I didn’t sign up for.The rumors aren’t just about Oliver’s pre-selection heroics anymore.They’re about us.Us, and the fight.Us, and the way Zane looked like he was about to break something that wasn't a bone.I wanted to keep us quiet.But secrets don’t stand a chance against football victories and locker room gossip.Worse, the version that’s spreading isn’t just that Oliver and I are together.It’s that Oliver and Zane are fighting over me.And they’re not wrong.I duck into the library during lunch, desperate for quiet. But before I can even sit down, someone’s already at my side.Lea.She’s holding something small in her palm. A velvet box.“I’m not here to argue,” she says. “I’m not picking sides.”I eye the box. “Then what is that?”“A gift,” she says. “From Zane. He sai
The One I Can't Escape Chapter 23 : The Locker Room Storm
From the jump, the varsity team hits hard. They’re sharp, seasoned, aggressive. They blitz early, trying to rattle Oliver’s offense, but he doesn’t flinch. He calls the first play from the huddle like he’s been doing it for years, voice calm, hand on his center’s shoulder pad.The snap comes clean.Oliver rolls out, dodging a linebacker with a tight sidestep, then launches a perfect spiral downfield—right into the arms of a receiver on the run.First down.The crowd murmurs in surprise.I clench my hands around the edge of the bleacher.He’s not just good.He’s terrifyingly good.The next series, he scrambles for twenty yards on third and long. Then hits a slant pass between two defenders like he threaded it with a needle. He’s calm in the pocket. Sharp under pressure. Every move has purpose.And every time he completes a pass, he looks up.At me.Not the coach. Not the crowd.Me.Zane’s not having it.On the next varsity drive, he demands the ball.And he delivers.Quarterback sneak.
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