All Chapters of Her Hockey Stepbrother, Her Worst Enemy, Her Beloved: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

MAXTON'S POVTalia’s footsteps echoed down the hallway like a clock counting down to the moment she disappeared from my sight.I didn’t follow her. Not immediately.I just stood there, staring behind her, I didn't blame her for being mad. Meanwhile Zeke glared at me like I’d personally burned down his family tree. I almost wished I had. It would’ve been easier than dealing with whatever this tangled mess between Talia, Bambi, and me had become.A friend of mine, Tony, once told me that chaos wasn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s the quiet that ruins you.And right now, my chest was so full of silence, it hurt.“You enjoying this?” Zeke snapped behind me. “Playing both sides?”I turned slowly, my voice colder than I meant. “You think I wanted this?”Zeke stepped closer. “Then tell me you care for her.”“Yeah,” I said. “But what does it matter to you?”His face twisted with annoyance, or was it anger. His hands balled into fists at his sides, but he didn’t swing a punch. Though I could fee

TALIA’S POV I stared out the window, watching the trees blur past, each one a reminder of how awkward the silence in the car had gotten. I didn’t know what to say to Zeke. I didn’t even know how to act around him right now.And the worst part? Maxton. Still stuck in my head like an unwanted song I couldn’t stop humming. No matter how hard I tried to shake him off, he kept creeping back in: his voice, his eyes, that damn moment at the door. It was driving me insane, and honestly? I hated how much space he was taking up in my brain right now.“Are you okay?” Zeke’s voice pulled me out of my spiral.I turned to him quickly, slapping on the fake smile I had mastered over the years, the one that said “I am totally fine” when everything inside was saying the opposite.“Yeah. Everything’s okay.” Lie. But what was I supposed to say? Sorry, I am mentally fighting off my toxic almost-stepbrother’s ghost right now?Zeke didn’t say anything. Just nodded slightly, eyes locked on the road ahead.T

TALIA'S POV At that moment, I didn’t even know what to do with myself. My brain felt like it had temporarily stopped loading, and my emotions were buffering somewhere between panic and annoyance. Why should I even be bothered? Especially by Maxton, of all people.Still, when he caught me like that, this weird guilt washed over me. For a split second, I felt like some scandalous, cheating housewife who had just been caught red-handed after years of sneaking around. Ridiculous, right? But the feeling clung to me like smoke.I stepped out of the car, my heels clicking against the pavement, and looked at Zeke through the open window. I didn’t even spare Maxton a glance, though I could feel his eyes on me from where he stood, arms crossed like some judgmental statue.“You can go ahead, Zeke. I will see you at school tomorrow,” I said, forcing a smile. Whether it was fake or real didn’t matter right now. It was just armor.Zeke’s eyes flicked past me toward Maxton, then back to me, his bro

TALIA’S POVI could see it all over Zeke’s face; the shock, the flicker of confusion, the slight arch of his brow like he was trying to decode the exact reason I just blurted out yes to his proposal.Truth? I didn’t even know why I said it. Was it an impulse? Absolutely. Was I trying to prove a point? Definitely. Do I even like Zeke that much? Honestly, I am not sure. But he’s a good guy. And maybe just maybe love can grow if you give it room.It’s not like I feel nothing for him. That would be a lie. I enjoyed our little date. And the kiss afterward was okay, so it wasn’t the kind of kiss that makes your heart drop to your toes but it was nice. Warm. Comfortable. Which has to mean something, right?“Are you sure about this?” Zeke’s brow stayed raised, his eyes scanning my face like he was hunting for the tiniest crack of doubt. He looked happy, hopeful but I could see the hesitation, like he was bracing himself in case I laughed it off and admitted it was just a spur of the moment th

MAXTON'S POVThink. Think. Think. Say literally anything that won’t spark World War III between us. And fast.Talia and I rode to school in dead silence and it was not the comfortable kind. It was the kind that buzzes in your ears and makes you want to fling yourself out the window just to escape it. She didn’t speak. I couldn’t figure out what to say that wouldn’t set her off or earn me a curse word or two from her. She had this picture of me in her head, some villain version of myself. I apparently couldn’t shake or change her mind no matter how hard I tried. And honestly? It stung knowing she might never see me any differently.“So how did you sleep?” I finally blurted, desperate to cut through the awkwardness.Nothing. She just stared out the window, it was as if the passing trees were more interesting than breathing the same air as me.Then, without looking at me, she said, “Why do you care? Don’t act like we’re friends. Because last time I checked, we are not.”I exhaled hard,