Semua Bab Skating With Hearts : Bab 71 - Bab 80

The silence that stretched between us for some moments was suffocating.The arena was still buzzing with post-game noise—chants echoing, people shuffling toward the exits, the squeak of sneakers on concrete—but for me, it all blurred. My eyes flicked between Ryans’ hand still clasped in hers and the delicate smile curving the stranger’s lips. I didn’t know which unsettled me more.Beside me, June nudged my arm hard. “Say something,” she hissed under her breath, eyes darting between me and them like she was watching the juiciest soap opera unfold live.My mouth felt glued shut. Every instinct screamed at me to just stand here, pretend invisible, and maybe dissolve into the crowd. But June nudged again, and I finally swallowed down the lump in my throat.“Uh,” I managed, voice cracking slightly. “Thank you. Again. For…helping me that day. Thank you.”The woman—God, she was even more stunning up close—turned her full attention to me. Her eyes were this soft, almond brown, warm but unrea

The cold air bit into my lungs as I continued to jog across the extremely large parking lot while scanning for Skylar’s familiar shape in the crowd. My chest was already tight from the game, but this was different…this was panic, raw and hot.I finally spotted her near the far end of the lot, her shoulders hunched against the wind, June walking right beside her like some bodyguard. Skylar’s steps were quick, clipped, like she couldn’t get away fast enough.“Skylar!” I quickly called out, my voice cutting through the hum of engines and chatter.She didn’t turn.Of course she didn’t.June, though…she twisted her head and spotted me. Her expression lit up with something between amusement and murder. Great, I thought wryly and then sighed. Fucking great.I pushed harder, sneakers pounding against the asphalt, helmet still clutched under my arm like a damn fool who hadn’t bothered to put it away. When I was close enough, I reached out. “Skylar, wait. Please, wait.”She flinched, barely g

By the time June finally set her fork down with a dramatic sigh and announced she was “done stuffing her soul with grease,” I could feel my whole body tense. Not because of the food—we’d all eaten enough to sink a ship—but because I knew what came next.I couldn't help thinking about what he had said in the parking lot again and again:Give me one chance to prove I mean it. One chance to show you you’re not just Ethan’s sister to me.My own response to him also ran in circles in my mind: Fine. You have one chance, Ryans. Don’t waste it.Thinking about what we had said to each other in the parking lot made me swallow hard and lick my surprisingly dry lips. June’s eyes kept flicking between me and Ryans like she was some undercover cupid on a secret mission. She smirked after some moments and then said, “Well, I think my cue is here. I’ll let you two… lovebirds handle the next scene.” She wiggled her brows at me before standing up.“June…” I started, but she was already grabbing her

The next day, morning sunlight spilled through the blinds, painting stripes across our dorm room. I stretched and sat up, my hair sticking out in a way that made me grateful June was still half-asleep. But the moment I swung my legs off the bed, she cracked one eye open like she’d been waiting all night for me to wake up. “Well,” she croaked, her voice thick with sleep. “Somebody came back looking like they just stepped out of a teen rom-com last night and last night, they refused to spill the beans no matter how I tried. That wouldn't happen again this morning. Not on my watch.”Heat immediately rushed up my neck. “Oh my God, June.”She sat up fully now, rubbing her eyes like a kid before leaning forward with a devilish grin. “Spill already. And don’t you dare leave out a single detail. I want dialogue, hand gestures, facial expressions, the whole script. Everything.”I groaned, grabbing a pillow and hugging it against me. But the truth was, I’d been dying to tell her. My chest felt

The moment my eyes landed on the photo, it stayed there even as it felt like the air in my lungs had been punched right out of me.I couldn’t breathe. I couldn't think. My chest tightened, my fingers went numb, and all I could see was that stupid little screen glowing like a neon sign of betrayal.Ryan.Jasmine.Her lips were pressed against his cheek, his arm wrapped around her waist like it belonged there. Both of them smiling, like they’d been caught sharing something private.The cafeteria’s hum dulled into static. The scrape of trays, the murmur of voices, the clink of silverware—it all blurred, muffled, like I was underwater.I didn’t even realize my hands were shaking until Caleb’s voice slid across the table, low and smooth and smug as hell. “Guess now you see him for what he really is.”I tore my eyes off the photo like it burned me, but the damage was done. The image was already branded behind my eyelids. My throat felt raw, like I’d swallowed glass. “No. That’s …no, it’s no