Все главы A Chance With The Hockey Alpha Captain: Глава 161 - Глава 170

Selena’s POVI lay tiredly on my bed, randomly scrolling through my phone. My fingers were itching to log into the school web to see how far things I've gone, but I already received a warning from Nia and Ava to never visit that platform. Cullen precisely said it'll make me more tense and I didn't want that either. The events of the day and things happening recently are draining all my strength. Ava and Nia stepped out to grab something, I'd have followed them out, but....I was tired, really tired from everything and I wondered how I would have managed the situation if these three weren't in my life. I'd have been lost, probably trying to convince the students that Jake was playing the victim or..... They always know. They knew Jake had a way of twisting things to his favour, but somehow, the students still foolishly trusted whatever he said, at most, almost all the time. Would I call that stupidity? Foolishness? Or even loyalty? I had no idea. I threw my phone to a corner of my

SELENA'S POVWith my phone in hand, I sat at the little table close to the dorm window that morning and gently scrolled through the same social media sites that had formerly caused my chest to tighten with terror. Every post seemed like an assault, every comment seemed personal, every alert made my stomach twist.Things look different now.The speculations had almost entirely vanished, not only decreased.Postings questioning Jake replaced whispers about me. Some students pointed out that his story kept changing. Others were posting screenshots to track the various captions he had written over the years. Some remarks openly referred to him as cunning.Uncertain of how to feel, I gazed at the screen for several long minutes.First came comfort, a gentle breath departing from my chest without my even being aware. Exhaustion, however, followed right behind it. The sort of fatigue that went beyond basic tiredness. My brain was exhausted, as if it had been running for days without pause.A

SELENA'S POVEntering the school today felt wonderfully serene.I didn't experience that tight chest of stress for the first time in what seemed like ages. No unexpected silence followed me down the hallway. Passing by, I heard no murmurs. Talking, chuckling, and arguing about homework, the typical campus life noise, students went about as usual.It seemed almost surreal.Simple polite smiles, nothing dramatic, a few people even grinned when our eyes met. Those little acts felt heavier than they possibly knew, though. They told me something quite clear, things had at last gone back to normal.As I settled down in class, I started to reflect on all that had transpired, the rumors, the panic, the helpless feeling of seeing people believe something that wasn't accurate. There had been instances when I almost broke down, times when I wanted to stand in the center of the hall and yell defensively to remove the unpleasant sensation.Looking back now, though, I realized something significant

Cullen’s POVThe hockey field had been loud all week, but today felt different.There was this weight hanging over practice. Everyone could feel it. The competition was only a few days away, and nobody wanted to be the reason the team messed up. Even the usual jokers were quiet while tying their skates.I blew the whistle and clapped my hands. “Alright, warm-up laps first. Then we run plays.”The boys nodded and started moving. Their energy was serious today. Good, seriously. The kind that made me feel like maybe, just maybe, we were ready.Except for Jake.He skated ahead like he was racing ghosts only he could see. Fast, aggressive, showing off every move like he was already in the match. Some of the guys exchanged looks, but nobody said anything yet.We finished warm-ups and split into formation. I moved into position and signaled for a passing drill.“Remember,” I said, skating backwards while facing them. “No hero plays. Pass. Communicate. Trust each other.”Most of them answered

Brian’s POVThe whistle blew for the second half, and the noise in the stadium doubled immediately.The score was tied.Nobody said it out loud, but everyone knew what that meant. One mistake could cost us the match. One good move could win it. The pressure sat heavy on my shoulders, but there was no time to think about being tired.And I was tired.My legs felt heavy from the first half, and my chest burned every time I took a deep breath. But losing wasn’t an option. Not after everything we had done to get here.Cullen called us into a quick circle before the puck dropped again.“Listen,” he said, voice firm but calm. “The second half decides everything. Stay focused. Pass clean. Watch your positions. We don’t rush. We play smart.”I nodded along with the others. He wasn’t saying anything new, but hearing it again helped settle my mind.I glanced at Jake.He rolled his eyes slightly and tapped his stick against the ice like he was bored. For a second, irritation rose inside me, but