Todos os capítulos de Faking It With The Hockey Playboy: Capítulo 131 - Capítulo 140

Derek POVRyan and I stood at the edge of the ice rink, the tension between us shifting from hostile to something more like an uneasy alliance."First thing we need to do is get Lila involved in planning her own defense," I said. "She needs to know what evidence we have and how we are going to present it.""That is going to be a problem," Ryan said, running his hand through his hair. "My stepmother has basically put her under house arrest. She took away Lila's phone and laptop. She does not let her leave her room except for school and meals. There is no way Lila can work with us if she is locked up like that."I cursed under my breath. "How are we supposed to coordinate a defense if we cannot even talk to her?""We could try to catch her at school," Ryan suggested. "Between classes or at lunch.""That is not enough time. We need hours to go through everything. We need to prepare her for what she is going to say to the administration. We need to make sure she understands the strategy a

Lila POVI got out of Ryan's car and walked toward Derek's vehicle. Through the windshield, I could see him sitting in the driver's seat watching me approach. Even from this distance, I could see how different he looked.His usually confident posture was slumped. His face was thinner, like he had not been eating properly. There were dark circles under his eyes that even the dim parking lot lights could not hide.What had he been going through while I was locked in my room?Derek got out of his car as I approached. For a moment, we just stood there looking at each other. Then I could not hold back anymore.I ran the last few steps and threw myself into his arms.He caught me easily, wrapping his arms around me tight like he was afraid I might disappear if he let go. I buried my face in his chest and felt all the tension I had been carrying for days finally start to release."I missed you," I whispered against his shirt."I missed you too," Derek said, his voice rough with emotion. "God

Lila POVThe hours flew by faster than I expected.Derek and I went through every piece of evidence he had gathered. Student statements praising my writing talent. Screenshots of positive comments from before anyone knew I was the author. Analysis of how my stories demonstrated genuine literary skill beyond just the controversial content.Then Ryan's evidence about Cassandra. The messages proving she had orchestrated the entire campaign to destroy me. The timeline showing how deliberately she had planned each attack. The proof that I was a victim of targeted bullying, not just someone who got caught doing something wrong.By the time we finished going through everything, I actually felt hopeful. Not just hopeful, but almost confident. We had a real defense. A solid case that might actually convince the administration to give me a second chance."You need to stay calm tomorrow," Derek said as we organized all the papers into folders. "Do not get defensive or emotional, even when they s

Ryan POVI stood there for another moment, wanting to argue more, but I could see it was pointless. My stepmother had made up her mind."Fine," I said quietly. "But please, just remember that she is doing her best. She is terrified about tomorrow. She does not need more pressure right now."My stepmother did not respond. She just waited for me to go inside.I walked past her into the house and headed upstairs, but I did not go to my room. Instead, I stopped at the top of the stairs where I could see down into the living room. Robert had disappeared back to his bedroom, clearly wanting no part of whatever conversation was about to happen.My stepmother closed the front door and turned to face Lila, who stood in the middle of the living room looking small and fragile."Sit down," my stepmother said, pointing to the couch.Lila sat.My stepmother remained standing, pacing back and forth in front of her. I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her hands kept clenching and unclen

Derek POVRyan's question hung in the air between us, and I realized I could not give him the easy answer he was probably hoping for."Honestly?" I said finally. "I am not sure. I want to believe it will work. I have been telling myself for days that we have enough evidence, that we have built a strong enough case. But the truth is, I do not know if it will be enough."I heard Ryan take a sharp breath on the other end of the line. "That is not what I wanted to hear.""I know. But you asked me to be honest." I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. "Look, we have good evidence. Really good evidence. The student statements prove that Lila has actual writing talent. The messages from Cassandra prove that Lila was deliberately targeted. Your testimony about the bullying history adds context. All of that together paints a picture of a victim, not a perpetrator.""But?" Ryan prompted."But the administration has already made up their minds about L