All Chapters of IN BED WITH THE RUTHLESS HOCKEY CAPTAIN: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

104 Chapters

Sixty: One step ahead

WHITNEY.I wake up every morning expecting the knock.Every single day, I open my eyes and imagine security officers waiting outside my front door. I picture Coach standing in the school hallway with his arms crossed, ready to call my name in front of everyone. My stomach twists as I get dressed because I keep telling myself, Today is the day they find out. But every afternoon, I go home without anyone questioning me. One day passes. Then another. Then another. Nothing happens.After a week, I finally start breathing properly again.Maybe I really erased everything. Maybe I am better at this than I think.The thought scares me at first, but then it slowly changes into something else. Confidence. I walk through the school halls without jumping every time someone calls my name. Every camera I once feared now looks like another piece of metal hanging from the ceiling. Every teacher smiles at me like nothing has happened. Little by little, I stop waiting to get caught.The whole school is

Sixty One: Cracks

WHITNEY.As I walk through the hospital doors because today is another good day. Every visit brings better news than the last one. Jayden is healing much faster than the doctors expect. He is walking without much help now, and they even talk about sending him home soon if everything keeps improving. For weeks, that is all I pray for. I keep telling myself that once he leaves this place, everything else will slowly become normal again.When I step into his room, he is already sitting by the window instead of lying in bed. The sunlight shines across his face, making him look healthier than he has in weeks. For a moment, I almost forget everything that happened. I rush over and hug him carefully, afraid of hurting him even though the doctors keep saying he is getting stronger every day."You look so much better," I say with a smile."I feel better.""You'll probably be out of here before anyone expects.""I hope so."I pull up a chair beside him."I've missed seeing you smile."He gives

Sixty - Three: Forced proximity

CARLOS.I almost laugh when I read the notice taped outside the principal's office.Students involved in recent disciplinary incidents must attend a mandatory community outreach program this Saturday.I already know why my name is there. Losing the team's confidential strategy and failing to protect school property are enough reasons, even though nobody can prove I did anything wrong. I sigh, fold the paper, and shove it into my pocket. At least it is only one day.I am wrong.The moment I arrive at the ice arena Saturday morning, I see Whitney standing with Devin near the entrance.My heart sinks.Of all the people in this school, it has to be her.She notices me at the exact same moment, and her expression hardens immediately."You've got to be kidding."I quietly mutter, "Looks like we're unlucky."She folds her arms."I'd rather work alone.""So would I."Before either of us can say another word, Mrs. Parker, the teacher organizing the event, claps her hands for everyone's attenti

Sixty - four: The rivalry

WHITNEY.The arena is louder than I have ever heard it before. Students fill every seat wearing school colors, parents wave banners from the stands, and alumni cheer as if this game decides the whole season. The air feels alive with excitement, but my stomach is tight for a different reason. I know something almost nobody else knows. The other team has already seen one of our team's biggest strategy sheets because I am the one who sends it to them.Devin sits beside me and leans closer."You okay?"I nod."I'm fine.""You don't sound fine.""I just... want this to be over."He studies my face for a moment before looking back at the ice."It'll be worth it."I tell myself he is right.The players skate onto the ice, and the crowd explodes with cheers. Even without the captain's title, Carlos leads the team onto the rink. His jersey no longer carries the letter that once made everyone admire him. Seeing that empty space should make me happy.Instead, it only reminds me how much has alre

Sixty - five: The hidden file

DEVIN.I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong.It starts as a small thought after Whitney tells me about another strange conversation with Jayden. At first, I try to convince myself that I am just overthinking everything. People change after something terrible happens. Trauma can make anyone act differently. But the more I replay everything in my head, the less those answers satisfy me. Every road somehow leads back to the same question.What is everyone hiding?School ends early that Friday, but instead of going home, I walk straight to the administration building. The hallways are almost empty, and the silence makes every footstep sound louder than it really is. I already know the school keeps digital records for almost everything. Attendance, visitor check-ins, disciplinary reports, newspaper articles, event schedules. If there is something everyone has missed, maybe it is still buried somewhere nobody thinks to look.Mrs. Lewis, the school librarian, smiles when she se

Sixty - six: Whitney, please

CARL I spend the whole day watching the clock instead of listening to my teachers. Every class feels longer than the one before it, and every minute gives me another reason to change my mind. I tell myself to stay quiet because silence has protected people for months already. But every time I picture Whitney chasing answers she does not understand, I feel the same knot tighten inside my chest. If I do nothing, someone else will eventually notice what she is doing, and those people will not protect her the way I have been trying to.When the final bell rings, students flood into the hallways, laughing as they hurry toward the parking lot. I wait until the crowd begins to thin before following Whitney from a distance. She walks alone today with her backpack hanging over one shoulder, looking completely unaware that I am behind her. My heart pounds harder with every step because I already know this conversation will end badly. Still, I cannot walk away."Whitney."She stops.For a secon

Sixty seven: Complex

WHITNEYI tell myself I am only going to the party to find answers.That is the excuse I repeat while standing outside a large house already shaking with loud music. Cars line both sides of the street, and students crowd the front yard with drinks in their hands. Laughter spills through the open windows, mixing with the heavy beat of the music. I do not belong here. Almost everyone inside either plays hockey or is friends with someone who does. But if Carlos is really hiding something, someone here is bound to know it.Devin walks beside me with his hands in his jacket pockets."You sure about this?""I have to be.""We can still leave."I shake my head."No."He studies my face for a second."Then don't do anything reckless.""I won't."The moment we step inside, warm air mixed with the smell of pizza and soda hits my face. Students are talking so loudly that nobody notices two more people walking through the door. Some are dancing in the living room while others are crowded around t

Sixty eight: Starting to doubt

WHITNEY.Throughout the drive to the hospital, I keep telling myself I am only visiting Jayden because I miss him, even though I know it is not completely true. Ever since the party, the conversation I overhear keeps replaying inside my head. I hear those hockey players laughing as they talk about Jayden and Carlos like they once knew each other. I keep trying to convince myself they are lying, but the memory refuses to leave me alone. I need Jayden to tell me they are wrong so I can finally stop thinking about it.When I walk into his room, he smiles the moment he sees me."Hey.""Hey."He studies my face for a bit. "You don’t look good. Are you alright?”“Yeah,” I say, trying to force a smile. "I've just been tired."He pats the chair beside his bed."Come sit."I do, forcing myself to smile back. The doctors have already removed most of the equipment around him, and he looks stronger every time I visit. Anyone walking into the room would probably think everything is getting better

Sixty - nine: Photographs

WHITNEY.I barely sleep.The laptop stays open beside my bed all night, its screen glowing in the darkness like it refuses to let me forget what I see. Every time I close my eyes, I picture the same old charity event photograph. Jayden is standing in the background. Carlos is only a few feet away, helping a little boy with his skates. They are not talking, but they are clearly in the same place. I keep telling myself that it means nothing, yet I cannot stop looking at it.I reach for the laptop again."There has to be another explanation."I zoom in until the picture becomes blurry. The faces lose their sharp edges, but I can still recognize them. I tilt the screen, blink several times, and even rub my tired eyes. Part of me hopes the image will suddenly change into someone else.It never does."Hundreds of students were there," I whisper to myself.That has to be it.Schools hold charity events all the time. Students walk past each other without ever speaking. Just because Jayden and

Seventy: You've lost yourself

CARLOS.I know something has changed the moment Whitney walks past me in the hallway.She still looks at me, but it is not the same look I have gotten for days now. The anger that used to burn in her eyes is still there, only now it is mixed with something else. Now, I see confusion, doubt, questions. She studies my face for a second longer than usual before continuing toward her classroom without saying a word. Somehow, that frightens me more than if she had screamed at me.For the rest of the morning, I cannot stop thinking about that look.Whitney has started questioning something.I do not know what she has discovered, but I know she has found a crack in the story she believes. That should make me feel relieved. For days, I have wanted her to stop seeing me as the only villain.Instead, my stomach twists tighter, because once Whitney starts asking questions, she will not stop.And the deeper she digs, the closer she gets to people who have much more to lose than I do.Practice beg

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