All Chapters of Boys Don’t Play Fair: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Friday Morning. 7:52am.Noah kept his head down as he slipped through the school gates.Posters covered the place now. Stuck to doors, splashed across lockers, bold and impossible to ignore.TONIGHT: WESTBRIDGE vs RIVERSIDE 7PM - HOME RINK COME SUPPORT YOUR EAGLESEveryone was talking about it, plans flying back and forth, groups forming. The buzz was loud, almost contagious.Noah just kept walking.He’d already decided last night he wasn’t going. Couldn’t sit up in those bleachers and watch Jay play, watch him rack up points, soak in the cheers proving he didn’t need Noah anymore.That would hurt too much.At his locker, Noah yanked out his books."You going tonight?"He turned to see Emma from chemistry, backpack over one shoulder, bright smile."To the game?" she said, like he needed clarification. "Everyone’s going. It’s supposed to be huge. Scouts and everything.""I don’t know," he said. "Maybe.""You should. I hear Jay’s on fire right now. Coach thinks he’s actually got a r

Saturday Morning. 9:23am. Noah’s Apartment.Noah woke up to light slicing through the curtains, way too bright for how he felt. His eyes were puffy. His head throbbed. He’d barely slept, and when he finally drifted off, all he saw were Jay and Liam. arms looped around each other, moving through the crowd like they just fit.JayLiam's. Back again.Noah’s phone was face-down on the nightstand, but that didn’t stop him from picking it up. He didn’t want to, wasn’t ready for whatever reality lived behind his lock screen, but habit is hard to break.Three messages. Nothing he wanted.Emma: great game last night! wish you’d been thereMarcus: yo carter. you coming to practice monday? coach wants to talk strategyMom: working late tonight. leftovers in fridge. love youNothing from Jay. Not a word from Joe. Total silence from Liam.Noah set his phone back down and stared up at the ceiling. He made his choice. Now he had to live with it.Across Town. Jay’s House. 9:47am.Jay sat at the kitche

Sunday. 11:17am. Noah's Apartment.Noah didn’t want to move when the doorbell started ringing. It kept going, insistently, until he peeled himself out of bed and shuffled to the door, half-expecting a package or some random solicitor.He checked the peephole. Joe.Noah’s heart tripped over itself. His hand hovered on the knob it would’ve been easier to pretend he wasn’t there, but Joe wasn’t leaving. “Noah, I know you’re in there. I can hear you breathing.”Noah willed himself to open the door. Joe stood outside, jeans, jacket, face closed off but hiding something raw.“Hey,” Joe said, voice low.“Hey.”They just stared for a second.Joe broke the silence. “Can I come in?” Noah hesitated, then stepped aside.Joe wandered into the small apartment, glancing around. Noah closed the door, trailing behind him. They ended up standing in the living room, the distance between them

Monday Afternoon. 3:45pm. The Pool.Noah dove straight into the water, letting it close around him like a shield. The sting of chlorine burned his eyes and the cold slapped him awake. But honestly, for once, it felt good like a temporary escape from everything he couldn't let go.He surfaced and just started swimming: freestyle, hard, fast. Lap after lap until his body begged him to stop."Carter! Slow down!"Coach Parker's shout bounced off the pool tiles.Noah pulled up at the edge, lungs aching, gulping air.Coach knelt beside him, shaking his head. "You trying to drown yourself?" he asked."No, Coach.""Then what are you doing? That looked more like self-punishment than training."Noah shrugged and climbed out, grabbing the towel Coach handed him. "Just getting faster, that's all.""You're already fast. What you need is control," Coach said, eyeing him seriously. "The meet is in two weeks. You gotta be focused not burning out.""I'm focused.""You're angry. There's a difference,

After School. The Hallway.Noah stared at his phone. The message sat there, finished.Noah: we need to talk. it’s important. please.Just one tap and it’d send. But then what? What would he even say when Jay showed up?Liam manipulated me. He told me to stay away from you. He’s been lying to both of us.Would Jay believe him? Or just think he was scrambling for an excuse?Noah backspaced. Letter by letter, the message disappeared until the box was empty again.He couldn’t do this over text. Had to be face-to-face. Had to look Jay in the eyes.Shoving his phone back in his pocket, Noah headed for the parking lot. He knew Jay’s schedule. Practice didn’t start for a while Jay was probably still around. Locker? Library? Or....There. By the bike racks. Jay was chatting with Mark, laughing about something.Noah’s heart pounded. Just go talk to him. Now or never.But he hesitated. Mark said something else and walked off, leaving Jay scrolling through his phone.Come on. Do it now.Noah for