Lahat ng Kabanata ng Romance In The Hockey Pitch: Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

The Monday morning after the scout game felt like waking up inside a bruise. Everything ached. I hadn’t heard from my dad yet, which was almost worse than a screaming phone call. It meant he was stewing. I dragged myself to the rink for the 6:00 AM optional skate. I hoped to be alone, but when I stepped onto the ice, a lone figure was already doing laps. Jax. I mummured a morning. He didn’t stop when he saw me. He didn’t even nod.I skated to the opposite end, keeping my distance. It was the most lonely I had ever felt, being on the same sheet of ice as him but feeling a thousand miles away. Every time we passed each other at center ice, I felt the urge to reach out, to trip him just so he’d have to look at me. But I stayed quiet.After thirty minutes, Jax stopped at the boards to grab his water bottle. I skated over, my heart thumping against my ribs."Jax," I started, my voice cracking .He didn't look up. He just kept drinking. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with the back of

Thursday was the longest day of my life. I went to my lectures, but I couldn't tell you a single thing the professors said. I just sat in the back of the rooms, drawing jagged lines in the margins of my notebook.Every time a door opened, my heart skipped. I saw Jax in the hallway between classes. He was walking with Toby and Swiss, laughing at something Toby had said. He looked... okay. That was the part that hurt the most. While I was selling my belongings and skipping meals, he was moving on. He had to. I’d been so cold to him that I’d left him no choice.I wanted to run up to him. I wanted to grab his arm and tell him that I was broke and scared and that I missed him so much it felt like a physical weight in my chest. But I just kept walking, my head down, a ghost in my own school.By the time I got to the rink for the evening meeting, I had exactly one hundred and ten dollars. I went to the equipment room to sharpen my main skates, hoping the noise of the machine would keep peopl

The arena was packed by 7:00 PM. You could hear the roar of the crowd from the tunnel. It was a Blackout night, and the stands was full of black jerseys and screaming students.I stood at the head of the line.Jax was right behind me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. We used to have a ritual; a fist bump, a specific phrase, but today, there was nothing but the sound of the fans.We skated out onto the ice, and the cold air hit me like a slap. I looked up at the VIP box. My father was there, sitting next to three men in professional team jackets. He wasn't cheering. He was just watching.The first period was a war. State was fast, and they played dirty. I took a hit into the boards that rattled my teeth, but I jumped back up. I had to. I had to prove to the scouts, and to myself, that I was still there.Jax was playing like a man possessed. He scored the first goal ten minutes. He didn't look at me during the celebration. He just high fived Toby and skated back to center

Monday morning felt like the first day of a new life. Coach Mike hadn’t even let us get on the ice for the morning skate. Instead, he had sent a mass text at 5:45 AM: Locker room. Now. Full gear not required. The news about Carl had spread fast. By the time I reached the athletic wing, everyone knew he had been caught red handed with a locker full of stolen gear.I walked through the quad with my head up. I walked in with Jax at my side. The room was unusually quiet. Normally, the air would be filled with the sound of snapping tape, heavy metal blasting from the speakers, and the constant chirping of twenty guys who had too much energy for the hour. Today, the speakers were silent. Guys were sitting on their stalls, looking at their feet or whispering in small groups.In the center of the room stood Coach Mike. Beside him were two men in dark suits; campus security and the athletic director. "Bring it in," Mike ordered. We circled up, standing in a tight perimeter around the center l

I stayed in my room throughout the day. Jax had gone back to his own place, and for the first time, I was glad for the distance. If he sees me in this state for hours, he’d try to handle it with his fists. If I told him I was still scared, he’d become an accomplice to whatever happened next.This was my mess. I grabbed my keys, slipped into my heavy parka, and stepped out into the night. The drive to Coach Mike’s house was something I did on impulse. Now there, I stood on the porch for a full minute, my hand hovering over the wood before I knocked.The door opened, and Coach Mike stood there in a gray sweatshirt, a book in one hand. He looked at me, and I saw the moment he realized this wasn't a casual visit."Liam? What the hell is going on?""He’s out, Coach," I said, my voice cracking before I could even get inside. "Carl is out on bail. He texted me. He has a backup folder on a laptop. He wants a thousand dollars by tomorrow night or he’s sending the photos to the Rangers' scouts