《Falling for the Bad Boy Athlete》全部章節：第 141 章 - 第 150 章

Ava PovThe air in the dean’s private waiting room felt like it was running out. I sat on the edge of a stiff, velvet chair, my fingers digging into my knees. My parents didn't sit. They paced. My father’s heavy footsteps echoed against the hardwood floor like a countdown clock."Do you have any idea what we sacrificed?" he asked. His voice wasn't loud. It was worse. It was thin and brittle, the sound of a man who had reached his limit.I stared at a spot on the rug. "I know, Dad.""You clearly don't," my mother snapped. She stood by the window, looking out at the quad where the scandal had exploded only hours ago. "We didn't work double shifts for years so you could become a tabloid headline. A 'bad boy athlete,' Ava? Really? You're a scholarship student. You're supposed to be invisible until you graduate."I wanted to defend Kai. I wanted to tell them he wasn't just a headline. He was the person who stayed up with me when I was stressed. He was the person who actually saw me. But th

Julian (The Rival) PovSuccess isn’t about being the best athlete on the field. It’s about being the best at managing optics. I sat in the dim light of my dorm room, the glow of my laptop screen reflecting off my glasses. On the screen was a masterpiece of digital manipulation.I’ve always hated Kai. It wasn't his talent. Talent is common. It was that effortless arrogance. The way he walked through the halls like he owned the air we breathed. And then there was Ava. The scholarship darling. The girl who was supposed to be too smart for a guy like him. Watching them together felt like a personal insult to the natural order of this university."Almost done," I whispered to the empty room.I had the photo from the party last week. Kai was leaning in to talk to some girl from the swim team. In reality, he was telling her to move so he could get to the punch bowl. But with a little cropping, a bit of lighting adjustment, and a perfectly timed blur? It looked like a stolen kiss. It looked l

Kai PovThe fluorescent lights in Dean Halloway’s office hummed with a clinical, mocking tone. I sat in the high-backed leather chair, the kind meant to make you feel small. It usually didn't work on me. Today was different. My knee bounced, a nervous habit I usually kept locked down."You're playing a dangerous game, Kai," Halloway said. He didn't look up from my file. "The board doesn't care how many points you score if you're a liability off the field."I leaned back, trying to reclaim my space. "I’m the reason the scouts are coming next week. That’s not a liability. That’s an investment."Halloway finally looked up. His eyes were cold. "Investments get liquidated when they stop yielding returns. You were seen at the warehouse. Again."My stomach did a slow roll. The warehouse was where I went to be human. It was where Ava and I existed without the weight of the campus watching us. If they knew she was there, her scholarship was toast. She worked too hard for some bitter administra

Kai PovThe air in the locker room tasted like old sweat and desperate ambition. It usually felt like home. Today, it felt like a cage. My father’s car was sitting at the curb outside, a black shadow waiting to swallow my future. He wasn’t supposed to be here. The man has a knack for showing up exactly when the floor starts to crumble.I shoved my jersey into my bag. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. It wasn't the game. I could handle a defensive line trying to take my head off. It was the look on Ava’s face back at the quad. She looked like she was waiting for the executioner to drop the blade. We were supposed to be past the secrets. We were supposed to be a team.Something crinkled under my palm.I paused, reaching into the side pocket of my duffel. I didn't keep papers in here. I kept tape, grip spray, and a beat-up pair of lucky socks. I pulled out a folded piece of yellow notebook paper. It was aged at the edges, the kind of paper that felt brittle, like a dead leaf.My heart did

Ava PovThe fluorescent lights in the administration hallway hummed with a clinical, predatory energy. It felt like the sound of a countdown. I stared at the heavy oak door of the Dean’s office, my hands shaking so hard I had to shove them into my coat pockets.How did everything fall apart so fast?One minute, Kai and I were finally finding our rhythm. We were a team. Now, he was being escorted toward the athletic department by two stern-faced security guards, and I was standing here, waiting for a board to decide if my entire life was still valid.The email had been cold. Direct. It didn't ask questions; it made demands.Inquiry into Academic Conduct and Scholarship Eligibility."Ava? They're ready for you."The secretary’s voice snapped me back to the hallway. She looked at me with a mix of pity and curiosity. I was the "good girl" scholarship student, the one who never missed a deadline. Seeing me here was like seeing a glitch in the university’s perfect system.I walked inside. T