Chapter 011

Brayden's POVI stood right at the security monitor, my eyes locked on the grainy black-and-white feed as Trevor completely lost his mind downstairs.It was quite the sight if I'm being honest. He was slamming his fists against the glass of the lobby gate, his face distorted into something ugly. The buzzer was ringing in a constant, maddening whine because he wouldn't take his damn finger off the button. He looked so darn pathetic, a far cry from the pristine, untouchable golden boy my mother loved to brag about at her country club luncheons.Janessa was standing right next to me, and she was practically hyperventilating. I could hear the ragged, terrified hitches in her breath, her small hands clutching the edge of the marble counter so hard her knuckles looked like white stones."Brayden, oh my god," she whispered, her voice cracking as she stared at the screen. "He's going to kick the glass door in. He's never been like this. Never. What is he doing?""Isn't it obvious? He's throw

Chapter 012

Janessa's POVThe next morning, I was sitting in a tiny corner booth of a coffee shop two blocks away from campus, desperately trying to drown my anxiety in a massive cup of black caffeine.The bell above the door kept jingling as students drifted in and out, laughing, chatting, and completely oblivious to the fact that my entire existence had turned into a full-blown war zone. The smell of roasted espresso beans usually calmed me down, but today, it was barely keeping me from jumping out of my skin. My afternoon classes didn't start for another hour, and I was using every single second to just try and find some semblance of peace.On the wooden table next to my mug, my phone sat completely face down. It was dead. I had purposely refused to plug it into the charger last night, wanting nothing more than a single, uninterrupted hour away from the nuclear explosion that was currently happening on the Hayes family group chat. After Trevor’s manic breakdown outside Brayden’s condo yesterd

Chapter 013

Brayden's POVI loved practicing, but damn did I hate awkward atmospheres. The scraping sound of hockey skates cutting through the fresh ice echoed loudly off the high rafters, but nobody was talking. Usually, morning practice was loud, filled with the guys shouting drills, slamming sticks against the boards, and laughing. Today? Silence. Every single one of my teammates was skating in tense, rigid lines, their eyes darting toward me whenever they thought I wasn't looking.I mean, if they wanted to say something, they might as well just out and say it.I ignored them all, driving the puck hard against the boards and skating a lap to clear my head. They had all seen the video. It was obvious."Hayes! My office. Now."Coach’s voice boomed across the empty arena, cutting through the heavy air like a whistle. He was standing on the bench by the tunnel, his arms crossed over his heavy winter jacket, his face completely grim.I didn't say a word. I glided over to the gate, stepped off the

Chapter 014

Janessa's POVThe walk back to the condo that evening was the longest, most brutal walk of my entire life.I kept my head down, the heavy straps of my backpack digging into my shoulders, but it was completely useless. I could practically feel the weight of the entire campus staring at me as I walked down the crowded sidewalks. Every time a group of students laughed or hovered over a phone screen, my stomach did a violent flip. I knew exactly what they were looking at. The viral video was everywhere, and the insults seemed to echo off the brick campus buildings like a physical chant. By the time I finally reached the glass doors of Brayden’s building, my chest was tight, and I felt like I was completely suffocating under the pressure.I took the elevator up to the penthouse in a complete daze, my mind racing with Professor Keller’s challenge to use the chaos as fuel for my writing. But right now, I didn't feel like a writer. I just felt like a broken girl trying to find a corner to hi

Chapter 015

Brayden's POV I woke up early to the aggressive buzzing of my phone vibrating against the floor by my bed. I groaned, rolling over and running a heavy hand across my face to try and clear the sleep from my eyes. The morning sun was barely cutting through the blinds, casting long, pale lines across the ceiling. I reached down and grabbed the device, fully intending to smash the silent button and go back to sleep. I was sick of the constant influx of calls. But when I squinted at the screen, it wasn't my mother's name flashing back at me. It was her personal assistant. I slid the bar across the screen and brought the phone to my ear, my voice coming out in a flat, gravelly rasp. "What?" "Brayden," her crisp, overly professional voice echoed through the speaker. She didn't even pause to check if she had woken me up. "Your mother has instructe

All Chapters of Pucking The Hockey Captain: My Forbidden Fruit : Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

Chapter 011

Chapter 012

Chapter 013

Chapter 014

Chapter 015