All Chapters of Pucking The Hockey Captain: My Forbidden Fruit : Chapter 21 - Chapter 25

Janessa’s POVThe neon palm tree sign above our heads hummed with a low, rhythmic buzz as Chloe and I finished the last of our fish tacos.The little beach shack was starting to clear out as the afternoon rush faded, but neither of us rushed to leave. For the first time since I landed in California, the tight knot in my chest had loosened, replaced by an easy warmth I hadn't felt in months. I leaned back against the booth, watching Chloe pop a stray tortilla chip into her mouth without a care in the world."Look, you just need to know how these meatheads operate," Chloe said, waving her green straw in the air like a weapon as she broke down the hockey team’s social hierarchy. "Brayden is the captain because he’s unstoppable on the ice and nobody can touch his stats, right? The guys respect him because he wins games. But Caleb? Caleb is like a toxic fungus that’s been hanging around the locker room forever because he refuses to accept that his own time is up."I took a slow sip of my w

Chapter Twenty-ThreeJanessa's POVThe morning sun felt different as we cut across campus. For the first time since everything fell apart, I walked down the courtyard path with my chin up.The curious looks were still there. The viral video hadn't vanished overnight, and every few feet, another glance drifted my way. Yesterday, those stares would have sent me spiraling, clutching the edges of my cardigan tight to shrink out of sight. Today, I had Chloe keeping pace right beside me.She had an iced matcha latte in hand and her gaze locked forward, scanning the walkway like a defense partner looking to clear the ice. Every time a group of students hovered over a phone or muttered as we passed, Chloe cut through the tension by critiquing their wardrobes at full volume."Look at the guy by the fountain," she said, her voice easily carrying over the chatter. "A neon yellow beanie in eighty-degree heat. He looks like a highlighter, and those running shoes should be a crime."A breathless la

 Janessa’s POV By the time evening rolled around, the living room floor had become my pacing track. I walked back and forth, the fabric of my oversized sweater brushing against my thighs while Chloe sat perched on the counter. She was swinging her legs, holding a taco in one hand, and giving me a play-by-play of the scene from earlier that morning. "I'm telling you, Janessa, it was brilliant," Chloe said, gesturing with a tortilla chip. "The look on his face when that green tea hit his laces? Priceless. He looked like he was about to cry over a pair of sneakers. You should have been laughing." "Chloe, he was bringing up my scholarship," I said, pausing by the island to look at her. The knot in my stomach from Mrs. Hayes’s messages hadn't loosened all day. "His family has leverage with the board. If his mother follows through on that—" The front door