Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 30

AsherThe meeting finally dragged to a close.Chairs scraped against the floor as captains, coaches, and officials filed out of the conference room, their voices echoing down the corridor like white noise.I was halfway to the exit when Coach Harlan’s voice stopped me.“Hayes.”I slowed.“Walk with me.”I fell into step beside him. The hallway was nearly empty now, the silence between us thick but not uncomfortable. Coach never spoke unless he had something worth saying.When he finally did, his tone was low and serious.“You know what’s at stake this year.”“I do.”“A fifth consecutive championship.”I nodded.“The entire country is watching Northbridge.”“They’re waiting to see if we make history…” He paused. “…or fall trying.”“I won’t let that happen.”Coach glanced sideways at me, a faint smile tugging at his mouth before it disappeared.“I like your confidence. But don’t mistake it for certainty.”He stopped walking for a moment, turning to face me fully.“Winning this tournamen

AsherI stood there in the middle of the lounge like an idiot, the echo of Jennie’s slammed doors still ringing in my ears. The weight of twenty-something pairs of eyes bored into my back. Breakfast had officially turned into a spectator sport.Jax shoveled another forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “You good, Cap?”“No,” I muttered, grabbing my untouched coffee and taking a scalding sip just to have something to do with my hands. “I’m fantastic.”He snorted. “Liar. You’ve got that constipated captain face on. The one you make when the refs screw us in the third.”I shot him a look. He just grinned wider, completely unbothered. That was Jax—always ready with food and terrible timing.My gaze drifted back to the doors Ivy had disappeared through. The silent treatment was new. Yesterday she’d been fire—snapping at me, rolling her eyes, letting me fix her hair and today? Nothing. Like I’d become background noise.I didn’t like it.Not one bit.“Give

Asher Pain detonated through my shoulder like a goddamn grenade as I slammed into the boards. The impact punched every ounce of air from my lungs and sent a white-hot jolt down my arm. For a few brutal seconds, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think—nothing but the ringing in my ears and the cold bite of the ice seeping through my jersey. Then— “Asher!” Jennie’s scream cut through everything—high, panicked, and far too raw for someone who’d drawn a line in the sand this morning. I blinked hard, the world slowly sharpening. Her face was the first I saw, pressed close to the boards behind Ivy, eyes wide with terror, one hand slapped over her mouth. I pushed up onto one elbow, jaw locked against the throbbing fire in my shoulder. “I’m fine,” I muttered under my breath. Coach Miller skated up fast. “You okay, Hayes?” I nodded and took his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. The shoulder immediately screamed in protest. I hissed sharply, rolling it once with a wince. “Take f

Jennie approached our table before I could lay into them any further. She looked a little nervous but determined, eyes flicking straight to my shoulder. “I asked them to bring you,” she admitted softly, cutting off my protest. “I figured if I asked you myself after everything today, you’d decline. And I… I just wanted to make sure you were really okay. You scared me earlier.”The guys suddenly found the menu very interesting, giving us a sliver of fake privacy. I exhaled through my nose, tension and exhaustion warring inside me.“Jennie…”“Just sit,” she said gently, sliding into the booth and patting the spot beside her. “Eat something. Let me feel useful for five minutes.”Against my better judgment, I sat. The team jumped back into loud conversation — rehashing Coach Miller’s brutal drills, the suspicious play-calling, how he seemed to be pushing contact on purpose while repeating their key offensive setups. Plenty of gratitude for Coach Harlan’s heads-up so they hadn’t shown t

IvyThe text came just after nine.I was still half-curled on the bed, laptop open but ignored, scrolling through the same practice photos for the third time when my phone lit up with an unknown number.A small smile tugged at my lips. I already had a feeling who it was.“Hello?”“Good day.” Marcus’s voice came through, warm but careful. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”“Not at all.” I closed my laptop and leaned back against the pillows. “I was just editing photos.”“Still working even this late?”“It’s hard to break the habit.”He gave a quiet laugh. “I believe that.”A short silence settled between us. Not uncomfortable, but weighted.“So,” I said, tucking one leg beneath me, “you finally got my number.”“I did.”“I’m guessing Lena gave in?”“Eventually. Since I already got permission from you.”I smiled. Marcus chuckled, but the sound faded quickly. He cleared his throat.“Listen… I know this is a little strange. We’ve only met once. That night. And I don’