Lahat ng Kabanata ng Claimed By The Hockey Captain: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 19

LoriI tried to wipe the tears from my face before Ann could walk into our dorm room, but I was already too late. She caught me dead in the act, my sleeve still pressing against my wet eyes.She quickly crossed the room and sat down right beside me on the mattress, wrapping a comforting arm around my shoulders. “Oh, Lor... what’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re still spiraling over the cheerleading stuff?”I looked down at my palms, my vision blurring again. No matter how many pep talks I got from my roommates turned best-friends, there was no way I was getting over losing my spot on the squad anytime soon. It had only been a few days since I got discharged from the hospital, and every single time I thought about it, it felt like someone was violently twisting a knife directly into my chest.Ann took my shaking hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. “How about we try to distract you with something else today? We can go see a

LoriI spent the rest of the afternoon buried under my covers, completely numb. My mom's devastating news about the divorce felt like the final blow. My life had already been tilting dangerously out of balance. But today, the entire foundation finally crumbled to pieces.Ann and Jessica could obviously tell something was wrong. They had cut their endless debate about whether Lucas liked Jessica short the second they saw my face, but I didn't have the energy to explain. I just blamed it on family drama, retreated to my bedroom, and shut the door firmly behind me.I cried until my eyes burned and there were simply no tears left to cry.It was another call from my mom later that evening that finally jarred me awake. It was only then that I remembered she had asked me to meet her in town for dinner. Pushing through the exhausting ache in my chest, I threw on the most casual outfit I could find and focused entirely on keeping my stride even, trying desperately not to limp as I walked out

Lori“Uhm... I don’t really know what to say,” I stammered, my fingers flying up to tuck a nonexistent strand of hair behind my ear just to give my hands something to do.The entire moment felt like a total blur. Sitting here in a sunlit booth, having breakfast with Lucas Miller, watching him look at me like I was the only person in the room... it felt like a scene ripped straight out of a high budget rom-com. It didn't feel like my actual life. My actual life was usually a non-stop cycle of stress, letdowns, and heartbreak.Lucas blinked, leaning back slightly against the leather booth. “Okay, wow. That was definitely not the reaction I was expecting to get.”“I’m sorry, it’s just...” I trailed off, my eyes dropping to the half eaten plate of scrambled eggs and bacon between us.“It’s just what? Talk to me, Lori. I promise I don’t bite.”I shrugged, forcing myself to speak quickly before I lost whatever tiny sh

Lori“What do you think you are doing?” I shot back at her.I held her wrist firm. She tried to pull her hand away, but she could not.“Let go of my hand you silly bitch!” Elena yelled.When her clique started moving toward me, only then did I finally let go of her wrist.“You know what is funny?” she said with a sneer. “You are such a betrayer.”I did not care about her rubbish. “And how exactly did I betray you? We are not friends, Elena. And besides, you went after Travis. Now you are mad because I was with your ex? That is hypocritical.”She became lost for words.“Don't think I forgot about catching you two red handed on my freaking bed,” I added.With that, I turned and kept walking. I increased my pace. My knee began hurting so bad as a result, but I did not stop. I just wanted to get away from her.I finally entered the lecture hall and found a chair. Only then did I sit down and let out a calm breath. Then I pulled out my headset. I needed to listen to some RnB that would cal