All Chapters of The Collision : Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

Jace's POVI sat alone in the locker room long after everyone else had cleared out, my shoulder wrapped tight beneath my jersey, staring at nothing in particular while exhaustion pressed down on every part of me at once.Mike had left twenty minutes ago, some excuse about needing to catch a study group before it ended, though I suspected he'd actually just given me the space he could tell I needed. The rink outside sat quiet now, the echo of skates and shouted drills long faded into the kind of silence that made every unresolved thought in my head louder than it had any right to be.I pulled out my phone, scrolling without any real purpose until I landed on an old photo, one from years ago, myself at maybe twelve years old holding up a small trophy from some regional tournament, my father standing beside me with his hand on my shoulder. I remembered that day clearly, remembered the flush of pride I'd felt standing there, certain that finally, finally, I'd done something big enough to

Jace's POVThe Fairview rematch started worse than I expected, my shoulder aching from the very first shift, adrenaline the only thing keeping me upright as I skated out for the opening faceoff."You good?" Mike asked, skating past me toward his position, concern still clinging to his voice despite everything we'd talked through in the locker room days ago."I'm here," I said, which wasn't quite the same thing as being fine, though it was the most honest answer I could offer right now.The first period blurred into a haze of gritted teeth and desperate compensation, my right arm barely cooperating enough to manage basic stick handling, every hit I took sending sharp, electric pain radiating down through my fingers. I missed two easy passes within the first ten minutes, frustration building in my chest with every mistake, the crowd's murmur growing louder each time I fumbled something that should have come naturally.By the second period,

Jace's POVI sat on the bench during morning practice, my shoulder wrapped tight beneath my jersey, watching the rest of the team run drills I wasn't cleared to participate in yet, and something about the distance felt heavier than just physical separation.Coach had benched me from full contact drills after Friday's game, the trainer's careful monitoring keeping me sidelined for at least this week while the swelling continued going down. I understood the logic. I even agreed with it, somewhere beneath the frustration currently sitting in my chest. But watching my teammates run the same drills I'd run a hundred times before, the same drills that used to fill me with something close to peace, left me feeling strangely hollow instead.Mike skated over during a water break, pulling off his helmet as he approached the bench. "How's the shoulder holding up.""Aching," I admitted. "But manageable. More manageable than watching everyone else run drills w

Jace's POVMike found me in the gym after hours, working through a light shoulder rehab routine the trainer had approved, though even the careful, controlled movements sent dull aches radiating through the joint with every repetition."You're supposed to be resting that," Mike said, dropping his bag by the door, his voice carrying an edge I wasn't used to hearing from him."Trainer cleared these specific exercises." I kept my focus on the resistance band, avoiding his eyes. "Light stuff. Building back mobility.""That's not what I meant, and you know it." Mike crossed the gym, stopping a few feet away, arms crossed tight over his chest. "I meant you're supposed to be resting mentally too. Actually dealing with everything instead of just white-knuckling through workouts alone at ten at night."I set the resistance band down, exhaustion pressing heavier now that he'd called out exactly what I'd been avoiding. "I don't really know how to jus

Jace's POVMike's text came through before I'd even made it back to my dorm, short and pointed enough that dread pooled in my stomach before I'd fully read it.Mike: Check Twitter. Now.I pulled up the app with unsteady hands, scrolling until I found what he meant, a grainy, ten-second video already circulating with several hundred retweets, the caption beneath it sharp enough to make my chest tighten immediately.*Is Jace Carter hiding an injury? Caught wincing hard on campus tonight, favoring his arm noticeably. Team's been struggling lately, wonder if this is why. #WestbrookHockey*I watched the clip twice, my stomach sinking further each time. It showed exactly the moment from tonight, me shifting my weight near Ariana, wincing sharp enough that even out of context, anyone watching could see something was clearly wrong. The video cut off before anything else, no audio, no context about what we'd actually been discussing, just the visu