Lahat ng Kabanata ng Taming the varsity player : Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

ELOISE ​The soft, warm morning light filtered through the sheer curtains of our living room, painting amber streaks across the hardwood floor. ​I was standing in the kitchen in my oversized sweater, pouring hot water into two ceramic mugs, when the sudden clatter of a cabinet door made me jump. ​Tasha was standing in the hallway, clutching her silk robe around her waist. Her jaw was practically touching the floor as her eyes flicked from me to the closed door of my bedroom, where Mike was still sleeping. ​"Eloise Vance," Tasha whispered frantically, marching into the kitchen with her hands raised in utter disbelief. "Why on earth is Mike Weller asleep in our apartment?! Did I fall into an alternate universe last night?!" ​"Tash, shh! Keep your voice down," I murmured, holding a hand up. "He had a really rough night. He showed up at midnight completely unraveled... he found out his dad has another family." ​Tasha paused, her sharp expression softening slightly into a flicker of g

MIKE ​The relentless, rhythmic beep... beep... beep... of the ICU monitors cut through the sterile quiet of the hospital waiting room like a dull blade. ​I sat hunched over on the vinyl chairs, my elbows resting on my knees, my face buried in my hands. The smell of floor sanitizer and rubbing alcohol made my stomach turn. Every minute felt like an eternity while the medical team worked behind those heavy double doors. ​A sharp set of dress shoes clicked rapidly against the polished floor. ​I looked up, my eyes raw, bloodshot, and heavy with exhaustion. ​Richard Weller was hurrying down the hallway. His tailored dark suit was slightly rumpled, his hair uncharacteristically out of place, and his face pale with raw, unvarnished fear. He looked less like the untouchable CEO of Weller Development and more like a man watching his entire life catch fire. ​"Michael!" he rasped, his voice tight as he stopped right in front of me, his hands trembling. "How is she? Where is your mothe

ELOISE​The Belmont arena was deafening.​The student section was a sea of navy and gold, chant after chant rattling the rafters as the final buzzer sounded. On the hardwood below, Jax pulled down the game-ending rebound, clutching the ball to his chest before tossing it to the referee with a grin that could light up the entire city.​Belmont: 84 | State: 72.​"I mean, look at number 12," Tasha shouted over the roaring crowd, nudging my shoulder aggressively with her elbow. She threw her dark hair back, fanning herself with her arena program. "That guard has been making eyes at me since the third quarter, El. I am this close to letting him get my number."​I laughed, wrapping my coat tighter around my shoulders as the crowd began to stream toward the exits. "Tash, you said you were taking a break from men after Marcos."​"I took a break," she said smoothly, adjusting her lip gloss in her phone camera with zero shame. "It lasted forty-eight hours. I've healed, babes. I’m an evolved wom

JAX ​The foyer felt like it was spinning at a hundred miles an hour. ​The air vanished from my lungs, replaced by a suffocating, metallic burn. I looked at Mrs. Weller. I looked at Richard Weller. Then my eyes snapped to Mike. ​A sharp, hysterical laugh suddenly tore out of my throat—a harsh, dry sound that echoed off the cold marble walls. ​"You're joking," I rasped, shaking my head, taking a step backward as a dark, unhinged smile spread across my face. "WTF... this can't be real. What? What?!" ​"Jax, listen to me—" Richard stepped forward, his hands raised, his eyes desperate. ​"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I roared, my voice cracking with a terrifying, venomous rage that made Eloise gasp behind me. I pointed a shaking finger straight at Richard's face. "So I'm the other son? You've been seeing my mom for twenty years? You knew about me?! And you never saw me? You never came looking for me?!" ​Richard looked like he’d been shot, his mouth opening and closing without a single sound comin

JAX ​The grandfather clock in the foyer ticked like a slow, heavy pulse. ​I paced the hardwood floor of the living room, a half-empty glass of bourbon sweating in my palm, my chest so tight I could barely draw air. Every shadow in the dark house felt suffocating. ​The heavy front doors finally swung open. ​Elizabeth Cole stepped into the entry hall. The formidable, untouchable CEO of Cole Enterprises was completely gone. Her designer coat hung loosely off her shoulders, her dark hair was uncharacteristically messy, and her eyes were swollen and rimmed with red. ​For the first time in my life, my mother looked fragile. ​"Jax..." she whispered, her voice cracking as she set her handbag on the console table and took a trembling step toward me. ​"Don't," I snapped, raising my hand, the ice in my glass clinking violently against the crystal. "Don't come near me, Mum." ​She flinched as if I’d struck her, pressing a hand over her trembling mouth. "Jax, baby, please... you have to let