Semua Bab The Pucking Match: Bab 11 - Bab 20

The campus gossip mill ran faster than a hockey line change. By eight o’clock the next morning, the entire student union was whispering about the exhibition bloodbath. Rumors were flying some said Casper had completely lost his mind, others said Marcus was threatening legal action, but everyone agreed on one thing: it was all because of the scholarship cheerleader who scrubbed the floors.I kept my head down, pulling the hood of my sweatshirt low as I hurried past the brick pillars of the library. My body felt like it was made of lead."Olivia."I stiffened, my sneakers skidding slightly on the damp autumn leaves.Standing near the edge of the campus fountain, away from the heavy foot traffic, was Christian. He didn't look like he belonged on a chaotic college campus. He was wearing a plain charcoal coat, his dark hair damp from the morning mist, his posture calm and completely unbothered by the passing glares of Crestview students."Christian," I said, my voice tight as I glanced aro

The air in the student union basement was cold, but the anger blooming inside my chest was white-hot.I looked down at my hands. They were still shaking, but it wasn't from fear anymore. It was from the absolute absurdity of it all. I was working myself to the bone, surviving on caffeine and four hours of sleep, completely sacrificing my reputation and my peace of mind to protect Casper Vance’s shiny future from his monstrous parents. And in return? He was stomping around campus like a petulant, spoiled child, throwing tantrums, picking fights, and threatening my livelihood just to satisfy some twisted, misdirected thirst for revenge.I am done, I thought, my jaw clenching as I stood up from the concrete wall. I am completely, utterly done playing the silent martyr.I didn't go to my economics seminar. I didn't hide in the library. Instead, I marched straight back to the athletic complex. I didn't care that the halls were empty or that the team was supposedly in a closed-door meeting

The Crestview Recreation Center smelled different from the hockey rink. It lacked that biting, sharp freeze of chemical frost. Instead, it smelled like polished wood, rubber basketballs, and heavy industrial floor wax. It was much quieter here. It felt safer.But as I pushed the wide microfiber dust mop across the empty court at nine o'clock that night, my skin still prickled with a restless tension. My body ached. Every single muscle from my lower back down to my calves screamed for relief."You wanted this," I muttered to myself. My sneakers squeaked loudly against the pristine wood. "You drew the line."I had successfully ended the forced proximity. I wasn't scrubbing Casper’s blood off rubber mats anymore. I wasn't enduring his mocking smirks or watching him kiss Chloe on the sidelines. But the silence he left behind after our blowout in his office felt strange. It felt like the calm before a storm. He hadn't shown up to morning lectures today. His seat in our shared seminar remai

The high from taking my power back didn't last long. On a campus like Crestview, drawing a line in the sand just meant your enemies knew exactly where to aim.It happened on a Thursday afternoon, right after my grueling cheer conditioning session. The rest of the squad had already scattered to the campus diner, but I stayed behind to organize the heavy tumbling mats in the auxiliary gym. My muscles felt like melted lead. Every breath I took tasted like old rubber and dust.I swung my heavy backpack over my shoulder and pushed through the side exit of the athletic complex. The sky was a bruised, heavy gray, and the autumn wind howled through the narrow concrete alleyway that led toward the library commons.I took three steps into the alley before the hair on the back of my neck stood up."Well, if it isn't Casper’s little charity case," a slick, greasy voice mocked from the shadows.I froze. Standing near the massive industrial dumpsters, blocking my only exit toward the main quad, was

The marketing quiz was a complete mess. I could barely read the questions on the paper. My eyes kept looking at the black ink while my brain replayed everything. I kept thinking about the look on Casper's face when I yelled at him. He looked totally broken. I had to keep telling myself that this was the only way. If he stayed far away from me, he would never discover the truth. He would never see the two-year-old boy waiting for me at Freya's place.When the class finally ended, I packed my notebooks and walked out into the main lobby of the building. The cold morning air was full of thick gray fog. It smelled like wet dirt and old leaves."Olivia."I stopped at the bottom of the concrete steps. Christian was leaning against the metal bike racks. He had a black travel cup in his hand. He was wearing a simple dark hoodie today, and his shoulders looked huge against the thin metal bars. He wasn't trying to hide from anyone. He was standing right in the middle of the busiest walkway on c