All Chapters of Fake Dating My Hockey Neighbor : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

# Chapter 1: The Life I Can Barely Afford*Sloane*My phone buzzed at 6:45 in the morning, and I already knew it wasn't good news. Good news doesn't buzz that early.A message from my bank sat on the screen, bright and cheerful like it hadn't just ruined my whole day. *Your balance is $2,340.17.* I already knew where every dollar of it was going before it even left my account — Mom's tests, Mateo's school fees, rent, the lights, the water, all the little things that stop feeling little when they show up on the same day. I did the math fast and grim, the way I always do, and landed where I always land. Nothing left over.It's not like I waste money. I haven't bought new shoes in over a year. I bring lunch to work in a plastic container older than some of my coworkers' relationships. The problem was never how I spend it. The problem is there just isn't enough of it.My phone buzzed again. A call this time. Mom."Hey, sweetheart." Her voice was warm, the way it always is, like she'd prac

Chapter 3: Fifteen Seconds*Sloane*I checked my account balance three times that night, like it might be different the fourth time. It never was.Mom's dialysis was starting soon, and dialysis isn't cheap, not even with insurance covering part of it. Mateo's fees were still due. The electric bill was sitting in my email, unread on purpose, because I already knew what it said. I did the math again, the same grim math I always do, and landed on the same answer.Not enough.I sat on the edge of my bed and stared at the wall for a long time. I didn't cry. I've gotten very good at not crying, mostly because once I start, it's hard to stop, and I didn't have time to fall apart tonight. I didn't want to call anyone either. My mom would worry. Mateo would apologize again. My best friend Tessa would tell me to take a break, and she'd be right, and I'd ignore her anyway.What I wanted, more than anything, was one single night where I didn't think about money.So I got up, put on the one good d

Chapter 5: The Proposal*Rhys*My morning started like every other morning. Alarm at five. Gym by five-thirty. An hour of weights before my body even fully woke up, followed by a shower and a breakfast I don't particularly enjoy but eat anyway because my nutritionist would have my head if I didn't.By seven, I was pulling on my jacket, mentally running through the day's schedule. Practice. Film review. A sponsor call I was already dreading.Then my phone started buzzing.Once. Twice. Then it didn't stop.I ignored it the way I ignore most things before eight in the morning. Texts from teammates usually mean somebody's hungover or somebody wants to trash talk about fantasy hockey. I figured it was one or the other.It wasn't.By the time I actually looked at the screen, I had forty-three missed notifications, a dozen texts, and three calls from Marcus, my agent, who does not call three times before eight unless something's on fire.*Get to the facility. Now.*I got to the facility.Mar

Chapter 7: The Contract*Sloane*I walked into the meeting room the next morning with a legal pad, three pens, and enough sleep deprivation to make me either extremely sharp or slightly unhinged. I hadn't decided which yet.Rhys was already there, sitting across the table, arms crossed like he was bracing for a fight he already expected to lose. Our eyes met the second I stepped through the door, and neither of us bothered pretending to be pleased about it."Miss Reyes," Marcus said, standing to greet me, all warmth and business smiles. "Please, sit."I sat. I didn't smile back."Before we start," I said, pulling out my legal pad, "I have conditions. I didn't come here to sign whatever you put in front of me.""Didn't expect you to," Rhys said. "You strike me as someone who reads the fine print on cereal boxes.""I strike you correctly," I said, not looking up. "It's called literacy. You should try it sometime."Marcus cleared his throat, the sound of a man deciding not to referee ye