All Chapters of MY ONLINE EX IS THE HOCKEY SUPERSTAR : Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

My bedroom was pitch-black except for the harsh blue light of my phone screen, which seemed determined to burn straight through my eyes. Half-unpacked moving boxes were stacked around the room, taking up most of the space beside my messy desk and the bed I hadn't bothered making in three days.Outside, the street was unusually quiet. It was Friday night, which meant most college freshmen were probably out at house parties, squeezing into cars for late-night taco runs, or hanging out in crowded dorm rooms with their friends. Meanwhile, I was curled up on the corner of my mattress, my knees pulled against my chest and my body swallowed by a faded, double-XL men's hoodie. The oversized fabric was practically a tent, but I liked it that way. It helped hide every part of my body I wished I could change.I scrolled through Instagram, although I knew I would only end up feeling worse.My feed was filled with pictures of people having the kind of lives I could only watch from a distance. A gi

The screen switched to the main discovery feed, and profiles began appearing one after another. There were selfies taken in gym mirrors, blurry pictures from crowded bars, group photos where it was almost impossible to tell who owned the account, and short bios filled with dry one-liners.I scrolled through them without really looking for anyone in particular. The guilt from creating my fake profile was still bothering me, lingering at the back of my mind like an annoying little voice. I was a fraud, a ghost hiding behind the face of a beautiful woman who didn't even know I existed.Then a notification slid down from the top of my screen, accompanied by a soft ding.«New Message from W_DeLuca»I froze, my thumb hovering just above the screen.Curiosity got the better of me, and I tapped the notification, opening a private chat window. Before reading his message, I decided to check out his profile and see who I was dealing with.His profile was surprisingly empty. There were no linked

The arena's neon floodlights cut through the haze of ice mist, bathing the rink in a harsh, electric glare. The thunderous roar of eighteen thousand screaming fans reverberated through the steel girders overhead, creating a deafening wall of sound that usually sent adrenaline rushing through my veins.Tonight, I barely heard any of it.I sat on the bench, my helmet hanging loosely from one gloved hand, my chest heaving as sweat trickled down the back of my neck and soaked through my heavy jersey. Around me, my teammates were shouting and pounding each other's shoulder pads, celebrating a hard-fought period.As the team captain, I was supposed to be barking orders, reviewing plays, and keeping everyone focused.Instead, my eyes kept drifting toward the tunnel entrance, where one of the equipment trainers was holding my personal phone.Did she text back?"DeLuca! Great backcheck in the final minute, Cap!" our head coach barked, stepping up to the bench with a white dry-erase board clutc

The next day, after my morning class, I was going back to my dorm to eat my leftover spaghetti from last night when I received a message from Willam. “W_DeLuca: Baby, I sent a little gift over to brighten your day, baby. It should be arriving right about now. Don't argue with me, just open it.I stared at the text message, a faint smile touching my lips before the familiar anxiety settled in my stomach. At precisely 11:00 AM on a crisp Thursday morning, the delivery van pulled up outside my small rental house.It wasn't just one box. The courier, wearing white leather gloves and carrying a clipboard, brought in three massive, immaculate packages adorned with designer ribbons. There were even wooden shipping crates that looked as though they belonged in an art gallery.I hauled everything upstairs to my bedroom, my heart fluttering wildly in my chest. I sliced through the tape on the largest crate first and pulled back the layers of scented black tissue paper.Inside was a brand new,