Does Gametime Guarantee Their Tickets?

Five years ago, his rising hockey fame shattered our forever promise, leaving me with nothing but memories. Now, I’m the journalist assigned to cover his championship run, and he’s the cold, distant superstar who treats me like a stranger in front of the cameras. But the moment the lights dim, his burning gaze pins me down, revealing a hunger that never died. In the locker room shadows, the bad boy enforcer is ready to break every rule to reclaim what was always his.

During the summer vacation, I go overseas with my boyfriend, Cornell Glover, to attend his favorite music festival that is called the Tuchella Music Festival. When we are lining up to go into the venue under the sweltering heat of 86F, I go to the vendors nearby to buy him some iced bottled water. But by the time I get back, Cornell is gone. To make things worse, my digital ticket shows that it has already been checked in. Anxious, I call him and ask, "Have you gone in? Why does my ticket show that I've checked in?" Cornell replies, "Oh. I ran into Ellie Valdez, the intern from our department, just now. She was crying at the entrance because she couldn't get a ticket, so I gave yours to her." "Are you crazy? I was the one who got us those VIP front-row seats!" I exclaim. "Come on. It's not like you're interested in rock music. You'd just be scrolling on your phone after you get in. Ellie is a diehard fan. Don't you think you should let someone who appreciates the music have this instead?" Cornell says nonchalantly. I am so shocked that I don't know what to say. After a few seconds, I say in disbelief, "So you left me out here, all alone, for an intern's sake?" Cornell sounds dismissive as he says, "You can hear the music from outside anyway. Just find somewhere to sit and wait until the music festival ends. Don't be so selfish." I listen to the long, monotonous beep after he hangs up on me for a moment before calling my lead singer brother right away.

I managed to secure a VIP seat for my favorite idol's concert. Just as I followed the staff to my seat and was about to sit down, a woman walked up from behind and plopped herself right into my spot. "This view is the best. I'm taking this seat." I looked at her and felt speechless. "Miss, that's my seat. Please move!" To my surprise, she pulled out a stack of cash from her bag and tossed it at me. "If you're broke, don't try to act like a fan. I'm buying this spot from you. Take the money and get lost!" When I didn't move, she sneered, "I'm the secretary to Mark Lawrence, CEO of Lawrence Group. In Jericha City, everyone knows the Lawrence family. Don't push your luck!" Mark? Wasn't he the man my dad engaged me to? I immediately retrieved my phone and called him. "Your secretary is out here throwing her weight around. She stole my concert seat. You owe me an explanation for this!"

After giving me the cold shoulder for a month, Jules Anderson voluntarily handed me two VIP wristbands for Coachella and invited me to attend it on our wedding anniversary. I was dressed to the nines that day, but he never appeared, even after admissions started. Then, once I was about to enter, I realized that the wristbands in my bag were gone. At that moment, Jules' childhood sweetheart, Maddie Washington, updated her social media. In the photo, Jules was solemnly holding a pink cotton candy, completely different from his usual cold and aloof demeanor. The caption read: [Finally seeing Domi Dora. Thank you to the person who always responds to my every request.] Looking at the empty compartment in my bag, I suddenly understood everything. In the past, I would have had a big argument with Jules and forced him to give me an explanation. Now, I just felt relieved. It had been five years. I accumulated so many disappointments that I was drained.

Goalie: a player in the goal whose duty is to prevent the ball from entering or crossing itSee Santos and Mariana DeGuajaradoAs goalie of the Texas Mutiny, Santos is damn good at protecting that net. But he never bothered to protect his marriage. Letting the fame and notoriety go to his head, he lost the things he loved the most… his wife and kids. Now he has one shot to make it right before losing at this relationship game and he’s determined not to miss this time.Mariana has been scarred so deeply by Santos’s betrayals, she will carry the wounds forever. After almost ten years of marriage though, she knows him well, and she knows he won’t let go without a fight. Still, she refuses to be a push over. Because love is never enough…Contains explicits scenes and is recommended for ages 18+.Goalie is created by M.E. Carter, an eGlobal CreativePublishing Signed Author.

The night before our trip, my girlfriend, Bailey Carter, tags me in the group chat. "Check your flight ticket." I tap into the flight app and realize that my flight ticket is cancelled. The date shows that it was cancelled three days ago. Before I can even type a single word into the group chat, our friend, Derek Wilson, pops up. "I made a bet with Bails that you wouldn't check your ticket before you left tomorrow, but she made you check it yourself. That's cheating!" Bailey replies, "That's enough. You lost anyway because he only just found out now. Go book his ticket again. We'll just sit separately now." They continue chatting very happily in the group chat. The same thing happened last time when they bet that I wouldn't notice that they changed our standard two-bed hotel room to a triple room. I was then made to sleep on the extra mattress provided. Another time, they made another bet that I wouldn't realize that they changed our travel itinerary, switching out the only time I wanted to visit the art museum for an escape room. Every time I tell them that I don't like what they did, they will gaslight me and tell me the same thing. "But you never told us that you cared about it. How would we have known that you'd mind?" Yet, they have never once asked me about my opinion. I don't bother booking my flight ticket again. Instead, I open another flight app and search for a flight to Northland, planning to watch the aurora borealis at night. Maybe it's alright to be alone after all.