Chapter 121: Christmas Is Coming

Aveline's POV

I stared at the screen until it went dark. Booth 4. Hot Chocolate and Gift Wrapping. Kieran Hampton, Elvis Turner and Asher Carter. Out of every single player on the team, why did Coach Hale pair me with him? For Kieran’s own good, I have been trying to avoid him.

I needed to keep him away from my messy life and my revenge. But now, we were going to spend hours standing right beside each other in public. Not only did I ignore his text message, but I don't have a single gift to give him in return for his.

The thought of showing up empty-handed made my stomach turn.

A loud thud from downstairs broke my thoughts. I walked out of the room and looked over the stairs. My mother was pulling a heavy box of decorations out of the closet. She had a big smile on her face.

"Come help me with the tree, Asher!" she called out. "We need to make the room perfect."

I walked down the stairs and forced a smile. I spent the next hour putting silver tinsel on the green branches. But inside, I was dying. Every shiny ornament reminded me that there was no place for Aveline in this house. I was decorating a home that did not belong to me, for a mother who loved a ghost.

I stood on my toes, stretching as high as I could to place the star on the very top branch. Right then, my phone vibrated hard in my pocket. I flinched. My hand slipped, and the star almost crashed to the floor before I caught it against my chest. I pulled the phone out.

Kieran: Hope your ankle feels better.

I stared at the words, my throat burning. I wanted to type something back, but my mother was watching me from the couch, smiling warmly at her "son." I locked the screen and shoved it away, leaving the message unanswered.

The next two days passed in the same painful way. The winter snow grew heavier outside, covering the quiet streets. The radiator clicked constantly, and my mother spent her afternoons baking cookies and softly humming Christmas carols. The house was a quiet prison.

Later that evening, I lay flat on my back in the bedroom. The phone buzzed against my chest again, lighting up the room.

Kieran: You're ignoring your boyfriend now?

A small blush hit my cheeks, and I smiled. But the deep guilt of pushing him toward Katty came back. I could not reply. I set the phone face-down on the mattress, wondering how I would survive the rest of the break. By the next morning, I could not bear it anymore. I had to buy him something real.

I walked into the kitchen, forcing a calm face. "Mom, I'm heading to the pharmacy. My ankle is still stiff, and I need some ice packs."

Evelyn looked up from her baking sheet. Her eyes were full of worry. "Of course, sweetheart. Wrap your scarf tight. Don't stay out too long in the cold."

"I won't," I murmured, grabbing my coat and slipping out into the winter air.

The fresh air felt incredible against my skin. Christmas music blasted from the stores, and bright lights stretched across the snow-covered buildings. Families were walking past, laughing and holding shopping bags.

It was everything I loved about the holiday, but I had to keep my head down, pulling my scarf up high so nobody would recognise my face.

I spent an hour walking through different shops, but nothing felt right. I picked up a silver watch in one store, but it felt too flashy. I looked at some hockey tape in another boutique, but it felt too odd. I rejected three different items because nothing had the right meaning.

Finally, I walked into a small leather shop at the corner of the block. I looked in a glass case at the back and stopped. It was a simple, dark leather braided bracelet. It had a unique silver clasp with a tiny anchor carved into the metal. Find your way home. The symbol instantly hit my chest. It was simple and meaningful.

I pulled out my wallet, paid the cashier, and walked out holding the small paper bag.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, I let out a long sigh of relief. The goal was done. I actually smiled, feeling lighter as I tucked the bag under my winter coat. I thought I was safe.

"Asher?"

The sharp voice froze the blood in my veins. My smile vanished instantly. I went completely rigid. I slowly turned around, fixing my posture and locking the Asher mask tightly over my face.

Katty was standing a few feet away, holding several luxury shopping bags. She was out with two friends from school, and she was looking straight at me. She walked across the snow, her boots clicking loudly. Her sharp eyes looked down at the small paper bag tucked under my arm, a slow smirk spreading across her lips.

"I didn't know you stayed around here, buying presents?" Katty murmured.

"It's just an ankle wrap," I lied flatly, my heart hammering hard as she stepped closer. "

Katty’s smirk grew wider, her eyes narrowing as she looked at my face. "I'm sure it is. See you tomorrow, Carter."

She turned around and walked back to her friends without another word. The cold look in her eyes made my stomach turn as I watched her leave. She did not believe a single word I said, and the encounter left me trembling in the cold.

I hurried back home, slipping through the front door and running up the stairs. I knelt by the bed, lifted the loose floorboard, and pulled out Kieran's blue velvet box. I placed the small paper bag directly beside it. The two gifts rested side by side beneath the floorboard, hidden away in the dark.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and unlocked my phone. The guilt of ignoring his text messages for days felt too heavy to carry, and the shopping trip had broken my resolve. I opened his chat history, my fingers shaking as I typed out a single word

Asher: Sorry...

Before my thumb could find the next letter, the screen switched to an incoming call. The phone vibrated hard against my palm.

It was Coach Hale.

My breath caught in my throat as I swiped the screen open and pressed it to my ear. "Hello, Coach?"

"Asher," Coach Hale’s voice boomed, sounding incredibly serious. "We've got a major problem with the fundraiser lineup."

"What happened, sir?" I asked, my stomach dropping.

"One of the junior varsity volunteers in your team just pulled out because of an emergency," Coach Hale barked. He paused for a long second. "I've just reassigned tomorrow's preparation shift.

You'll be spending the entire day with Hampton setting up the booths in the town square. Be there at seven sharp. No excuses."

The line went completely dead. I slowly lowered the phone, my eyes staring blankly at the wall as the silence of the bedroom closed in around me.