Chapter 172 Reinstated

Chapter 172 Reinstated
Kieran's POV

Months had passed since the unmasking on the ice, but I still checked my phone every morning expecting Aveline to finally answer.
Prom had come and gone without us. I had spent that night sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at a blank chat screen while the senior group chat flooded with pictures of Reed and Daphne holding their prom king and queen trophies.

Aveline had been completely cut off from Crestwood since her suspension. Every text went unanswered, and every call went straight to voicemail. When I finally tried driving out to her house, Evelyn stood on the porch, giving the same flat excuse she had used for weeks. Aveline was on the coastline visiting her grandparents. Her mother wouldn't let me anywhere near her.

My mother's legal team spent those months thoroughly reviewing the school board's archives. They ultimately proved I was completely uninvolved in the fraud or betting network, forcing the athletic director to clear my name.

Now, I was standing in front of my locker again, pulling the varsity jersey over my chest pads. The jersey felt the same, but the captain’s C on my chest didn't.

"You're up, Hampton," Milo said, slamming his locker shut. He didn't look back at the mirror. He just looked at me, his face serious. "The reporters are already setting up their tripods. The whole rink is packed."

The guys had stayed together over the last month, but the locker room wasn't the same anymore. The loud jokes and shouting that used to fill the room were gone.
"Listen up," I said, stepping into the center of the room. The guys stopped adjusting their laces, turning their heads toward me. "The media is up there waiting for us to fall apart. Don't give them that. We play our game, we keep our hits clean, and we take our rankings back."

Landon nodded from the end bench, taping his stick. "We got your back, captain."

It had taken a long, brutal team talk organized by Coach Hale three weeks ago to get the line to this point. Hale had locked the doors, put his clipboard away, and made everyone say exactly what was on their mind.
The boys had been furious at first, completely blinded by the deception. But when the state police investigation started pulling people into the guidance wing for interviews. That was when most of them finally understood how bad things had gotten.

"I was mad," Milo admitted openly during that meeting, his head down. "I felt like an idiot for not seeing it. But looking at what she was actually dealing with... the courage it took to stand on that ice every day knowing Silas was tracking her? I can't even be mad anymore. She was tougher than half the guys in this league."

"She didn't do it to hurt us," Landon had added. "She did it for her brother. If we can play well without her, we can get our placement back for the seniors. But none of us can deny what she did took serious guts."

They respected what she had done. I did too. But her empty stall still bothered me every time I walked into the room. The locker room had spent the spring mourning the death of their team mascot. Asher Carter's name was officially gone from the roster sheets, and the giant banner with his number had been taken down from the rafters. We weren't just playing for a championship anymore. We were carrying Asher's name with us, even though he was gone.

"Line one, out!" Hale barked, throwing the door open.
The walk down the tunnel was deafening. Flashes from digital cameras blinked behind the plexiglass, and local television anchors were broadcasting live from the premium railed boxes.
I felt the pressure as soon as I stepped onto the ice.

During the first shift, an opposing defenseman threw his shoulder into my chest, pinning me against the boards while the crowd roared. I spun out of the check, drove the puck deep into the neutral zone, and fed a blind pass to Milo on the wing. He buried it into the back of the net. When Milo skated over and slammed his gloves against my pads, the rest of the line crowded around us. The arena was hostile, but we kept our heads in the game. We kept playing until the final buzzer and ignored the cameras.

We won by two points, but nobody celebrated on the slush. We just shook hands with the opponents under the glare of the lenses and headed straight back

By the time I finished showering, the locker room had thinned out. Most of the guys had already left through the back exit to avoid the reporters waiting by the main gates. Milo and Landon were packing their duffel bags near the door, their voices low as they talked about the game logs.

"The board still hasn't released the details on the security breach," Milo was saying, pulling his coat on. "Everyone keeps asking how those files even got onto the scoreboard system during play. Somebody had to have the master override code."

"The tech staff said the feed was automated from a secondary device inside the building," Landon muttered, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Whoever did it knew exactly how the rink loops operated." Who exposed her?"
They walked out.

I stayed on the bench, staring at the empty room, the silence of the locker room making the anger in my chest flare up again. I kept thinking about everyone who had access to the control room and who had disappeared from the bench that day.

I stood up, walked across the damp floor, and pushed open the door to the equipment cage.
Theo was there alone, lifting a crate of spare pucks onto the bottom shelf. He didn't look surprised when the door banged against the wall. He just set the plastic bin down calmly and turned around, his face completely flat.

"Great match tonight, captain," Theo said, his voice level and smooth. He even offered a small, polite smile as he leaned against the metal shelving.

"Welcome back to the rink. The line looked solid out there without the distractions."
His calm voice pissed me off even more. I crossed the short distance between us in two strides, grabbed the front of his varsity jacket, and shoved him hard against the front of the lockers.

"Man up, Theo," I hissed, my hand tightening against his collar. "If you exposed her, why are you hiding behind everyone else? Stop playing the quiet teammate and tell me what you did."

Theo didn't flinch. His eyes stayed dark and steady, his posture remaining entirely controlled even as his back pressed into the iron vents. He looked down at my hand on his jacket, then looked back up at my face.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kieran," Theo said softly, his voice completely flat. "The police already looked at the security logs. Everyone was near the tunnel during that intermission."

"You're a liar," I said, my teeth clenched as I pressed him more firmly against the steel. "I know you were the one manipulating the clock against her."

Theo didn't lose his temper. A slow, cold look came over his face, and his lips turned up into a faint sneer. There wasn't even a hint of fear on his face. He knew I had no physical proof to give. He knew he had me.

"You just got your captaincy back, Hampton," Theo whispered, his voice dropping into a dangerous, steady line. " The crowd are sitting right outside those doors. You wouldn't want a rumor of you bullying a teammate spreading, right?"

I stared at him, my grip tightening on his coat. He knew exactly where to hit me. He knew I couldn't afford another incident.
Slowly, I let go of his jacket, my hands dropping to my sides.
Theo smoothed down the front of his collar, gave me one final look, and walked past me toward the exit. Theo hadn't admitted anything. He didn't have to.