Chapter 30: Away Games

Aveline’s POV

The first official away game was finally here. Apparently, for Crestwood's girlfriends, this trip was more important than the actual hockey match itself.

Girls crowded the parking lot before sunrise wearing oversized Crestwood jackets, expensive boots and enough makeup for a red carpet event. Some carried coffee for their boyfriends while others clung possessively to hockey players like the buses were transporting them to the Maldives for vacation instead of Boston.

To them, away games meant status, It was never really about supporting the team.

It was about proving who mattered most, who got invited, who sat beside whom, and stayed closest to the players the entire trip.

Almost like travelling automatically certified you as “the real girlfriend.”

Meanwhile, the hockey team clearly couldn’t care less.

The players moved around carrying duffel bags and hockey sticks while Coach Hale yelled instructions at anybody unfortunate enough to stand too still near him.

“This is an away game, not a honeymoon,” he barked loudly. “If I hear about anybody causing trouble in Boston, I’ll personally ruin your lives.”

“Emotionally or physically?” Milo asked.

Coach pointed at him immediately. “You first.”

Theo laughed loudly beside me while Milo looked deeply offended by the threat.

I stayed near the edge of the crowd quietly watching everything.

Daphne appeared beside me carrying a small travel bag.

She looked nervous.

“So...” she started carefully.

I glanced toward her.

“So?”

She hesitated briefly before speaking again.

“I wanted to thank you for agreeing to take me along as your partner.”

I blinked once. Honestly, I didn’t think deeply about it.

“Sure,” I answered immediately.

Her face brightened almost instantly. “You just saved my life, i have always wanted to attend one of these in a long while.”

“That seems dramatic.”

“You haven’t seen the supporter group chats.”

I laughed quietly despite myself.

To me, agreeing genuinely meant nothing.

We were friends.

That was all.

Unfortunately, Crestwood students loved turning simple things into emotional warfare.

The bus stood directly in front of us by the time we finished talking. Players were already climbing inside while Coach Hale argued on the phone about equipment transportation.

I followed Daphne onto the bus And immediately everything went silent. Every conversation stopped, literally every single one.

My steps slowed instinctively.

Then my eyes landed on Kieran. He sat halfway down the aisle beside Percy. Percy leaned comfortably against his shoulder while talking animatedly, one hand resting casually against his arm as it belonged there. She looked perfect even at six in the morning.

The second Kieran noticed me entering with Daphne, his expression changed slightly.

The silence stretched awkwardly.

Then Milo suddenly slapped Landon’s shoulder dramatically. “Seems I was wrong after all.”

Theo frowned immediately. “About what?”

Milo pointed toward Daphne and me with betrayal written across his face.

“Asher really banged Daphne Sinclair.”

Several players burst out laughing.

Daphne groaned instantly. “Oh my God, shut up.”

Milo crossed his arms angrily.

“I didn't see this coming through i just suspicious of Kieran over nothing.”

“Nothing is happening,” I replied flatly.

Eventually, the noise returned to normal again but I could still feel eyes lingering occasionally.

Daphne slid into the empty seat beside me while I stared out the window pretending not to notice Kieran across the aisle.

I didn’t look directly at him again.

At least not intentionally.

But deep down my chest burned uncomfortably anyway. And honestly?

I hated it.

Because this was Kieran Hampton. The same arrogant hockey captain I entered Crestwood planning to destroy.

So why was I reacting like this?

Why did seeing Percy touching him make my stomach twist strangely?

Maybe it was because of the clinic.

Maybe because when he carried me off the ice, I saw something real in him for the first time.

Not the cocky captain everybody worshipped.

Not the infuriating jerk constantly getting under my skin.

Just someone genuinely terrified something had happened to me.

That memory still lingered inside my head far more than I wanted it to.

We hadn’t spoken properly since then. I never even got the chance to thank him And somehow that unfinished tension only made everything worse.

The bus eventually pulled away from Crestwood while music played softly from somewhere near the back.

Theo and Milo immediately started arguing over playlists.

“Who voluntarily listens to this?” Theo demanded.

“People with taste.”

“This sounds like a midlife crisis.”

“You look like a midlife crisis.”

Coach Hale shouted at them to shut up before the trip had even properly started.

Landon spent most of the journey throwing chips at Milo’s head while Cassian remained silent near the back staring out the window.

Meanwhile, Percy remained attached to Kieran the entire ride.

Resting against him.

Laughing loudly at everything he said.

Running her fingers absentmindedly across his arm while talking.

At one point she fed him fries dramatically and Milo fake gagged loudly enough for half the bus to hear.

I rolled my eyes trying to ignore all of it.

Unfortunately, my eyes kept drifting back toward Kieran anyway.

Sometimes he looked at me too.

Like he was checking something.

Every single time it happened, my pulse reacted before my brain could stop it.

Which was becoming deeply annoying.

Daphne eventually fell asleep beside me halfway through the journey while I stayed awake staring outside the window.

Boston finally appeared hours later.

Tall buildings stretched endlessly against the skyline while city lights reflected beautifully across wet streets. Even the team became quieter for a moment watching the city come into view.

Then Milo ruined the peace immediately.

“If I become famous after hockey, I’m buying a penthouse here.”

“You can barely afford cafeteria food,” Theo replied.

“Dreams are free.”

The bus finally slowed outside the hotel and my jaw almost dropped.

The place looked insane, Huge glass entrance, Luxury cars parked outside. Golden lights glowing through enormous windows Even the hotel staff somehow looked expensive.

“This place probably costs more than my future,” Milo whispered dramatically while stepping off the bus.

Theo nodded seriously beside him. “Same.”

I climbed down slowly staring upward at the building.

This was easily the most beautiful hotel I had ever seen in my life.

Inside looked even worse. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling while polished marble floors reflected every light perfectly beneath our feet. Massive flower arrangements decorated the lobby and soft piano music played somewhere nearby. Everything smelled expensive even breathing here felt expensive.

Players dragged luggage across the lobby while Coach Hale checked everybody in at the front desk.

Daphne stood beside me staring around wide-eyed.

“This is insane.”

I nodded slowly.

Crestwood hockey clearly took winning very seriously.

Eventually, Coach gathered everybody near the elevators.

“Room assignments,” he announced.

Immediately chaos erupted. “I’m not staying with Milo.”

“That sounds personal.”

“You snore like a dying animal.”

“I’m expressive during sleep.”

Landon started laughing while Theo looked genuinely distressed.

Coach ignored everybody completely and continued reading names.

Then suddenly I realised something horrifying.

The guys were sharing rooms together.

My stomach dropped instantly.

At the same time, relief flooded through me because at least I wasn’t staying alone with Daphne. That would’ve been complicated enough already.

But now another problem existed entirely.

I was pretending to be a boy And boys shared rooms with each other.