Chapter 38: Between Protection and Perception

Aveline’s POV

A few days passed after I visited Kieran’s house, but somehow the memory of it stayed lodged inside my head like something I couldn’t shake loose. I still remember the way Kieran’s father spoke to him like he was correcting a defective machine instead of talking to his own son. Ever since that afternoon, something between Kieran and me had shifted quietly into unfamiliar territory.

The sharp hostility that used to define every interaction between us had started fading around the edges. Not completely. We still argued. He still irritated me constantly. But there was less venom underneath it now And somehow that terrified me more.

Instead of studying in the library like normal students, Kieran started dragging me into the small coach’s office overlooking Crestwood’s ice rink before hockey practice every evening. Coach Hale barely used the room unless he needed to scream at someone privately, so most afternoons it sat empty except for old game footage stacked in cabinets and the constant distant sound of skates cutting across ice below.

The office windows overlooked the rink perfectly.

Most days the team practised while we studied, the sharp whistles and crashing bodies downstairs blending into background noise while Kieran struggled through philosophy readings like they were written in another language.

“You’re telling me this guy really spent four pages talking about reality just to say nobody knows what’s real?” Kieran muttered, leaning back in his chair with visible frustration. “Philosophy people are insane.”

I laughed despite myself while reaching for his notebook. “No, you just skipped half the context again.”

“I did not.”

“You absolutely did.”

He slid the notebook toward me with exaggerated annoyance while I rewrote part of his notes properly. Over the last few days, I had noticed something strange about Kieran when it came to studying. When he got frustrated before, he would usually shut down completely or lash out at whoever was helping him. Now he actually listened.

Not because he suddenly loved philosophy, but because he trusted me enough to stop pretending he understood things he didn’t.

I pointed at the paragraph carefully. “Okay, think about it like hockey strategy instead. The philosopher is basically saying people only understand reality based on the role they’re trapped inside. Kind of like how everyone at Crestwood only sees you as the hockey captain first before anything else.”

Kieran stared at the page for a second.

Then slowly nodded. “Oh.”

I continued explaining the theory more simply, breaking it apart piece by piece until his expression gradually relaxed.

“Huh,” he muttered finally, glancing down at the notes again. “You actually make this junk make sense.”

A lazy smile touched his mouth before he added quietly, “Thanks, Ash.”

My heartbeat stumbled so suddenly it almost hurt.

The nickname sounded natural coming from him. Comfortable Like he wasn’t speaking to Crestwood’s mascot or some teammate he barely tolerated anymore.

It sounded like a real friend talking.

I hated how much that affected me.

I looked down quickly before he could notice anything on my face. “Don’t get emotional about it, Hampton.”

He smirked immediately. “Too late.”

Lunch a few days later completely destroyed whatever peace I still had left.

I was sitting with Daphne and Theo at our usual cafeteria table while the entire room buzzed loudly around us. Crestwood’s cafeteria always looked more like an upscale restaurant than an actual school dining hall, with overpriced food and students dressed as they belonged in magazine advertisements instead of classrooms.

Theo was halfway through complaining about Coach Hale’s latest practice schedule when the noise around our table shifted slightly.

I looked up instinctively.

Kieran walked through the cafeteria. Landon was laughing about something Milo said.

Kieran’s eyes landed on me immediately Then, without hesitation, he changed direction and walked straight toward our table.

Theo visibly stiffened beside me.

“Hey, Ash,” he said casually once he stopped beside my chair. “I finished that reading last night. Don’t start the outline without me.”

I looked up slowly. “Alright. Just don’t lose the notes this time.”

Kieran grinned slightly before reaching down to tap the back of my chair casually. “No promises.” Then he walked away as if nothing unusual had happened.

The second he disappeared into the lunch crowd, Theo slammed his water bottle onto the table hard enough to make Daphne jump slightly.

“Are you seeing this?” Theo snapped immediately, looking between Daphne and me. “He’s completely playing you, Asher.”

I frowned. “Theo.."

“He’s dangerous.”

Normally Daphne would’ve interrupted right there. She usually balanced Theo out whenever he got too intense about something.

But this time she stayed quiet.

Then slowly looked down at her tray before speaking softly.

“Asher… I think Theo might be right this time.”

That surprised me enough to go silent.

Daphne finally looked at me carefully. “Kieran isn’t exactly known for being a good person. We’re just worried about what happens when he gets tired of this little game.”

The words hit harder than they should have, because suddenly I felt trapped between them.

Theo looked angry.

Daphne looked worried.

And somehow both of them had already decided Kieran was manipulating me before I even got the chance to understand what was happening myself.

The rest of lunch felt uncomfortable after that. By the time the bell rang, I was already exhausted.

Unfortunately, things only got worse afterwards.

Theo cornered me outside between the science building and the gymnasium before I could escape.

The courtyard was mostly empty except for a few students crossing toward the practice fields while Theo blocked my path completely.

His expression looked tense. Angry. Hurt.

“Since when does he get to call you Ash?” he asked suddenly.

I blinked. “What?”

“I’ve been the one protecting you,” Theo continued, stepping closer. “Looking out for you. Keeping your secrets. And now Hampton just smiles at you for a few days and suddenly he’s inside your life?”

My stomach tightened instantly. “What secret are you even talking about?”

Theo looked frustrated immediately, like he almost said something he shouldn’t have.

“It’s a school project, Theo. Why are you acting as if you own me?”

His jaw tightened hard enough for me to notice. “Because I care about you more than he ever will,” he admitted sharply. “You’re changing, Asher. You look at him like he matters now and you’re leaving me behind.”

The conversation suddenly felt suffocating. “I’m capable of making my own choices.”

Theo’s expression cracked slightly at that.

For a second he just stared at me before stepping backwards slowly. Then without another word, he turned and walked away.

That night during our study session, Kieran noticed my mood almost immediately.

“You’ve been glaring at the same paragraph for ten minutes,” he said finally.

“I’m reading.”

“You’re definitely not.”

I sighed heavily, rubbing my forehead tiredly.

Kieran watched me for another second before suddenly closing the textbook. “Come on.”

I frowned. “What?”

“You look like you’re about to commit a felony inside Coach Hale’s office. We’re leaving.”

Before I could argue, he grabbed his keys and dragged me out of the rink.

Twenty minutes later we were sitting inside a quiet diner somewhere outside Crestwood.

The place was small and warm compared to most places Old booths. Soft music. The smell of fries and coffee hangs in the air.

Kieran slid a burger and fries across the table toward me before leaning back in his seat.

“You’ve been quiet since lunch,” he said carefully. “Let me guess. Your shadow and your girlfriend gave you a lecture about hanging out with the bad crowd?”

I stared down at the table. “They think you’re using me.”

Kieran laughed softly at that.

Obviously, Hampton doesn’t make friends with just anyone,” I added dryly.

That made him grin briefly before his expression slowly faded again. He glanced toward the diner window.

“They don’t want you to change because it scares them,” he said after a moment. “Real friends don’t try to keep you locked in a cage just to keep you safe.”

Something about the quiet honesty in his voice made me finally look at him.

“If they can’t handle you growing,” Kieran continued, “that’s on them.”

That night I realised the hockey captain I used to fear and hate was becoming the only person who actually saw me clearly anymore.