Chapter 40: Claiming the Ice

Aveline’s POV

I went to Kieran’s house after school to finally finish our philosophy project properly. Coach had practically threatened both of us over the grading rubric, and honestly, I was too exhausted lately to keep dragging the assignment out longer than necessary.

The Hampton residence still felt exactly the same as the first time I stepped inside. I barely made it through the entrance hall before hearing noise coming from the open garage nearby.

Curious, I walked toward the sound until I stopped near the garage entrance.

Kieran was there. He was bent slightly over a black motorcycle, sleeves rolled carelessly to his elbows while grease stained one of his hands. A toolbox sat open beside him while parts of the bike were scattered across the garage floor.

For a second, I just stared Because somehow this version of him felt different from the Kieran everybody at Crestwood knew.

He glanced up after sensing movement near the doorway. “You gonna stand there judging me all day or are you coming in?”

“Yeah.....”

He smirked slightly before wiping his hands against a rag.

I stepped inside slowly, eyes moving over the motorcycle again. “You don’t seem like the type that rides a motorcycle.”

Kieran leaned casually against the bike. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Why? Too reckless?”

“I was gonna say too rich.”

That made him laugh softly.

“Nah,” he said eventually. “This was actually a gift from my mom.”

Something about the way he said it made me pause slightly.

“But ever since that night,” he continued more quietly, “I haven’t really taken it out.”

I frowned slightly. “What night?”

His expression shifted immediately.

Kieran looked away while adjusting something unnecessarily on the motorcycle handles. “Nothing.”

But before I could push further, he grabbed a spare helmet from the workbench and tossed it toward me casually.

I barely caught it.

“Come here,” he said.

“What?”

“Put it on.”

I stared at him suspiciously. “Why?”

“I wanna show you something.”

“Kieran, I’m not getting on that death machine.”

“You haven’t even tried it.”

“I enjoy living.”

“That’s debatable.”

I rolled my eyes but slowly slipped the helmet on anyway. It was heavier than expected, the visor slightly fogging from my breathing.

Kieran stepped closer immediately. His hands moved to the sides of the helmet, adjusting the straps beneath my chin carefully. My pulse betrayed me instantly.

“You’re tense,” he muttered.

“You’re standing in my personal space.”

“You aint wearing the helmet properly .”

My face heated immediately. “Oh my God.”

Kieran laughed properly then, fingers brushing lightly beneath my jaw while fixing the strap correctly. “Relax, Ash. I’m not gonna kill you.”

“That’s reassuring considering you drive this thing.”

“Maybe I can teach you sometime.”

The words came quieter. He lifted the visor slowly and suddenly our faces were much closer than they should have been.

For one dangerous second, neither of us moved Then A loud cough shattered the moment completely.

We jumped apart instantly.

Landon stood near the garage entrance holding two energy drinks while looking deeply unimpressed.

“Well,” he drawled slowly. “That looked emotionally complicated.”

Kieran grabbed a wrench off the table and threw it at him immediately.

Landon dodged easily. “it is called project meetings, not whatever this is.”

“It was the helmet,” I defended quickly.

Landon raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

“I need to go,” I said immediately before this situation somehow became worse. Kieran looked annoyed by the interruption while Landon looked entertained by our suffering.

The next day was game night And Crestwood was absolutely insane about it.

The entire school felt electric before we even arrived at the arena. Students crowded the hallways wearing school colors while social media pages spammed countdowns like the game determined national survival.

By the time I squeezed into the mascot suit backstage, the arena was already roaring.

The heavy costume trapped heat instantly around my body while the giant mascot head made breathing harder than it should have been. Still, I forced myself onto the ice beside the cheer team once the tunnel doors opened.

The crowd exploded.

Lights flashed violently across the rink while Crestwood’s anthem blasted through the speakers.

Game day.

The energy tonight felt bigger than usual Like everyone knew the championship was getting closer.

I skated carefully along the boards hyping up the crowd while the players took the ice one by one. Kieran came out last as captain, helmet tucked beneath one arm while the student section practically lost their minds screaming his name.

He didn’t look toward the crowd His eyes found me immediately instead. Even through the mascot suit, the look landed hard enough to make my stomach tighten.

Then the game started.

And Kieran absolutely destroyed the ice. He played aggressively from the very beginning. Faster. Harder. More focused than I had ever seen him before. Every hit sent energy ripping through the arena, Midway through the third period, the score was tied.

The tension inside the arena became unbearable.

Then Kieran stole the puck near center ice. Everything happened fast after that He cut past one defender.

Then another.

The crowd rose instantly. The opposing captain lunged toward him too late.Kieran slammed the puck directly into the top corner of the net.

Goal.

The entire arena exploded. Students screamed violently while teammates crashed into the ice celebrating. But Kieran didn’t skate toward them Instead, he turned sharply toward the mascot section.

Toward me.

My breath caught instantly.

He skated hard across the rink before slamming one gloved hand against the glass directly in front of where I stood.

The impact startled me slightly. Kieran pointed directly at the mascot head At me.

A lethal grin spread across his face beneath his helmet while the crowd screamed even louder behind him. For one terrifying second, it felt less like a celebration and more like a declaration. Like everybody in that arena suddenly knew I belonged to his attention. My pulse refused to calm down for the rest of the game.

Crestwood won And the arena became chaos afterward.

Fans crowded the hallways while reporters waited near exits trying to catch players for interviews. I was exhausted by the time I finally dragged myself backstage carrying half the mascot gear in my arms.

The costume weighed a ridiculous amount once everything came off.

Theo walked beside me helping carry part of the equipment bag while talking about the game excitedly.

“Kieran almost broke that defenseman’s ankles during second period,” he said. “Did you see Coach losing his mind afterward?”

“I think everybody lost their minds.”

“That goal was insane.”

Before I could respond, movement appeared ahead of us.

Kieran. Fresh from the locker room, His dark hair was still damp from the shower while a black Crestwood hoodie hung loosely over gray sweatpants. He looked tired, victorious, and unfairly attractive all at once.

he walked straight toward me. Kieran stopped directly in front of us before effortlessly pulling the heavy mascot bag from my hands like it weighed nothing.

“I’ve got it,” he said simply.

Before I could argue, his arm slid heavily around my shoulders pulling me into a warm side hug.

“Good job out there tonight, Ash.”

The closeness hit me harder than it should have.

Kieran everywhere around me.

Theo stepped forward immediately. His hand grabbed the mascot bag strap tightly. “I’ve got the bag, Hampton. We’re leaving.”

The hallway suddenly felt too quiet despite the crowd.

Kieran didn’t let go. Instead, he stepped slightly closer toward Theo, eyes darkening instantly. “I said I’ve got it.”

Theo’s jaw tightened. “We don’t need your help.”

“And I wasn’t offering it to you.”

Tension exploded so fast between them my stomach dropped instantly.

People nearby were already slowing down watching. Coach Hale stood further down the hallway talking to reporters while several players looked seconds away from interfering.

“Kieran,” I warned quietly.

Neither boy looked at me. Theo’s grip tightened harder against the strap. “You think you can just insert yourself everywhere now?”

Kieran laughed once without humor. “That sounds personal.”

“You don’t see him as just the mascot, ” Theo snapped suddenly, finally looking directly at me instead of Kieran. “You think you’re just friends, but a guy like Kieran Hampton doesn’t treat a teammate or mascot the way he treats you.”

My chest tightened immediately.

Theo wasn’t stopping. “I’m just wondering maybe he’s seen you play and got obsessed,” he continued bitterly. “Who doesn’t know Hampton hates anyone greater than him?”

“Kieran doesn’t..”

“You really don’t see it?” Theo cut in sharply.

My heart pounded violently against my ribs while Theo stared at me like he was begging me to understand something.

And the worst part?.Deep down I already did Because this wasn’t normal anymore.

This wasn’t just friendship anymore And standing there between both boys while the noise of the arena blurred around me, I realized something terrifying.

Theo wasn’t warning me because he hated Kieran.

He was warning me because he saw exactly what was happening long before I did.