Chapter 75: The Coach’s Fury

Aveline’s POV

The referees finally broke up the big fight on the ice. It took four grown men to pull Kieran away from the other player.

The ice rink was a big mess of dropped hockey sticks, gloves, and helmets. Because of the total chaos we caused, Coach Hale was very angry. He made both Kieran and me sit on the bench for the whole final part of the game. We were not allowed to play anymore.

Down in the penalty area, Coach Hale was screaming right in our faces. His skin was bright red, and his neck looked tight. He was furious that his team captain and his star comeback player were acting like wild animals. He was mad that we wanted to fight each other instead of trying to win the hockey game.

“You two are a total disgrace tonight!” Coach Hale yelled, his voice very loud. “You are supposed to be my best players! Instead, you are acting like fools on the ice! I do not want to see this again!”

I did not listen to his angry words. I sat heavily on the bench. I moved my hands under my wet jersey to check my ribs for injuries. Every time I touched my chest, a sharp wave of pain shot through my body. The pain made me gasp for air. It was hard to breathe.

Across the bench, Kieran looked terrified. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide. He was not looking at the angry coach at all. He was staring directly at me. He watched my hands move over my sore ribs, and his eyes showed a deep panic. He looked like he wanted to help me right away.

Theo sat on the far end of the bench, watching the whole thing. He looked at Kieran’s worried face, and then he looked at me. In that exact moment, Theo’s long suspicion turned into absolute certainty. He looked like he was completely sure about the deep, secret romance happening between Kieran and me. Obviously, the look in Kieran's eyes gave him the answers he was looking for.

The final buzzer sounded, making a loud noise through the stadium. The game was over. Crestwood lost the match. Even though the score was close, the atmosphere felt like a massive defeat for the whole school.

After the game, everyone in the building was deeply disappointed. The fans and the parents were sad that Crestwood could not win. The other team came all the way to our home rink in Connecticut and still beat us on our own ice.

The shame was very massive. No one was talking or laughing.

Inside the locker room, the energy was terrible. The room was completely packed with guys shouting, throwing their heavy gear, and walking around.

I wanted to change out of my hockey clothes immediately. But I could not risk taking off my shirt in front of them because of my tight chest binding. Someone would see that I am a girl.

Still half-dressed in my heavy hockey pads and jersey, I quickly slipped out of the back door of the locker room. I headed down the dark stairs into the dim basement garage.

This was the lower area where the school stores old sports equipment, heavy mats, and broken nets. It was cold, dark, and completely empty of people.

I walked toward the back of the garage and leaned my tired body against a tall stack of blue gym mats. I unzipped the front of my heavy hockey jersey. I began gasping for air, taking short, quick breaths. The physical pain of my bruised ribs was intense. Every single breath felt like a sharp knife was sticking into my chest. I closed my eyes, trying to stop the pain.

Suddenly, the door at the end of the long hallway clicked open.

I froze instantly. My heart jumped right into my throat. I tried to pull my jersey back up over my chest to hide myself. I assumed it was a janitor or cleaner coming down the stairs.

But it was not the coach. It was Kieran.

He stepped into the dark garage and slammed the door behind him. He reached down with his big hand and turned the lock, locking the door from the inside. We were totally alone now.

“Get out of here, Kieran,” I breathed out. My voice was shaking badly from the pain in my ribs and the sudden fear in my chest.

Kieran did not leave the room. He began walking closer and closer to my body. His hockey boots made loud noises on the floor. His face looked completely raw, and his eyes were dark with a mix of anger and deep sadness.

“No,” Kieran said, his voice deep, low, and very firm. “I am not going anywhere. I am completely done letting you run away from me, Aveline.”

He took two fast steps and stepped right into my personal space. He trapped my body against the tall stack of blue gym mats. I quickly put both of my hands flat against his hard chest. I tried to violently push him back to get away from him. I wanted him to move away, but Kieran did not budge an inch. He stood there like a heavy stone wall, holding me in place.

In the quiet basement garage, our argument exploded into a vicious, whispered screaming. We kept our voices low so no one upstairs could hear us, but our words were sharp and full of pain.

I looked him right in his eyes and accused him of everything. I told him he was a liar, a fake person, and a cruel bully. I wanted to hurt him with my words.

“You drove my brother to suicide, Kieran!” I shouted at him in a harsh whisper. The hot tears were finally burning my eyes. “Asher is dead because of you and your bad friends! Asher is dead, Kieran! Do you hear me?”

Kieran’s face went completely still, as if I had hit him with a rock. He looked shocked and broken. He reached down fast and grabbed both of my wrists in his big, strong hands. He did not hurt me, but he held my hands flat against his chest, right over his heart.

“Listen to me!” Kieran snapped, his own voice breaking and cracking with raw emotion. “Feel this right now!”

His heart was hammering wildly. It was beating fast, like a trapped animal trying to escape a cage. He stood there, holding my hands tight against his chest, and began to tell me the absolute truth. He told me how much he loved me. He swore to me that he would never do anything to hurt my family or me. He explained how he had been completely drowning in guilt for months. He said that during the entire summer, the only thing he cared about was me. He did not think about his hockey career or school. He only thought about me.

“I loved you, Aveline!” Kieran snapped, a real tear finally sliding down his pale cheek. “I still love you right now, more than anything! And you are looking at me like I am the bad person who killed him!”

The heavy words hung in the air between us, thick and loud.

I stopped fighting his grip. I stood perfectly still staring up into his eyes. My chest was moving up and down very fast, my breath ragged and hot. The deep hatred in my eyes suddenly began to blur. It was mixed with the undeniable, painful chemistry that we had shared over the beautiful summer months. I remembered the beach, the laughs, and his touch.

I hated him for what he represents in this rich school. I hated myself for failing my brother Asher. But standing this close to him, with his warm heart beating hard against my palms, I realised the terrible truth. I was completely powerless against my own feelings for him. I still cared about him, and it hurt.

Kieran’s gaze slowly dropped down to look at my lips. His breathing was just as ragged and broken as mine. Slowly, he released my wrists from his grip. His large hand moved up from my arm to gently touch the side of my jaw. His thumb brushed over my cheek, his touch warm and soft against my cold skin. His face was only inches away from mine now. I could feel the heat coming off his body.

“Tell me you hate me, Aveline,” Kieran whispered, his eyes begging me for an answer. “Look me right in the eye and tell me you do not feel this spark between us. Tell me that, and I swear I will walk away from you forever. I will never trouble you again.”

I opened my mouth to tell the big lie. I wanted to say the mean words to protect my heart and avenge my brother. But as I looked deep into his eyes, my throat closed up tightly, and absolutely no words came out of my mouth. I was stuck in his gaze, completely silent.