Chapter 137 Chapter 137

Chapter 137 Chapter 137
The final horn still echoed in my ears long after the arena had begun to empty.
It wasn't just a sound anymore.
It was relief and proof and the sound of an entire season refusing to end.
Players from both teams met at center ice, their exhaustion written plainly across their faces. Gloves were removed, helmets tucked beneath tired arms, and one by one, they stepped into the handshake line.
The cheering had softened now. It no longer sounded like thunder instead it sounded... proud and respectful.
The kind of applause reserved for people who had left every ounce of themselves on the ice.
I stood near the media section, notebook hanging loosely at my side. For the first time in what felt like hours, I wasn't writing.
Some moments deserved to stay untouched.
Lucas reached the first Crescent player and grinned despite the bruise already darkening the side of his jaw.
"Hell of a game."
The Crescent winger laughed tiredly.
"You nearly broke my ribs."
Lucas shrugged.
"Worth it."
Both of them chuckled before moving on.
Jake exchanged a handshake with Ethan Cole.
"No rebound next time," Jake teased.
Ethan smirked.
"I'll hold you to that."
The line continued moving. There wasn't any bitterness or trash talk, only respect earned the hard way.
Then...
Ryder stopped. Across from him stood Noah.
For a while, neither of them reached for the other's hand.
They simply looked at one another. Noah broke the silence first.
"You finally stopped trying to do everything yourself."
Ryder let out a tired laugh.
"Took me long enough."
"It did."
They both smiled.
Then Noah extended his hand.
"Congratulations."
Ryder accepted it firmly.
"You made us earn every second."
"I'm glad."
Noah glanced toward the Western Helms bench where teammates were already celebrating.
"Go win the whole thing."
Ryder's eyes followed his.
"We intend to."
"I know."
The handshake lingered for just a heartbeat longer before they let go.
As Noah walked away, he called over his shoulder without looking back.
"And Hayes..."
"Yeah?"
"Next time..."
Ryder raised an eyebrow.
"...shoot the puck once in a while."
Ryder laughed, shaking his head.
"I'll think about it."
For once Noah laughed too.Then he disappeared into the tunnel with his team.
I watched him go. Some rivals left you angry.
Others left you better.
Noah Whitmore would be remembered as the latter.
Coach Bennett was gathering his clipboard when Crescent's coach approached.
He looked just as exhausted.
His tie had long since been loosened, and there were fresh skate marks across the knees of his trousers from kneeling behind the bench throughout the game.
Then Crescent's coach extended his hand.
"Congratulations, Daniel."
Coach Bennett accepted it with a warm smile.
"Thank you."
"You've built something special."
Coach Bennett glanced toward his players.
"They built it."
The older man nodded thoughtfully.
"So did mine."
Coach Bennett's smile widened.
"They certainly did."
There was a comfortable silence between them.
The kind shared only by people who truly understood what the other had sacrificed.
Finally, Crescent's coach chuckled.
"I've got to admit..."
"When Hayes passed instead of shooting..."
"I almost smiled."
Coach Bennett laughed softly.
"So did I."
The other coach shook his head.
"That captain of yours..."
"He's grown."
Coach Bennett looked across the ice where Ryder was helping a freshman remove his tangled helmet before joining the celebration.
His chest swelled with quiet pride.
"He has."
The coach smiled knowingly.
"So has your daughter."
Coach Bennett blinked.
"My daughter?"
"I've been reading every article she's written this season."
Coach Bennett looked genuinely surprised.
"She's good."
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"She gets that from her mother."
The two men shared one final handshake before parting ways.
\~~~~~
The locker room exploded the second the doors shut.
Water bottles flew through the air.
Someone blasted music from a portable speaker.
Lucas jumped onto one of the wooden benches.
"We're still alive!"
The room answered with a deafening roar.
Jake threw a rolled-up towel at him.
"Get down before Coach makes you skate suicides tomorrow."
Lucas caught it effortlessly.
"He wouldn't dare."
Coach Bennett slowly walked into the room.
Every player froze. Lucas swallowed.
"...Would you?"
For one long second...
Coach Bennett simply stared.
Then...
The corners of his mouth lifted.
"I'll decide tomorrow."
The room erupted into laughter.
Lucas dramatically clutched his chest.
"I knew there was a catch!"
Before anyone could say another word, an ice-cold bottle of water splashed across Coach Berkeley's back.
He gasped. His eyes widened slowly...
He turned around and the room fell silent. Lucas immediately pointed at Jake.
"It was him."
Jake's jaw dropped.
"What?!"
"I saw your hand move."
"My hand was holding my helmet!"
"Exactly!"
Coach Berkeley folded his arms.
"I don't care who started it."
He reached into the cooler, pulled out two bottles and emptied both of them over Lucas.
The locker room erupted.
Lucas stood frozen, dripping from head to toe.
He looked down at himself before throwing both hands into the air.
"Traitor!"
Even Coach Bennett laughed.
For a beautiful moment...the room forgot about pressure, championships abd expectations.
They were just teenagers again.
Celebrating a victory they had bled for.
Yet not every smile reached the eyes that wore it.
Mike sat quietly near the far corner, his jersey still on.
A grin rested on his face as he watched Lucas complain dramatically about being "assaulted by an assistant coach."
He laughed but it faded almost as quickly as it came.
His fingers unconsciously brushed the phone tucked inside his gym bag.
Monday.
The hearing.
The word echoed through his mind like an unwelcome guest.
He had spent weeks convincing himself he was ready.
Now...
He wasn't so sure.
The laughter around him suddenly felt distant.
Almost unreal.
Could he still be part of moments like this after Monday?
Or was he watching them for the last time?
Mr. Harris, standing near the doorway, noticed the smile disappear from Mike's face.
Their eyes met across the room.
Mr. Harris didn't interrupt.
He simply gave a small, reassuring nod. One that seemed to say...
You're not facing this alone. Mike took a slow breath. He wanted to believe that.

\~~~~~~~

The celebration slowly began to settle.
Not because anyone wanted it to.
Because exhaustion finally caught up with them.
Lucas dropped onto the floor dramatically, stretching his arms wide.
"I can't feel my legs."
Jake walked past him without sparing a glance.
"Good. Stay there."
"I've suffered enough." He groaned.
"You've been talking for the last twenty minutes."
"I celebrate verbally."
"You celebrate loudly." Jake said almost shouting.
Coach Berkeley shook his head with a quiet chuckle as he began gathering stray towels from the floor.
"You boys are impossible."
"We prefer unforgettable," Lucas corrected with a grin.
Another wave of laughter rolled through the room.

...
After showering and changing, the players slowly filtered out of the locker room.
The hallway outside the arena had become much quieter.
Most of the crowd had already gone home.
Only a few reporters remained, interviewing coaches and players.
I closed my notebook and slipped it into my bag.
Mrs. Brooks smiled at me.
"You've got enough for your article?"
I nodded.
"More than enough."
"I thought so."
She squeezed my shoulder gently before walking toward the media room.
I watched her disappear before letting out a slow breath.
Someone cleared his throat behind me.
I turned.
Ryder stood there.
His hair was still damp from the shower, and he had traded his jersey for a simple black hoodie.
There was a bruise beginning to form along his cheekbone.
He noticed me staring.
"What?"
"You look terrible." I smiled.
He laughed.
"I was hoping for 'heroic.'"
"I said what I said."
He pressed a hand dramatically against his chest.
"I've been wounded twice today."
"Oh?"
"First by Noah."
"And now by you."
I couldn't help laughing.
The sound escaped before I could stop it.
God...
I'd missed laughing with him.
The hallway seemed strangely peaceful.
Almost too peaceful after everything we'd just witnessed.
Ryder looked at me. Not the quick glances we'd exchanged all season or the guarded looks we'd hidden behind.
He really looked at me.
"You were smiling."
"I was."
"You don't smile much during games."
"I'm usually working."
"And after?"
I shrugged.
"I was proud."
His eyebrows lifted.
"Of the article?"
I slowly shook my head.
"Of you."
Silence settled between us.
"I kept thinking about something," I admitted.
"What?"
"The old Ryder would've taken that shot."
He smiled to himself.
"I know."
"But you didn't."
"No."
"Why?"
He looked toward the arena doors.
"I finally understood something Coach's been trying to teach me all season."
"And what's that?"
He looked back at me.
"Trust isn't saying you believe in your teammates."
"It's proving it when everything is on the line."
Something tightened inside my chest.
For months...
I'd watched him carry everything on his own.
Today...
He hadn't needed to.
"You've changed."
"So have you."
My heart skipped.
"What do you mean?"
"The girl who hated hockey..."
He stepped a little closer.
"...just wrote the best story she'll ever tell."
I looked down, suddenly embarrassed.
"I don't know about that."
"I do."
"You haven't even read it."
"I don't have to."
His voice had grown quieter now.
"So..."
"So?"
"Are we still pretending we don't like each other?"
Heat rushed to my face.
"I don't think we've been pretending for a while."
"No."
"We haven't."
Neither of us moved.
The hallway felt impossibly still. All I could hear was my own heartbeat. He lifted a hand slowly, giving me every chance to pull away.
Instead...
I closed the small distance between us.
His fingers brushed gently against my cheek.
"So this is okay?" he whispered.
I answered the only way I wanted to.
I rose onto my toes and kissed him softly. I suddenly wanted more. I had missed him so much that I didn't remember what kissing him felt like.
When we finally pulled apart, neither of us spoke.
We simply rested our foreheads together, smiling like two complete idiots.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Ryder confessed.
I laughed quietly.
"I know."
"You knew?"
"I write for a living."
He groaned.
"So I've been obvious."
"Painfully."
"That's embarrassing."
"It is."
He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I was trying to be mysterious."
"You failed."
"Terribly."
Before he could defend himself, Lucas' voice echoed down the hallway.
"RYDER!"
We both jumped apart.
Lucas rounded the corner before stopping dead in his tracks.
His mouth slowly fell open.
"Oh..."
He looked at Ryder then at me, then back again.
"I..."
He pointed dramatically between us.
"I knew it!"
Ryder sighed.
"You've known for months."
"I know."
Lucas grinned from ear to ear.
"But now I have evidence!"
"You have nothing."
"I have eyes." Lucas laughed.
Jake appeared behind Lucas and immediately understood.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Took you two long enough."
"Oh, not you too," Ryder muttered.
Lucas threw an arm around Jake's shoulders.
"I've waited all season for this day."
"You need a hobby," Ryder replied.
"I have one."
"What?"
"This."
Everyone laughed.
Even I couldn't stop smiling.
...
Miles away, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different.
Blake sat alone in his apartment. His hair damp from the shower he had just finished taking. The television played quietly in the background, but he wasn't watching it.
His phone rested on the coffee table in front of him.
The screen lit up.
Regional Hockey Committee
Reminder: Disciplinary Review Hearing
Monday - 9:00 A.M.
His stomach tightened. He picked up the phone and read the message again.
Then again.
His thumb hovered over Mike's contact.
He considered calling or explaining or even Begging.
Instead, he locked the screen. His hands were trembling.
"No..."
he whispered to himself.
"He won't say anything."
"But if he won't say anything why was I invited to the disciplinary hearing". The words sounded empty.
Mike had always carried guilt differently.
For weeks Blake had convinced himself everything would blow over.
That there wasn't enough evidence. That Mike would protect him.
Now...
He wasn't sure.
The silence inside the apartment felt suffocating.Blake was afraid.
Outside, distant cheers from Western Helms supporters drifted through the night.
A celebration or reminder. Life was moving forward whether Blake was ready or not.