Chapter 139 Chapter 139

Chapter 139 Chapter 139
The room remained suspended in the silence Mike had left behind.
Every pair of eyes rested on Blake Carter. He didn't move.
"Mr. Carter." The committee leader spoke
Blake slowly lifted his head.
"You've heard Mr. Donovan's testimony."
She paused.
"Would you like to respond?"
A long silence followed.
Blake stared at the polished table for several seconds before letting out a slow, tired laugh.
Not an amused one. One of defeat.
"I figured he'd tell you."
Mike didn't react.
Blake nodded to himself.
"I guess... he finally got tired of protecting me."
Mike's voice came quietly.
"I stopped protecting you the day I realized you never protected me."
Blake shut his eyes briefly.
That one landed. When he opened them again, he looked older somehow. In exhaustion.
"I won't lie."
His voice was steady.
"Not anymore."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I was jealous. I hated Ryder."
Ryder's expression didn't change.
Blake looked directly at him this time.
"You know what's funny? You probably never even noticed me."
Ryder frowned slightly. Blake smiled bitterly.
"Exactly."
....
Flashback
First year in Western Helms Academy, Freshman tryouts.
Former Coach K stood with a clipboard while players ran skating drills.
Ryder flew across the ice effortlessly.
"Excellent edge work!"
One coach called.
Another wrote something on his clipboard.
The scouts watching from the stands nodded amongst themselves.
A few minutes later...
Blake completed the exact same drill.
Almost identical. Maybe slightly slower.
But nobody said anything.
Just...
"Next."
Another flash.
Second year.
Regional tournament. Western Helms won.
Reporters rushed toward Ryder.
Cameras followed him across the rink.
Students chanted his name.
Blake stood only a few feet away holding the same championship medal.
Nobody asked him a single question.
Another flash.
Third year.
Coach Bennett gathered everyone after practice.
"Excellent leadership today, Ryder."
Ryder nodded.
Coach continued speaking.
"That's exactly what a captain should look like."
Blake stood beside Mike.
Listening and feeling invisible.
The flashback dissolved.
Back inside the committee room...
Blake rubbed both palms together slowly.
"I kept telling myself it didn't bother me."
He laughed softly.
"It did."
His smile disappeared.
"It bothered me every single day."
He looked at Ryder again.
"You walked into a room...and everyone noticed, you scored...and everyone celebrated, you made one mistake and everyone forgave you."
His jaw tightened.
"I spent three years trying to catch up to someone who didn't even know we were racing."
Ryder finally spoke.
"I never thought we were."
"I know."
Blake answered quietly.
"That's what made it worse."
Silence settled again.
Coach Bennett watched carefully but said nothing.
The committee chair leaned forward.
"So you approached Mr. Donovan."
Blake nodded once.
"I did."
"Why him?"
Blake glanced toward Mike.
"Because he was the only person who loved hockey as much as Ryder."
Mike's eyes lowered.
"And because..."
Blake swallowed.
"...he wanted someone to notice him."
"I knew exactly what to say."
The words felt almost impossible for him to admit.
"I didn't force him."
"I just...kept feeding the thoughts he was already trying to ignore."
Mike closed his eyes.
Blake continued.
"I never told him to destroy Ryder."
"I told him..."
He looked down.
"...that maybe Ryder needed to stop being everyone's hero."
The committee chair remained expressionless.
"And Jason?"
Blake sighed heavily.
"Jason was different."
"He loved information, attention and knowing things nobody else knew."
Blake shook his head slowly.
"I realized pretty quickly that if I wanted rumors to spread..."
"...Jason would do it better than anyone."
Aria's stomach tightened.
So it had all started with jealousy.
Something so small...that it had destroyed so many lives.
Blake's voice softened.
"I thought it would stay small."
"A rumor or a distraction."
"Maybe Ryder would lose a little attention."
He laughed bitterly.
"I never imagined Jason would become..."
He searched for the word.
"...obsessed."
Mike finally looked up.
"He liked controlling people."
Blake nodded.
"He started recording everyone."
"He stopped asking me what I wanted."
"He just kept going."
Silence.
"I should've stopped him but I didn't."
His shoulders slumped.
Finally...Ryder leaned forward. His voice was calm.
"I have one question."
Blake met his eyes.
"Did you ever think about telling me?"
Blake blinked.
"What?"
"The truth."
Ryder's expression remained unreadable.
"At any point did you think about coming to me before everything got this bad?"
Blake didn't have an answer. His eyes dropped to the floor.
That silence said everything.
Ryder slowly nodded.
"I figured."
The disappointment in his voice cut far deeper than anger ever could.
Even Coach Bennett looked away.
Because sometimes...
Forgiveness wasn't the hardest thing to ask for.
Sometimes...it was knowing you'd destroyed a friendship that never needed to become a rivalry in the first place.
The silence lingered.
Blake couldn't answer Ryder's question because there wasn't an answer good enough.
The committee chair allowed the silence to settle before finally speaking.
"Mr. Carter..."
Blake slowly looked up.
"Jealousy is understandable."
Her voice remained calm.
"Manipulation is not."
Blake nodded once.
"I know."
"You understood the influence you had over Mr. Donovan."
Another nod.
"Yes."
"And you chose to use that influence."
"...Yes."
The single word barely left his mouth.
Coach Bennett finally unfolded his arms.
"I've coached hockey for twenty-two years."
Everyone looked toward him.
"I've seen rivalries, selfish players, teammates fight."
His gaze rested on Blake.
"But I've never seen someone convince another player that bringing down his own captain was the only way to succeed."
Blake lowered his eyes. Coach Bennett continued.
"You didn't just attack Ryder, you poisoned this team."
Those words settled heavily over everyone.
This hadn't only hurt Ryder.
It had broken the trust inside Western Helms.
The committee chair looked toward Mike.
"Mr. Donovan."
Mike straightened slightly.
"Do you have anything you'd like to add before this committee reaches its decision?"
Mike inhaled slowly.
"I do."
He turned toward Ryder, looking directly at him.
"I'm sorry. I kept telling myself I wasn't hurting you."
His voice trembled.
"I convinced myself I was just... taking my own chance."
A sad smile crossed his face.
"But every choice I made cost you something."
He looked away briefly before meeting Ryder's eyes again.
"You trusted me,you called me your brother. And I repaid that by letting someone fill my head with things I should've known weren't true."
The room remained silent.
Mike swallowed.
"I don't expect forgiveness. I don't deserve it but I needed you to hear that from me."
Ryder didn't answer immediately. He studied Mike for several long seconds.
Then he spoke.
"I believed in you."
Mike shut his eyes.
"You were there when I made captain.You were there after my first tournament.You were there when everyone said we'd never make the last Regionals."
Ryder's voice remained steady.
"I thought no matter what happened, I'd never have to question whose side you were on."
Mike's shoulders sagged.
"I know. And that's what hurts the most.
The committee chair gently closed the file in front of her.
"This committee has reached its decision."
Every person in the room straightened instinctively.
She looked first at Mike.
"Mr. Donovan."
"Your cooperation, your voluntary confession, and your willingness to provide evidence have all been taken into consideration."
Mike listened quietly.
"However, you knowingly participated in actions that caused significant harm to another student and contributed to an environment of harassment."
She paused.
"You are hereby suspended from all remaining athletic activities for the rest of the season."
Mike nodded.
"I understand."
"You will also complete one hundred hours of community service through the school's youth hockey outreach program before graduation."
"I'll do it."
The chairwoman shifted her attention.
"Mr. Carter."
Blake slowly lifted his head.
"Evidence presented to this committee establishes that you intentionally manipulated another student into participating in conduct that escalated into widespread harassment and disruption."
Blake didn't blink.
"You abused the trust of your teammates.You undermined the integrity of this athletic program. And your actions directly contributed to months of emotional harm."
She took a measured breath.
"Effective immediately...You are permanently removed from the Western Helms hockey program."
A muscle twitched in Blake's jaw.
"You are stripped of all team privileges,You are barred from representing Western Helms Athletics in any future competition."
The words landed like stones.
For someone who had spent years chasing recognition...
There would be no final game. No championship or redemption on the ice only consequences.
Blake froze.
The committee chair looked around the room.
"This hearing is concluded."
She gathered her papers.
"I sincerely hope every student present learns that success built on another person's downfall is never success at all."
One by one, the committee members stood and quietly left the room.
The door clicked shut behind them.
For several moments...no one moved.
Coach Bennett walked toward Ryder first.
He placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You ready to go home?"
Ryder let out a slow breath.
"Not yet."
Coach searched his face but didn't press further.
Instead, he gave a small nod and stepped outside to give the students a moment alone.
I remained where I was watching and waiting.
Mike stood.
He picked up his bag without another word.
As he reached the door, he hesitated, without turning around, he said quietly,
"I hope you win Nationals."
Ryder looked at his former teammate.
Mike's shoulders remained turned away.
"You deserve that much."
Then he walked out. The room felt strangely empty. Only Blake remained seated.
Still staring at the table.
As though he no longer knew where to look.
Ryder took a slow step toward him.
Blake finally raised his eyes.
"I don't hate you," Ryder said quietly.
Blake frowned.
"I don't think I ever could."
A tear escaped Blake's eye before he quickly wiped it away.
"But..."
Ryder continued.
"I don't know if I'll ever trust you again."
Those words broke something inside Blake far more completely than any punishment the committee had handed down.
He nodded once.
"I wouldn't... if I were you."
Ryder didn't reply. He simply turned away.
This chapter of their lives was over.
Ahead of them waited the National Championship.
The battle would be fought where it always should have been.
On the ice.