Chapter 169 The Secret on the Scoreboard

Chapter 169 The Secret on the Scoreboard
Theo's POV

The tunnel was bustling with players getting ready for the game. I stopped, adjusting my goalie pads until the clips clicked securely. A constant tremor went through my fingers that I couldn't shake off. I picked up my helmet, touched the steel cage, and then placed it back on the bench.

"Theo, you good?" Reed asked. He was pulling his stick out of the rack next to me, watching my hands.

"We need you sharp tonight. The Boston scouts are right behind the glass."

I didn't answer. I gave a short nod and turned around, reaching into my bag for a water bottle. Reed stood there for another second before heading out toward the ice.

The stands were packed for the rivalry game, the crowd making a solid noise. Scouts and sports reporters filled the boxes, pointing their tablets and cameras down at the rink.

On the ice, the pre-game skate was fast. Blades cut deep into the slush as the lines ran through their final passing drills. I glided toward the net, my eyes tracking the home jersey with the number fourteen on the back. Aveline skated hard, taking a pass from Milo and hitting the upper corner of the net.

From the blue line, Kieran watched her. He didn't say anything, but he gave her a quick nod as they skated past each other to form the starting lineup. She looked completely confident tonight.

I settled into the crease, tapping my stick against the posts. I pulled the second phone out from the padding of my glove and checked the screen. A text from the kid in the control booth was waiting.
Files loaded. Standing by.

I didn't reply. I shoved the phone back and dropped into my stance as the referee walked toward the center circle with the puck.

The first ten minutes of the period were brutal. Defensemen threw their bodies into the boards, and the sound of the hits echoed up to the rafters. Aveline played well, splitting the defense on a fast breakaway and nearly scoring on her first shift.

The scouts in the upper boxes leaned over the railings, writing in their notebooks. After a scramble near our net, the referee blew his whistle for a line change, stopping the play.

The players slowed down, turning toward the benches to catch their breath.
Then the scoreboard overhead glitched.

The live video feed split down the middle, flickering with white static. The music from the speakers cut off, leaving only the low hum of the crowd. A few students in the front rows started pointing up, thinking it was just a technical problem with the screen.

Then the first image appeared.
It was a school ID card. A clear headshot of a girl with long hair filled the screen, and the bold text beneath it was readable from across the rink: AVELINE CARTER — MAYLINE HIGH SCHOOL.

Aveline was halfway to the bench when she stopped. She looked up at the board; her body froze as she saw her own face staring back at her. Her head snapped across the ice, searching me until her eyes locked straight onto mine.

Before she could move, the scoreboard shifted again, displaying a second document right next to the ID card. The bold letters at the top read: STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH — OFFICIAL DEATH CERTIFICATE. The name in the center was ASHER CARTER — DECEASED, dated last summer.

The arena went dead silent. Aveline stood perfectly still near the blue line, her fingers loosening around her stick until it dropped onto the ice with a loud clatter. She looked at Kieran.

Kieran was already staring at her, his face completely pale under his helmet. He didn't look up at the screen. His eyes fixed on her face, watching the secret he had protected explode in front of thousands of people.

Kieran finally moved, his blades cutting hard into the ice as he pushed past the rest of the line to reach her. He ignored the stands, the coaches, and the cameras turning toward them. He stopped right in front of her, his large shoulders blocking her from the glare of the scoreboard.

"Aveline, look at me," Kieran said quietly.

She didn't look up. Her eyes stayed fixed on her dropped stick. "Don't."

"Ave, please..."

"Don't," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Just stay away from me."

Reed had skated in right behind Kieran, catching the words. His face went entirely white as his eyes shifted between the two of them.

"Aveline?" Reed repeated, looking up at the name on the screen, then back down at the jersey with the name Asher stitched across the back. "Kieran, you knew! You knew Asher wasn't Asher this whole time!"

Kieran didn't turn around to answer him. He just kept his arms locked around the space in front of Aveline, his jaw set.

Then the crowd realized what it meant. A loud wave of shouting broke out from the stands as the reporters in the media box adjusted their lenses.

"Who is that?" Milo shouted, skating back onto the ice from the bench. He looked up at the death certificate, then down at Aveline. His face was entirely confused.

"Why is her face on the screen? What is going on?"
She kept her head down, her shoulders rigid under her heavy pads.

"You knew all season?" a defenseman behind Reed asked, his voice shaking as he stepped closer to Kieran.

"And you let us play beside her?" another teammate shouted, turning his back on Kieran in disgust.

Reed lunged forward, pointing his stick directly at Kieran's chest. "Do you understand what happens when the board sees this? They're going to investigate all of us! Our whole season is riding on this, and you were hiding her! None of us mattered to you,
Hampton?"

"Reed, back off," Landon said, skating between them and raising his hands. "Let's get her away from the cameras and get into the locker room."

"Don't tell me to back off, Landon!" Reed shouted, pushing past him to get to Kieran.

The teammates exploded into a shouting match, their circle fracturing completely as they turned on their own captain. The officials finally dove into the center logo to separate them, but a player from the opposite bench shoved Milo, and a messy brawl broke out near the slush.

The referees blew their whistles violently, signaling that the match was officially suspended.
I stood down at the far end of the ice, resting my weight against the crossbar of the net. I watched the security guards escort Aveline through the tunnel, her head bowed as the fans screamed from the railings.

I had wanted to expose Aveline in front of everyone and make her end the investigation. Instead, they were already looking at Kieran, the team, and everything surrounding Asher's death.
For the first time that night, I wondered if exposing her had been a mistake.