Chapter 176: The Past Comes Calling

The lobby went quiet when I walked through the doors. For months, everyone here had known me as Asher Carter. Now they were staring at Aveline.

My hair was a bit long now, falling past my shoulders; some students didn't even recognize me immediately. The silence followed me all the way to my row of lockers, thick with a mix of awkward confusion and staring.

"Look who decided to show up," Katty said, blocking my path. Her friends closed in behind her. "The real version. Or are you going to run away again when things get too difficult?"

I didn't answer. I reached past her to open my locker, but she slammed her hand against the door, forcing it shut.

"You claim this was all about fighting whoever harmed your brother," Katty said, leaning in so only I could hear. Her voice was sharp, cutting straight through. "How does dating Kieran help with that, Aveline? Or was the whole grieving-sister routine just an easy way to get close to the captain?"

I looked at her hand on the metal, then up at her face. Katty’s social playground had felt like a minefield. But after dealing with the school board, the state police, and the collapse of my family, it just felt pathetic.

"Move your hand, Katty," I said quietly.

She stared at me, trying to find some crack in my face, but I didn't give her one. Slowly, she lifted her fingers. I pulled the locker open, grabbed my books and walked past her toward class without looking back.

I finished the final exam before noon. The proctor collected the packets in a slow, silent sweep down the rows of desks, and the moment the bell rang, the room dissolved into shouting and the scraping of chairs. I walked out into the courtyard as I made my way toward the benches.

Landon was sitting near the wall with two other defensemen from the varsity line. He looked up when he saw my shadow.

"You really came back," Landon said, shifting his stick bag to make room.

"Had to finish exams," I said, sitting down. "I'm not letting anyone decide whether I graduate or not."

Landon let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Milo told us what really happened. Most of the guys were furious at first, but... nobody's talking about the fraud anymore. It took a lot of nerve to stand on that ice every day as Asher."

"It doesn't change what I did," I said. "But thanks."

"Aveline," a voice called from the path.

Kieran crossed the grass, stopping right in front of the bench. Landon and the others took the cue, grabbing their gear and walking back toward the athletic wing without a word. Kieran watched them leave, then looked down at me.

"Are you really staying this time?" he asked.

The question was direct, carrying none of the easy reassurance. He was happy to see me, but what I did at the boathouse still hurts, and I didn't know how to answer.

"I decided to write the exams," I said, my voice dropping. "I wanted to say I'm sorry about Milford, Kieran. Walking away like that wasn't fair to you."

"You don't have to apologize for being scared," he said, stepping closer. "But you didn't answer my question. What happens after the exams?"

"I don't know yet," I admitted. "My scholarship is gone. Michigan is cancelled. I don't even know if Minnesota will remove me from the waiting list; their women's hockey team is good as well."

Kieran didn't offer a quick solution or a polished speech about our future. He just looked at his phone, then back at me. "Then we'll figure it out with time. Just don't disappear again."

He turned back toward the athletic wing, and I walked back into the building to grab my bag. Theo was standing by the water coolers at the far end of the hall, as he watched me approach.

"You look different without the shoulder pads, Aveline," Theo said.

"I know it was you," I said, stopping three feet away from him. "You loaded the files into the scoreboard. You weren't trying to help me find out what happened to Oliver. You were just waiting for the right time to expose everything."

Theo didn't flinch. He didn't even look around to see if anyone was listening. "You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you?" I asked, my voice rising. "You messed up my life, my scholarship revoked. You destroyed the investigation."

"I made you free," Theo said, leaning forward. His voice was low, completely controlled. "Without that scoreboard glitch, you would still be trapped in Asher's life. You'd be spending the next four years wearing a dead kid's jersey and living in his shadow. I gave you your name back."

"You did it to protect yourself," I said.

"Whatever happened to Asher before the accident... it's over," Theo replied, his voice deliberately slow as he watched me. "You got to write your exams, and you'll graduate eventually as yourself. Let it go."

"I'm not letting anything go," I said. "My brother's story doesn't just end because you're afraid of what's going to happen"

Theo gave me one final look, turned on his heel, and walked past the office doors. I stood by the water cooler, his warning echoing in my head. Something in his expression changed when I mentioned the consequences. He was hiding something. I was sure of it.

I walked out through the administrative courtyard. The final bell of the afternoon had already rung, signaling the end of the exam. Today was the first time I didn't have to change my voice or constantly think about how I walked, spoke, or behaved.

But as I reached the bottom of the steps, two black state police sedans pulled up to the front curb.

Detective got out of the front seat. He ignored the students gathered around the parking lot and headed straight toward the principal's office with three troopers behind him, looking directly at me as he went past.