Chapter 91 The game we lost
Chapter 91: The Game We Lost (Liam’s POV)
I couldn't focus on a single word the history teacher was saying. For the first time in my life, it wasn't because I was mentally reviewing hockey plays or worrying about the scouts in the bleachers. I was looking at the empty seat three rows ahead of me where Elena usually sat during first period. Because of her knee, the administration had shifted her schedule so she didn't have to walk up the stairs to the humanities block.
My hand kept drifting to the pocket of my hoodie, fingers brushing against my phone. I wanted to text her. I wanted to ask if her knee was throbbing from the rain, or if she needed me to bring her lunch from the cafeteria so she didn't have to navigate the crowded hallways alone.
It was pathetic, really. A month ago, I would have laughed at any guy on the team who acted like this. I was the Ice King. I was the guy who treated relationships like a seasonal contract—easy to sign, easy to break. But the minute I carried Elena out of that hotel room, something shifted in me permanently.
When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the period, I didn't wait for my usual circle to gather around my desk. I grabbed my bag and headed straight for the lower level.
I found her by the library lockers. She was leaning against the cold metal, struggling slightly to adjust her heavy backpack without putting too much weight on her left leg.
"Need a hand, tutor?" I said, stepping into her space.
Elena looked up, and the stressed expression on her face melted into a soft smile. "I can manage, Vance."
"I told you, the 'Vance' name doesn't mean much around here anymore," I murmured, taking the heavy bag from her hands anyway. I slung it over my shoulder alongside my own. "Let me carry it."
"People are staring, Liam," she whispered, her eyes darting to a group of sophomore girls who were whispering nearby.
"Let them stare," I said. I reached down, catching her hand and locking my fingers with hers. Her skin was cool, a little damp from the morning air, but she didn't pull away. In fact, she squeezed back, leaning her shoulder against my chest as we started walking toward her next class.
We stopped in the alcove near the science lab, a small spot that was relatively hidden from the main flow of traffic. I backed her gently against the wall, dropping the bags at my feet.
"You look tired," I said, my thumb tracing the faint dark circles under her eyes. "Did you sleep at all last night?"
"A little," she admitted, looking up at me through her lashes. "I kept thinking about the guest house. The one your uncle mentioned. Are you sure he’s okay with me staying there too?"
"He doesn't care, El. As long as I show up at the city office at eight sharp every morning once the term is over, he’d let me park a trailer on the lawn," I laughed softly. I leaned down, my face inches from hers. "Besides, I told him you're part of the deal. If I’m giving up the ice, I’m keeping the girl."
Elena’s breath hitched slightly as I closed the distance between us. The kiss was quiet, a slow press of lips that tasted like the sweet coffee she’d had before school. It wasn't the frantic, desperate kiss from the car when the world was crashing down around us. This was different. It felt real. It felt like the beginning of something that didn't have to be a secret anymore.
"You're getting bold, Captain," she murmured against my lips, a tiny smile touching her mouth.
"Not the captain anymore, remember?" I whispered, kissing the corner of her mouth one last time before pulling back. "Just Liam."
"I like just Liam better anyway," she said softly.
I handed her the smaller notebook she needed for biology, watching her walk into the classroom before I turned back toward the main hall. I felt lighter than I had in years. I didn't have the title, I didn't have my father's bank account, and my old teammates were currently ignoring me like I had a contagious disease. But as I walked toward the locker room to dump my gym gear, I realized I didn't miss any of it.
The locker room was unusually quiet when I pushed the heavy door open. Usually, the guys would be shouting, snapping towels, or blasting music from the speakers. Today, there was just a heavy, awkward silence.
Jax was sitting on the central bench, surrounded by Chloe and Maya. Maya had her phone in her hand, her face lit up by the screen, a smug grin plastered across her face.
"Well, look who finally decided to join the commoners," Jax sneered, not even bothering to look up as I unlocked my locker. "How’s the charity case doing, Vance? Did you find a cheaper apartment yet, or are you guys living in your car?"
"Drop it, Jax," I said, my voice flat. "I’m not in the mood."
"Oh, we’re not the ones who should be dropping things," Chloe chimed in, leaning back against the lockers. "Maya just got a very interesting notification on the Northview anonymous board. It seems your little saint isn't as pure as you think she is."
I stopped, my hand freezing on the metal latch of my locker. A cold feeling started to settle in my gut. "What are you talking about?"
"See for yourself," Maya said. She didn't look angry anymore; she looked victorious. She tapped her screen and held the phone out toward me, her eyes gleaming with malice. "We always told you she was using you to get out of her messy life, Liam. You just didn't want to listen because you were too busy playing the hero."
I snatched the phone from her hand.
The screen was open to the school's main gossip page, Northview Confidential. A new video had been posted just five minutes ago, and the view count was already climbing into the hundreds. The headline above it read: THE TUTOR'S TRUE PLAN: HOW TO CON AN ICE KING.
I hit play.
The video quality was clear, shot from a high angle inside what looked like the library study rooms from three weeks ago. It was Elena and Julian. The video was heavily edited, the cuts quick and jagged, but the audio was loud and unmistakable.
On screen, Elena was leaning close to Julian, whispering. "Liam is so predictable," her voice said, clear as day over the phone speaker. "He thinks he’s saving me. If I keep him hooked, his family will pay for the surgery. Julian, you know I don't actually care about him. He’s just an easy target to get what I need."
The video cut to Julian smirking, nodding his head. "Just make sure he doesn't find out until the check clears," Julian’s voice replied.
The audio had been spliced perfectly, taking words she had probably said during their arguments and rearranging them to sound like a cold, calculated confession. To anyone who didn't know the timeline, it looked like Elena had been working with Julian the entire time to scam my family.
"She played you, Liam," Maya’s voice sounded like poison in my ear. "She used your feelings to get her mother's medical bills paid, and now that you’re cut off, she’s just stuck with you until she can find someone richer."
I stared at the screen, my grip tightening on the phone until the plastic casing creaked under my fingers. My mind went completely blank for a fraction of a second, the heavy words echoing in the quiet locker room.