Chapter 11 Ice Hockey Match
Elodie's POV
"You!" Samantha's face went pale with anger, her hand trembling as she pointed at me.
I couldn't be bothered to look at this cheating scumbag couple anymore and turned to leave.
Behind me came the sounds of Alex and Samantha's heated argument, mixed with Samantha's shrill crying and Alex's impatient roaring—like a pathetically bad drama.
Sure enough, within half an hour, Columbia University's campus forum exploded.
The title was in glaring red letters: #BOMBSHELL! Former Simp Makes a Comeback, Alex and Samantha Publicly Turn on Each Other—All Because of Her?#
The post was full of pictures and detailed descriptions of the scene outside the academic building that morning, complete with photos from various angles.
The comment section below was going crazy.
[Oh my god, what kind of magic does this Elodie have? She just dumped Alex, and now he can't forget her to the point of fighting with his current girlfriend?]
[I was there this morning. Elodie's aura was off the charts. That line 'keep your dog on a leash' was absolutely savage!]
[I bet you five bucks Alex is just being pathetic. When Elodie was devoted to him, he didn't want her. Now that she's ignoring him, he's chasing after her.]
[Samantha deserves it too. Stolen goods are never secure.]
I skimmed through quickly and closed the page.
I didn't care what happened between those two. What was really bothering me was Nelson.
All day long, that sudden kiss kept replaying in my mind like a movie in slow motion.
The warm, soft sensation on my lips, and his commanding presence.
I covered my burning face, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.
Frustrated, I grabbed my phone and, as if possessed, opened my chat with Nelson.
Our conversation was completely empty—not a single message.
My finger hovered over the screen for a long time. Suddenly, as if making some kind of decision, I quickly typed out a line.
Me: [There's a hockey game at school Friday night. Do you want to come watch?]
The second I hit send, I regretted it.
What was I doing? Taking the initiative to invite him?
After he'd drawn such a clear line between us?
How was this any different from when I used to chase after Alex?
I frantically tried to unsend it, my finger just touching the screen when his reply popped up in the chat box. Just one word.
Nelson: [Okay.]
So fast, as if he'd been waiting for my message.
I stared at that word, stunned. My heart raced like a roller coaster, finally settling into an indescribable mix of joy and anticipation.
Over the next few days, I was somewhat distracted. Even the coffee shop manager teased me, asking if I was in love.
Finally, Friday arrived.
I deliberately came to the hockey rink early and chose the best seat.
The arena was buzzing with excitement, the atmosphere electric.
As the team's core player, Alex was naturally the center of attention.
I saw him wearing the blue and white team jersey today, his figure tall and straight, surrounded by a group of cheerleaders like a king basking in adoration.
He quickly spotted me, a flash of smugness in his eyes.
He deliberately led his teammates past my seat, stopped, and looked down at me from his high position, that familiar self-satisfied smirk on his lips.
I sneered inwardly. Just an ex-boyfriend—did he really think he was that important?
"Elodie, here to watch me play?" His tone was flippant. "What, finally come to your senses and realized who's the best?"
As he spoke, he deliberately pulled over Samantha, who was wearing a sexy cheerleader outfit, and kissed her on the cheek.
Samantha immediately preened like a proud peacock, shooting me a provocative look.
The teammates around them burst into suggestive laughter.
I looked up. "Hold up - weren't you two ready to rip each other's heads off like two days ago? And now you're all chummy again? Samantha, this little show of yours is getting really old."
My words infuriated Samantha. She shoved Alex's hand away and was about to come at me, but with so many people around, she didn't dare make any big moves.
"You bitch! You were the one clinging to Alex every day before, and now you're playing hard to get!"
I shrugged. "So now I'm giving him to you."
"You!" Samantha was furious.
My gaze fell on the distance, still not seeing that familiar figure appear. I felt a bit panicked.
What if he doesn't come?
My indifference annoyed Alex. He glared at me viciously. "Don't regret this!"
Then he led his teammates onto the ice.
I laughed softly at his words. Regret what?
Regret not dumping this trash sooner?
The game was about to start, and the atmosphere in the stands reached its peak, but Lorenzo still hadn't appeared.
My heart kept sinking. Just when I was about to give up hope completely, my phone vibrated.
It was a message from Nelson: [Something urgent came up. Rod will go instead.]
Of course.
Disappointment welled up inside me.
Before I could reply, a burly figure squeezed in beside me.
I was startled when I saw who it was. Rod had a thick beard, but his whole demeanor was quite gentle.
He was carrying a huge pile of snacks and drinks.
"Miss Elodie, sorry I'm late." He dumped all the snacks into my lap. "The boss asked me to bring these for you. He said girls like to eat these while watching games."
He opened a pack of M&Ms and poured them all into his mouth, performing "hungry bear feeding" for me. I couldn't help but laugh.
Greatly encouraged, Rod kept telling me interesting hockey stories, but I couldn't hear a single word.
What could be more important than our plans?
"Mr. Nelson actually..."
"Rod," I suddenly called out to him. "Does he think I don't deserve respect?"
Rod clearly didn't expect me to say this and was stunned for a long time, not knowing what to say.
"Otherwise, why would he stand me up?"
It's not that I couldn't understand him, but my emotions were running high right now, and I just felt hurt.
"Look, Mr. Nelson is swamped right now. He was totally planning to come himself, but something really messy came up at the last minute that he had to deal with. Trust me, he wouldn't have sent me if he didn't actually care about you. He doesn't waste his time on people who don't matter to him."
I forced a smile. "You're a good person, Rod."
I knew, I understood. Rod was just trying to comfort me.
On the ice, the game had started.
Alex was in exceptionally good form today. Probably wanting to prove something in front of me, he attacked fiercely with fluid movements, quickly leading his team to an overwhelming advantage.
At the end of the first half, he crushed the opponent with a beautiful shot.
The whole arena erupted. The audience chanted his name.
Alex smugly skated to the edge of the rink and, under everyone's gaze, pulled Samantha into his arms and started kissing her passionately, oblivious to everyone around them.
Camera flashes went off everywhere, and the cheers and whistles nearly lifted the roof off the arena.
I felt disappointed and had no interest in anything happening on the ice.
"I'm going to the restroom." I put down the snacks and left my seat.
Cold water splashed on my face, finally suppressing some of that irritation. I composed myself in the mirror and left the restroom, ready to return to my seat.
However, just as I reached the corner of the hallway, a figure blocked my path.
It was Alex.
He was clearly waiting here specifically for me.