My phone buzzed again. Another text. This one from Kira.
I didn’t have to scroll far to find the rest.
The headlines were everywhere.
"Crestwood Coach Sleeping with Player… and She’s His Son’s Ex."
"The Puck Bunny Who Played Coach: Inside Calder Shaw’s Scandal."
"NHL’s Bad Boy Strikes Again—This Time, With His Own Team."
My hands shook.
I clicked the first link. The photo was worse up close. You could see the exhaustion on my face, the way my hair was still damp from the shower, the way I wassmiling—just a little, just for him. The caption read:"Donovan leaves Shaw’s residence late Tuesday night. Sources say the two have been ‘involved’ for weeks."
Weeks.
Like it was some sordid affair. Like I was just another notch.
Like it wasn’treal.
Like it wasn’t the first time in my life I’d feltseen.
My stomach heaved. I barely made it to the bathroom before I was on my knees, retching into the toilet, my phone clattering to the tile. Tears burned, but I swallowed them down. No time. Noluxury.
Another text. Reese this time.
Billie. Tell me this isn’t you.
I didn’t answer.
Because what was I supposed to say?
Yes. It’s me. And it’s all true.
The rink smelled like betrayal.
I walked in anyway, my skates slung over my shoulder, my head held high like I wasn’t about to shatter. The locker room door swung shut behind me with athudthat echoed like a gunshot.
Silence.
Every head turned. Every pair of eyes burned.
Kira’s lips pressed into a thin line. Reese wouldn’t look at me. The rookies—freshman girls who’d barely spoken to me before—whispered behind their hands like I was contagious.
"No wonder she got the C."
The words hit first. A senior forward—Mia—didn’t even bother lowering her voice. She smirked, tying her skates with slow, deliberate pulls. "Suck your way into the first line?"
Laughter. Sharp. Ugly.
My fingers tightened around my stick. "Mia." My voice didn’t shake. That was the only victory I’d get today. "You wanna say that to my face?"
She stood, all false innocence. "Just saying what everyone’s thinking." Her gaze flicked to the others. "Skate like a whore, get treated like one."
The room held its breath.
I didn’t flinch.
