PUBLICLY YOURS, SECRETLY MINE

Jasper Warren slammed the puck into the net, and the arena immediately exploded. The crowd surged to their feet, their screams echoing off the ice. Blue and silver lights pulsed through the stadium as his teammates rushed him from every direction, pulling him into a celebratory huddle.

Behind his visor, Jasper breathed hard as he looked up at the glowing scoreboard. The game was tied, but it felt like a win. The North City Blizzards had barely survived the second period, and Jasper was the only reason they were still in the fight.

This was exactly why the media called him the "Ice Tyrant." As the league’s top player, he was famous for his terrifying precision. He was calm, ruthless, and capable of flipping a game on its head in a matter of seconds.

The referee’s whistle shrilled through the air, signaling the end of the period. Jasper skated off the ice alongside his teammates.

As soon as Jasper got to the locker room, he went straight to his locker. He grabbed his water bottle and drank deeply, trying to steady his breathing.

“Man… you just saved our team!” Collins said excitedly. The talkative teammate couldn’t hide his grin. “That goal was insane!”

“Exactly,” another teammate added. “If Jasper hadn’t scored, I swear the Northvale Vipers would’ve taken it.” The Northvale Vipers had always been their biggest rival.

North City Blizzards had many rival teams, but none compared to Northvale. The rivalry between both sides was intense, almost personal.

Like the Blizzards, the Vipers also had their own star player named, Kyle. He was known as their number one. And more importantly, Jasper’s long-time rival.

The two of them never got along. There was even a rumor years ago that Kyle accused Jasper of stealing his girlfriend, and although it was never proven, the tension between them never died down.

And today was no different. The Vipers had never won against the Blizzards, which only made them more aggressive in this match. Everyone knew they played dirty when they got desperate—pushing limits, blocking harshly, and trying to throw players off balance. Some even caused minor falls during play, making the game more physical than usual. That was how they managed to score their two goals. But Jasper had answered back with one of his own. Now it was 2–2. A tie.

“Still, what’s so special about what Jasper did?” Sky snorted, rolling his eyes. “Isn’t that what he’s supposed to do?And besides, it still a tie”

“If it’s so easy, why didn’t you do it?” Collins shot back immediately, still smiling. Sky’s glare turned sharp towards Collin’s.

Jasper sighed quietly as he placed his water bottle back into his locker.

“Like Sky said,” he said calmly, “it’s still a tie. The second half will decide everything.”

“I’m glad you understand that,” Sky replied, voice tight with arrogance.

Jasper didn’t respond as he simply walked over to the bench and sat down to rest before the next period. A few seconds later, Coach Miller walked in.

“Gather up, boys,” she said, clapping her hands once.

The team quickly formed a circle around her. She began speaking fast, going over defensive positions and final instructions, her tone sharp and focused.

But in the middle of it, a phone kept ringing non stop and the sound cut through the room again and again. Coach Miller stopped talking, already fed up with the distraction from the ringtone.

“Whose phone is that?!” she snapped. Everyone turned slowly toward the sound. It was coming from Jasper’s locker.

“Sorry, Coach,” Jasper said quietly. He stood up, walked over, took the phone out, and turned it off.

“I’ve told you countless times,” Coach Miller said, her voice softening slightly, “keep your phone on silent or switch it off.”

The change in her tone didn’t go unnoticed as some of the teammates exchanged looks. She was strict with everyone, but, when it came to Jasper, she always softened. Maybe because he is the state player?

Coach Miller checked her watch and clapped her hands again. “Alright, boys. Time for the second half.” She paused and looked around the room.

“I want you to show them why we are the North City Blizzards.”

“Yes, Coach!” they all responded.

“Move out!” she ordered. The team stood and started filing out toward the rink.

As they entered back into the rink after halftime, the atmosphere immediately became intense again. Both teams were desperate to win tonight’s match, especially since this game will come with a lot of opportunities. The sound of skates scraping harshly against the ice echoed throughout the arena while the audience screamed loudly from the stands.

Jasper Warren tightened his grip around his hockey stick as he moved quickly across the rink, his sharp eyes focused on the puck. Sweat covered the side of his face beneath his helmet despite the cold temperature surrounding the ice. One thing everybody in the league knew about Jasper was that once he stepped onto the rink, he never allowed distractions to affect him. That was exactly why people feared him.

But tonight, as he skated past one side of the rink, Jasper noticed movement from the audience seats behind the thick protective glass. At first, he ignored it and continued playing, thinking the crowd was simply reacting to the tension of the match. But after a few seconds, he noticed that most of them weren’t even paying attention to the game anymore. They were looking at their phones and pointing at him. Jasper’s brows furrowed slightly beneath his helmet.

The uncomfortable feeling in his chest slowly grew stronger as he continued moving across the rink. More whispers spread through the audience, and the expressions on their faces no longer looked excited.

The distraction slowly started affecting his concentration. Even while controlling the puck and passing it between teammates, his attention kept drifting toward the audience. What happened? Why was everybody suddenly acting like this?

Then suddenly, a plastic cup flew toward him from the audience and the drink splashed violently against the protective glass.

Jasper stopped slightly in shock and instinctively looked toward the crowd.

“Fraud!” someone shouted angrily.

Another person threw popcorn toward the rink, but it also hit the glass barrier and scattered downward messily. More shouting followed immediately after and the entire arena started becoming chaotic.

That was when Jasper fully realized something was terribly wrong.

“Jasper!!” Sky’s loud voice suddenly snapped through the noise.

Startled, Jasper turned immediately toward his teammate. And in that exact moment, his hockey stick struck the puck wrongly.bThe puck slid violently across the ice, straight toward his own team’s goalpost and scored.

The entire arena fell silent instantly, everyone stood frozen and even Jasper himself stood completely still as his eyes widened beneath his helmet.

Did he just— Did Jasper Warren just score against his own team?

For a few horrifying seconds, nobody could even process what had happened.

Then the rival team’s side exploded loudly.

“GOAL!!”

“VIPERS!!”

The NorthVale Vipers players immediately celebrated while their fans screamed excitedly from the stands.

Meanwhile, the Blizzards’ side looked completely devastated. Jasper stood frozen in place, his breathing uneven as the reality slowly crashed into him. That mistake… That had never happened before.

Slowly, Kyle skated toward him with a victorious smile resting on his face. When he stopped beside Jasper, he leaned closer slightly.

“Downfall number one,” he whispered quietly before patting Jasper’s shoulder and skating away.

Before he could even understand what Kyle meant, angry shouting suddenly erupted from the audience again.

Some furious fans started throwing drinks and snacks toward the rink. Everything hit the protective glass loudly while security guards quickly rushed into the arena to calm the chaos before things became worse.

“Jasper.”

Collins finally reached him and grabbed his arm firmly.

“Come on,” he said seriously. “Let’s get out of here.”

Still feeling dazed, Jasper allowed Collins to pull him away from the rink while the noise of the furious crowd echoed loudly behind him.

“What the fuck was that out there?!” Coach Miller yelled, unable to hold back her anger. It was the first time she had ever raised her voice at Jasper.

The locker room fell silent instantly. Even though everyone was shocked, they understood why she was angry. Jasper had just scored for the opposing team.

“I was supposed to know what happened?” Jasper snapped back. “Everything happened too fast.”

“Yeah, right,” Sky scoffed from across the room. “Who knows if you did it on purpose?”

Jasper shot him a cold glare. “Shut the fuck up!”

“No, you shut the fuck up!” Sky fired back angrily. “Who the hell scores for the other team during a crucial match?”

Jasper stood up immediately, frustration written all over his face.

“I already said it was a mistake!” he shouted. “Am I not allowed to make mistakes now? Why are you all acting like the world ended? We can still win the next match.”

Coach Miller stared at him in disbelief. “You really don’t understand how serious this is?”

Jasper clenched his jaw tightly. Coach Miller threw a towel onto the bench angrily before pointing at him.

“I would’ve understood if it was a normal mistake,” she said sharply. “But you literally handed the opposing team a goal. Sponsors invested millions into this game. The team’s reputation is tied to every match we play.”

The entire locker room remained tense as Jasper ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He knew the mistake looked terrible.But it wasn’t intentional.

Everything had become strange the moment he stepped back onto the rink and he allowed himself to be distracted.

“I don’t think that’s our biggest problem right now.”

Collins slowly stood up from his seat, his eyes still fixed on his phone. The room turned toward him.

“Guys,” he said quietly. “Check the internet.”