Chapter 8 The Rise Of The Puck Boy

ALEXA POV

My head pounded. I groaned and buried my face in the pillow. Even opening my eyes felt like a bad decision. The room tilted slightly when I sat up.

I couldn’t remember everything from last night, but one thing stayed clear in my mind: Blake kissing that girl. The way he smiled at her. The way he held her.

He had really moved on.

I sat up slowly. My body still hurts from all the stress. I looked at the time and jumped out of bed fast. I didn’t want to be late again. Ryder would probably punish me even worse if I showed up late. I quickly changed into my practice clothes, tied my short hair under a cap, and made sure my binder was tight. I brushed my teeth and washed my face in a hurry, then ran out of the room.

The moment I stepped outside the dorm, I noticed people whispering. Two girls walking past me stopped talking and stared. A group of boys near the field looked at me and laughed quietly. I felt confused but shrugged it off. Maybe they were just talking about something else. I kept walking fast toward the training ground.

When I entered the big training room, a senior player looked up and smiled at me.

“Morning, Puck Boy,” he said loudly.

I stopped and looked behind me, thinking he was talking to someone else. But no one was there. He was looking straight at me. My heart beat faster. What did he just call me?

I walked over to Freddie, who was already tying his skates. He looked up and grinned.

“Freddie, what’s going on?” I asked quietly. “Why did that senior call me Puck Boy?”

Freddie’s smile faded a little. He pulled out his phone and opened it. “You really don’t know?”

He turned the screen toward me. My eyes widened. There was a video of me from last night. I was on the stage, dancing wildly, screaming and jumping around like a crazy person. The video had thousands of views already. People were commenting things like:

“Puck Boy is wild 😂”

“New rookie got the name from Captain Ryder”

“Puck Boy drinking challenge legend”

The nickname “Puck Boy” was everywhere. Because Ryder had called me that when he was punishing me, and now the whole school was using it. It had become my official name overnight.

I stared at the phone, my face burning. “This is so embarrassing…”

Freddie patted my shoulder. “It’s not that bad. At least they are talking about you. Some people are saying you have crazy energy.”

I handed the phone back to him. My head was still hurting, and now this. I felt like everyone in the room was looking at me. Some seniors were smiling and whispering. A few even called out “Puck Boy!” as I walked past.

I sat down on the bench and put on my skates slowly. My hands were shaking a little. I had come here to hide and prove myself, not to become some funny internet sensation. What if someone looked too closely at the video? What if they started suspecting something?

Ryder walked into the room a few minutes later. He looked at me and smirked. That same annoying smirk. He clearly knew about the video. He didn’t say anything, but the way he looked at me made me angry.

I stood up and joined the others on the ice. My legs still felt weak from last night, but I pushed through. Every time someone called me “Puck Boy,” I felt my face get hot. But I didn’t stop. I skated harder, trying to focus on practice instead of the whispers and laughs.

Freddie skated next to me during a break. “Don’t worry too much, Alex. It will die down soon.”

I nodded, but deep down I wasn’t sure. Everything was moving so fast. The secret, the hate from Ryder, seeing Blake with another girl, and now this stupid nickname.

I looked across the ice and saw Blake practicing with the other seniors. He was laughing with his friends. He hadn’t noticed me yet. Or maybe he had and just didn’t care.

I turned away and focused on the puck in front of me. I had to keep going. No matter how embarrassing this was, no matter how much my head hurt, I couldn’t give up now.

This was my new life. And “Puck Boy” was apparently part of it.

…….

After training ended, I waited until the locker room became quiet. I peeked out from behind the corner and saw no one. My heart beat fast as I quickly slipped into the bathroom. I checked every stall again, then locked myself in the last one.

I took off my clothes fast and turned on the shower. Warm water ran down my body. I closed my eyes and let it wash away the sweat and tiredness. The binder had left red marks on my skin, so I rubbed them gently. For a few minutes, I felt safe. No one could see me here.

When I finished, I dried myself quickly and put my clothes back on. I tied the binder tight around my chest and checked my cap in the small mirror. I opened the door slowly and stepped out.

I ran straight into someone.

I looked up in shock. It was Blake.

“Why are you always sneaking around?” he asked, tilting his head.

I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my neck. “I’m not sneaking. I just… don’t like showering with a lot of people. It makes me uncomfortable.”

Blake smiled gently. “I totally understand. Those guys can be a pain in the neck sometimes.” He was holding a set of keys, so I knew he had come to lock the doors again.

“So you are Puck Boy now,” he said suddenly.

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. “Please not you too.”

Blake laughed. The sound was warm and familiar which made me smile.

“You really don’t remember meeting me before? You look really familiar.” He asked after some minutes of silence.

“I don’t think so,” I said quickly. We started walking out of the locker room together. My hands felt sweaty. I kept my head down, afraid he would recognize me if he looked too closely.

Before we reached the door, a girl suddenly ran up and hugged Blake tightly. It was the same girl from the party last night.

“Wow, isn’t this Puck Boy?” she asked, looking at me with a curious smile.

“His name is Alex,” Blake said. “Alex, meet my girl Erica.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said quietly.

Erica smiled at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She quickly turned back to Blake and started pulling him away. “Come on, babe. Let’s go.”

I stood there and watched them leave. Blake waved at me once before they disappeared around the corner. My chest felt tight. I turned and started walking around the school again, trying to clear my head.

I passed by an empty classroom and stopped. Something didn’t feel right. I took a few steps back and looked inside through the window.

My eyes widened.

Lila Harrington and her two friends were inside. They were hitting a girl on the floor. The girl’s face was already bloody. She was curled up, trying to protect herself. I recognized her immediately. She was the girl who had been sitting on Ryder’s lap at the party last night.

“If I ever see you near Ryder again, what will happen to you will be much worse than this,” Lila said coldly. She stepped on the girl’s hand and pressed down hard with her shoe.

The girl screamed in pain.

I stood frozen outside the door, my heart pounding. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Lila’s face looked calm, but her eyes were full of anger. Her two friends laughed as they watched.

Suddenly, Lila turned her head and looked straight at me through the window. Our eyes met.

She smiled slowly. It wasn’t a nice smile.

I stepped back quickly, my legs shaking. I turned and walked away fast, trying not to run.

I kept walking, my hands cold. The nickname “Puck Boy,” the video, Blake with his girlfriend, and now this… everything was becoming too much. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep my secret safe.

But I had to. I had no choice.