Chapter 3 003

ASHER’S POV

“It’s not even been twenty minutes since we arrived. I can’t believe Coach is making us practice,” Sebastian complained, his skates cutting into the ice as he glided up beside me.

I shrugged, keeping my eyes fixed on the far end of the rink. “It seems this is the only thing Coach prioritizes now,” I muttered, adjusting the strap of my gloves.

Before Sebastian could launch into another round of complaining, Leo jumped into the play.

“At this point, they should just make the whole hockey thing an exam instead of actually making us sit in one,” Leo called out, laughing as he circled back around the blue line.

I shook my head, tracking his movement. “That isn’t possible, Leo. Keep dreaming.”

I pushed off, taking a hard lap down the boards to clear my head, but a shadow cut across my path, intentional and aggressive. It was Ace, a guy from the gold tier who had been looking for an excuse to push his luck all semester. He deliberately crossed into my lane, his shoulder slamming into mine with enough force to rattle my teeth.

The irritation that had been simmering all morning boiled up in a second.

I didn't think. I just dropped my stick, reached out, and shoved Ace hard across the chest, sending him stumbling backward onto the ice. “Watch where you’re going,” I snapped, stepping into his space before he could even stabilize himself.

Ace recovered quickly, his face twisting into anger as he lunged forward, grabbing the front of my jersey. I slammed my fist into his chest pad, pushing him back again.

Before the confrontation could escalate into a full fight, Leo and Sebastian materialized out of nowhere, throwing themselves between us. Leo’s strong grip locked around my chest, dragging me back, while Sebastian shoved Ace a few feet away, breaking his hold on my jersey.

“Back off, Ace,” Leo warned. “Know your place.”

Ace spat on the ice, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he glared past Leo straight at me. “I can’t wait for the day to see you fall from diamond to the lowest rank, Asher,” he hissed then turned on his heel and walked away toward the benches.

The adrenaline slowly began to drain from my veins. Sebastian shifted closer to me, watching Ace’s retreating back before looking over at me. “The dude is crazy,” Sebastian muttered, shaking his head.

He paused before he hit me with the question I’d been avoiding all morning. He pulled his helmet off, then used his elbow to nudge me hard in the arm. “Hey, did you see Sasha this morning?”

The mood instantly soured. “Sasha isn’t my priority, so don’t ask,” I replied coldly, looking anywhere but at him.

Sebastian didn't back down, tilting his head to inspect my expression. “Are you still not over the breakup?”

“I’m done,” I said, my voice dropping low, leaving no room for argument. “Done for good. I’m not looking forward to seeing her, or anyone else for that matter.”

Sensing the shift in my energy, Sebastian held his hands up in mock surrender. He excused himself, skating away to join some guys on the other side of the ice.

I reached up, removed my helmet, and let out a long, exhausted sigh. Walking over to the player's bench, I sat down and grabbed the bottle of water I had kept on the table, drinking it in deep gulps.

I glanced up at Leo, who was still coasting nearby. “I’m going to the locker room to change,” I told him, tossing the empty bottle aside. “I’ve got class, and I’ve already missed English as it is.”

Leo nodded as I pushed off the bench and headed for the exit. I walked down the quiet concrete corridor, the double doors shutting out the echoing sounds of the rink behind me.

I quickly removed my clothes, unbuckling the pads and tossing my jersey onto the bench. Stepping in front of the large mirror above the sinks, I paused, flexing my arm to inspect the tension in my shoulders. A frustrated groan escaped my lips as I complained silently to myself.

“Great. I’m already looking too unnatural with these muscles.” It felt like all the hours on the ice were turning me into something rigid, too bulky for a regular lecture hall.

Turning away from the glass, I stepped into the shower stall. The hot water hit my skin.

After taking a quick shower, I shut off the valve and stepped out into the main locker room area, grabbing a couple of fresh towels to clean myself off. I was just drying my hair when a sudden sound shattered the quiet room.

Someone slammed the door hard.

I turned around quickly, the towel freezing in my hands.

Standing right there, just past the threshold of the entryway, was a girl with dark hair. Her eyes locked directly onto me, widening until they looked like wide saucers, and her mouth dropped open in complete shock.

For some endless seconds, the world went dead silent.

Neither of us seemed to remember how to breathe.

“S-sorry,” she stammered, the word barely forming properly on her lips.

I was so entirely surprised by the intrusion that I couldn't even form a single word to demand what she was doing here. My throat felt completely locked.

Realizing she was trapped in a nightmare, the girl turned on her heel and ran back out the door like a maniac, her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

I stood there in the empty room, the silence rushing back in to greet me. “What just happened?” I questioned myself aloud, my brain scrambling to make sense of the sudden whirlwind.

I looked down at my hands, then past my hand, the cold realization hitting me hard. I hadn’t even wrapped the towel around my waist yet. I had been completely naked the whole time.