Chapter 2 - Joy and pain

~ MELANIE POV ~

“Go, Bryan! I love you!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, holding up the massive painted banner with his name spelled out in bold, glittering letters.

I didn’t care about the thousands of eyes glued to me. Everyone at Horizon University knew I was the girlfriend of Bryan Dawson—the star captain of the hockey team, campus golden boy, and undisputed king of the rink.

Bryan turned toward the bleachers and flashed a breath-stealing grin through his helmet. I mirrored his smile and blew him a flurry of kisses. Right on cue, he made a grand show of catching them mid-air, pressing them to his chest, and offering me a wink.

I laughed loudly, watching him as he resumed playing, dominating the ice alongside Jasper, who was his best friend.

Together, they held Horizon University in the palm of their hands. Half the girls on campus practically hated me out of pure envy because I was dating Bryan Dawson and had Jasper Duskbane on speed dial as a close friend.

The funny part? I didn’t give a single damn.

“Go, Bryan! Go, Jasper!” I cheered even louder, jumping up and down with a wide smile plastered across my face.

Sensing eyes on me, I cast a quick glance over my shoulder to check on Vanessa and Quincy. Those two were my sworn enemies on campus. Vanessa had been trying to sink her claws into Bryan for two years, while Quincy was borderline obsessed with Jasper. Since neither of them stood a chance, they channeled all their bitter frustration toward me, furious that I was the only girl allowed in the boys’ inner circle.

But instead of catching their usual death-glares, my eyes slammed into a total stranger standing near the top of the bleachers.

He was staring down at me, his eyes wide with an intensity so fierce it stopped the air in my throat. He looked utterly stunned, as if he had just watched a corpse rise from the dead.

Why is he staring at me like that?

I racked my brain, completely certain I had never seen his face before. And trust me, a face like his—striking, sharp, and impossibly handsome was not something anyone forgot.

Is he a freshman?

Judging from how young he looked, he had to be.

I waved at him as my way of welcoming him to Horizon University. But he didn’t wave back. Instead, he kept staring at me without even blinking his eyes.

“Weird,” I muttered under my breath, a faint frown tugging at my lips before I forced my attention back to the ice.

“Woo! You’re the best, Bryan!” I yelled, pushing the strange boy out of my head.

The game stretched on for another intense hour before the final horn blew. Unsurprisingly, Bryan and Jasper carried the team to another brutal victory, securing our spot in the finals.

As the bleachers erupted into absolute chaos, I practically sprinted down to the rink. The second Bryan stepped off the ice, I threw myself into his arms. He caught me effortlessly, his strong hands securing my waist as I wrapped my legs around him and planted a deep, breathless kiss on his lips.

It was my own little way of reminding Horizon University girls that Bryan was mine.

“Yuck! Get a room already,” Jasper groaned, pulling off his gloves with a heavy scowl as he watched us.

Bryan pulled back just enough to grin at his best friend. “If you’re that pained, man, maybe you should finally get yourself a girlfriend.”

I giggled, keeping my legs firmly wrapped around Bryan’s waist.

“Trust me, I’m seriously considering it,” Jasper huffed, rolling his eyes fondly. “I am sick and tired of getting oppressed by you two every single day. You’re both unbearable.”

Bryan and I broke out laughing. We knew Jasper was just playing along—the only thing that boy ever took seriously in this life was hockey.

“Melanie… can you wait for me at the parking lot?” Bryan asked gently, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “The coach wants the team in the locker room for a quick post-game debrief.”

“Sure,” I smiled, pressing a quick peck to his lips before sliding down his body to the floor. “Take your time.”

The crowd was slowly filing out of the complex. As I headed for the exit, I caught Vanessa and Quincy shooting daggers at me from across the aisle. I flashed them a sugary, triumphant smirk before leaving.

I walked over to the parking lot to wait for Bryan, and while resting my back against his hood, I pulled out my phone to scroll through the game highlights.

Then, out of nowhere, a shadow fell over me.

The stranger from the bleachers was suddenly standing less than two feet away.

I nearly let out a loud scream because I could swear I didn’t hear his footsteps.

“It’s you… from earlier,” I managed to breathe out, trying to calm my racing heart. I forced a polite smile, trying to act like a helpful upperclassman. “You must be a freshman, right? How are you liking Horizon so far? Or maybe you need someone to show you around campus?”

He kept quiet, his eyes glued to my face.

There was something strange in his eyes. He looked happy and sad at the same time, like seeing me brought him joy and pain.

“It’s you. It’s really you,” he muttered.

“Huh?” I furrowed my brows together, taking a half-step back against the car. “Do… Do we know each other?”

Instead of answering, he took a step closer. Before I could even react, his arms locked around me, pulling me flush against his chest.

He hugged me.

I tried to shove him off, but he hugged me tightly as if I was a treasure he once lost and had finally found.

“It’s you… it’s really you,” he repeated into my hair, his chest heaving as his arms wrapped firmly around my back.

“Thank you. Thank you for being born again… I missed you so much, Isabella,” he choked out, his deep voice trembling against my neck.

Isabella?

My mind went completely blank. Who the hell is Isabella?