Chapter 10
Meanwhile.
At the Culver lakeside.
–
Jason stared down at his phone, just finishing his seventh game while waiting. His fingers moved mechanically across the screen, but his mind was elsewhere–imagining Kelsey walking down the path to meet him, rehearsing what he’d say when she arrived. With each passing minute, a strange tension built in his chest.
When he looked up, he noticed an even larger crowd had gathered around him. The weight of their expectant gazes made his skin prickle with an unfamiliar anxiety.
Some were taking photos, others were whispering among themselves.
“That’s Jason Stan, the hockey captain. He’s so freaking hot!”
“And he’s not just gorgeous–he’s totally devoted! He’s been waiting here since sunrise just to apologize to his girlfriend!”
“But it’s already past ten. Why hasn’t his girlfriend shown up yet? Is she seriously not going to forgive him?”
“Oh my God, what kind of girl is she? If a guy that hot publicly apologized to me, I’d forgive him for literally anything!”
“Just wait a bit longer. Maybe she’s on her way…”
Jason’s brow furrowed slightly, a muscle working in his jaw. The confidence that had carried him through every social situation in his life was beginning to crack at the edges.
He’d been at the lake since before dawn, sitting on the dock where they’d first kissed. The memory of that night–the vulnerability in Kelsey’s eyes, the softness of her lips–surged through him with startling clarity.
He had assumed Kelsey would come running to him immediately. It was what everyone did when Jason Stan called. No one kept him waiting. No one said no.
But it was almost noon, and she still hadn’t appeared.
Jason ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, a hollow feeling spreading through his chest. The crowd, the lake, everything that had seemed like the perfect backdrop for his grand gesture now felt like a stage set for his humiliation.
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Chapter 10
Yesterday must have been too much, pushing even someone as patient as Kelsey to her breaking point. The image of her face–pale with terror as those guys held her down–flashed through his mind, sending a stab of something that felt uncomfortably like guilt through his stomach.
Whatever. She’d come. She had to.
He’d wait a little longer.
By afternoon, Kelsey would probably feel guilty and come find him. She always did–forgave him, believed in him, looked at him with those eyes that somehow made him feel both powerful and exposed at once.
As Jason was thinking this, someone called out from the crowd.
“Stan!”
He looked up, hope flaring briefly before dying when he saw Tyler, Derek, and Bryce pushing through the onlookers. The disappointment that followed surprised him with its intensity.
When they saw Jason actually waiting by the lake for Kelsey, they stared in disbelief.
“No way, Stan. You’re actually waiting for Harbour?” Tyler asked, genuine shock in his voice.
Jason glared at them, irritation flaring hot beneath his skin. “What did you think? That I was just talking shit?”
They exchanged confused glances, and something in their expressions made Jason’s stomach tighten with
unease.
“We thought you were done with Harbour and just wanted to mess with her one last time!” Derek said, his tone suggesting this should have been obvious.
“Yeah, that’s what we told Hannah when she asked yesterday…” Bryce added with a careless shrug.
Hearing Hannah’s name, Jason’s eye twitched. The casual way they’d discussed his plans–plans he hadn’t even made–sent a surge of anger through him that was disproportionate to the offense.
He grabbed Bryce by the collar, his expression icy, fingers digging into the fabric with more force than
necessary.
“What exactly did you tell Hannah?” The question came out low and dangerous, surprising even himself with its intensity.
Seeing Jason’s dark expression, Bryce stammered in fear.
“N–nothing… just… didn’t you say Harbour wasn’t going for Juilliard anymore? That she wanted to work
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Chapter to
instead?”
“So why waste any more time on her? We thought you were done playing around with her, so we assumed today’s apology was just to set her up for public humiliation…”
Jason’s pupils constricted as a cold dread slithered through him. If they had told Hannah that… and if Hannah had told Kelsey…
The other guys cautiously spoke up.
“Actually, Stan, yesterday at Tyler’s too…” Derek began hesitantly, “you told us to ‘teach her a lesson,‘ but when Peterson and the others just touched her, you went completely berserk…”
“Seriously, you beat them so badly they’re all still in the hospital. Peterson might never play hockey again. His family has serious connections, you know…” Tyler added.
It was true.
After rescuing Kelsey, Jason hadn’t immediately gone to Hannah.
First, he’d brutally beaten every single guy who had laid hands on Kelsey. The memory of his own violence should have troubled him–should have felt excessive, dangerous. Instead, his only regret was that he hadn’t arrived sooner.
Anyone who had so much as touched her with a fingertip received a beating that left them unrecognizable. His knuckles still bore the cuts and bruises from the impacts, but in the moment, he hadn’t even felt the pain. He’d only felt a blind, consuming rage at the thought of anyone hurting her.
And the ones who had tried to tear off her clothes? Jason had put them in intensive care without a second thought or a moment’s hesitation.
The only teammates who dared speak to him now were those who hadn’t touched Kelsey at all yesterday.
Jason’s face darkened as he said nothing, but his former friends were putting the pieces together, exchanging knowing glances that made him feel exposed.
Bryce finally gathered the courage to ask:
“Stan… you haven’t actually fallen for Harbour for real, have you?”
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