Chapter 11
The question hit Jason like a physical blow. Something hot and uncomfortable twisted in his chest as he stared at his teammate, momentarily speechless. The very suggestion that he might have genuine feelings for Kelsey created a storm of conflicting emotions he wasn’t prepared to face.
“Of course not!” he replied instinctively, his voice sharper than intended. The defensive edge in his tone surprised even himself.
Seeing the skepticism on Tyler and Bryce’s faces, he doubled down coldly, forcing steel into his voice.
“I told you already. I’m only doing this for Hannah’s Juilliard nomination.”
The words tasted strange on his tongue, hollow somehow. A flash of Kelsey’s smile crossed his mind–the genuine one she saved for moments when she thought no one was watching.
“Yeah, Harbour said she’s skipping college to work, but the Juilliard nomination hasn’t been finalized Who knows if she’ll change her mind?”
His hands had begun to sweat. Why was he feeling so defensive? Why did his heart race at the mere suggestion?
“That’s why I need to maintain our relationship and get her to forgive me!”
Jason’s words weren’t just meant for his teammates.
They were also meant to convince himself.
Right.
Everything he’d done was for Hannah. Just to be absolutely certain Kelsey wouldn’t interfere.
yet.
That had to be it. It couldn’t be that he missed the scent of her hair, or the way her eyes lit up when she talked about dance. It couldn’t be that he found himself thinking about her when he should have been thinking about Hannah. That couldn’t be it at all.
But his former teammates didn’t seem convinced. Their knowing looks made something tighten in Jason’s
chest.
“If you just wanted her forgiveness, you didn’t have to put Peterson in the hospital…” Tyler ventured carefully. “I heard his family has already contacted your parents…”
The memory of that night crashed through Jason’s mind in vivid flashes. The moment he’d walked back into the room and seen those guys holding Kelsey down–something had snapped inside him. It wasn’t
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Chapter 11
calculation. It wasn’t strategy. It was raw, primal fury unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
“Enough!”
Jason cut them off, unable to take any more. His heart hammered against his ribs and his thoughts were a chaotic mess. He couldn’t deal with their insinuations, not when he could barely understand his own feelings.
He glanced anxiously across the lake shore, his expression darkening with each passing minute. The sun beat down mercilessly, a physical manifestation of the burning anxiety spreading through him.
“Where is she? Why hasn’t Kelsey shown up yet?”
It was already noon.
Jason had been certain that Kelsey wouldn’t let him wait in the scorching sun without food or water all morning. She was too kind, too considerate–even when she was angry. The Kelsey he knew would have come, if only to tell him off in person.
But she still hadn’t appeared.
He’d sent her numerous messages, with no response. Each unanswered text felt like another needle under his skin.
An unfamiliar sense of panic rose in his chest, constricting his breathing. This wasn’t like the controlled nervousness before a big hockey game. This was something raw and painful, something he couldn’t strategize his way out of. He was about to send another text when his phone vibrated.
He checked it eagerly–a message from Kelsey.
His eyes lit up as hope surged through him. His fingers trembled slightly as he opened it.
But then he read:
[I’m not coming.]
[Jason, we’re done.]
Jason’s entire body went rigid. The world around him seemed to freeze, the noise of the crowd fading to a distant buzz. The simple words on the screen felt like a physical blow–something he hadn’t anticipated, hadn’t prepared for. A cold emptiness spread from his chest outward, numbing his limbs.
We’re done.
Two small words that shouldn’t matter. Two words that shouldn’t make him feel like he’d been hollowed out from the inside. She was just part of a plan, wasn’t she?
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Chapter 11
So why did those words feel like they were tearing something essential from him?
Meanwhile, Bryce was still rambling on, his voice now a grating irritation against Jason’s raw nerves.
“Stan, instead of worrying about Harbour, you should deal with the Peterson situation. Their family might not be as connected as yours, but they can still cause trouble…”
Their words blurred together into meaningless noise. All Jason could focus on was the message on his screen, the finality of it. The thought of never seeing Kelsey again–never making her laugh, never holding her close, never watching her dance–created a void that threatened to consume him.
“Hey, Stan! Where are you going?” Derek called out.
But Jason wasn’t listening anymore. A primal urgency had taken over, driving him forward. He took off running like a madman, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
He couldn’t let this happen. He wouldn’t.
He sprinted all the way to the girls‘ dormitory, his lungs burning and legs aching, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the turmoil in his chest.
“Kelsey!” he shouted from below, desperation edging his voice.
“Kelsey, come down and explain yourself! What do you mean we’re done?!”
At this point, Jason was genuinely furious–not at Kelsey, but at himself. At the situation. At the fact that she could walk away so easily when he was standing here feeling like his world was crumbling. Pride and fear collided inside him, creating a volatile cocktail of emotions he’d never experienced before.
He’d assumed Kelsey was just upset about yesterday and would eventually come around. It had never crossed his mind that she might actually break up with him. The thought was incomprehensible–she loved him, didn’t she? She had to.
Thinking about how she used to blush whenever he looked at her, how soft and warm she felt in his arms, how her eyes would follow him across a room, he couldn’t fathom that the words “we’re done” had actually come from her.
But he also knew that beneath Kelsey’s gentle exterior was an iron will. When she committed to something, she followed through, no matter the cost to herself. That was what had drawn him to her in the first place–the quiet strength beneath the grace.
When she decided to master a difficult dance sequence, she’d practice until her feet bled.
When she set her mind to learning a new skill, she’d work at it relentlessly until she perfected it.
Knowing her determination, cold fear began to replace Jason’s anger. If Kelsey had truly decided they
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My Hook
Chapter 11
were over, no amount of charm or manipulation would change her mind.
The realization hit him with stunning clarity: he might have lost her for good.
His heart pounded painfully against his ribs as panic completely overtook him.
He called her phone again and again, each failed attempt increasing his desperation. When he discovered it had been turned off, something close to terror clawed at his insides.
So he continued shouting beneath the girls‘ dormitory, no longer caring about the crowd gathering around him or what anyone thought. For the first time in his life, Jason Stan was completely unaware of his audience, focused only on the urgent need to find Kelsey before it was too late.
The dorm supervisor eventually emerged, her expression a mixture of exasperation and pity.
“You again!” she said, recognizing Jason immediately.
If not for his good looks, charm, and occasional gifts, she would have reported him to administration long ago.
Even now, she barely managed to keep her patience as she spoke.
“Stop yelling. Kelsey already moved out of the dorm.”
