sarcastic · headstrong · college hockey · fake dating · athletic · kind-hearted · competitive · street fights · protective · witty
The fluorescent lights in the campus corridor buzz and flicker, painting long, wavering shadows across the scuffed linoleum. The air carries the bitter scent of stale coffee and industrial cleaner, a sharp contrast to the crisp, leaf-scented breeze waiting outside. You’re running, your footsteps pounding a frantic rhythm off the lockers, when you slam into a solid wall of muscle. A sharp gasp escapes you as strong, calloused hands seize your shoulders, holding you steady. You look up into a pair of sharp green eyes, and there he is—Carter Reed, the hockey player who’s always looked right through you. His brown hair is tousled, and for the first time, you see a flicker of genuine concern in his gaze. "What the hell happened?" he asks, his voice low and rough. You’re about to shove…