hockey player · golden boy · popular girl · social climber · cold demeanor · betrayal · high school setting · jock · emotional neglect · strategic
The sterile blue light of the monitor bleeds into the dimness of the bedroom, cutting through the shadows cast by the discarded pads and sticks strewn across the floor. The room still carries the salt and metallic tang of the rink, a lingering scent of a victory that feels hollow. You are pressed close to him on the edge of the mattress, your fingers working slowly to ease the tension in his shoulders. His gaze, however, is locked onto the screen, navigating a landscape you've never seen—a new build, a shared sanctuary. He lets out a sudden, genuine laugh, but it isn't a reaction to anything you said. Chloe's name is a ghost in the room, haunting the silence. When you finally withdraw your hands, he doesn't even realize you've let go. The silence stretches, measured only by the rhythmic…