The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 33
There wasn't much to discuss on the way home, at least nothing that would lead
back to an unfavorable outcome.
In the passenger seat, Aria sat with her arms crossed and her face pinched into a
scowl. It didn't feel appropriate to coerce her into light conversation, but I hated
seeing her so upset. She was banking on getting that new place, but the matter
with Timothy was simply one that I couldn't ignore.
Before I could make the next turn, she finally spoke up. “I need to run some
errands. Would you mind dropping me off at the plaza?”
I frowned, but then nodded anyway as I continued going straight. “Uh, sure.”
By the time we reached the plaza, Aria was already taking off her seatbelt and
gathering her purse. She muttered a quick “thanks” before letting the door slam
behind her. I would have pressed on and tried to amend things in any normal
situation.
However, I had already made the decision to find a certain someone and demand
some answers from him.
I spent my drive to the sports center debating what I'd say. Honestly, there was a
good chance that he wouldn't even be there. The teams hardly practiced on
Fridays, from what I recalled.
Still, I was prepared to catch him by surprise if need be. He could worm his way
out of a conversation through text or a phone call, but a confrontation might stun
him into submission. I felt more confident with this decision as I jumped out of my
car and speed walked to the entrance.
Upon entry, there was the usual sound of pucks clanking together and skates
skidding along the ice. I drowned it all out and followed my usual path to the
team’s lounge. There was a sweet, tangy scent drifting out of the lounge as I
came closer.
Things hadn't gone so well with that last time, particularly with Timothy
threatening him. He seemed to be pretty well-mannered, so Timothy's outburst
was troubling.
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Chapter 33
Of course, it could've just been another case of Timothy butting into my life.
As I got closer, I spotted a figure moving around behind the glass window of the
lounge. It didn't take long before I figured out it was Timothy, who was cooking.
something in the microwave. Guess I was catching him during his lunch.
I opened the door and slipped inside, although he hardly noticed my presence
with his back turned. He plopped down on the sofa and switched on the TV
before starting on his meal.
“Hey,” I said, trying to sound as stern as possible.
He jerked in reflex, then twisted around with a perplexed look that was comical
when combined with his cheeks stuffed with food. He blinked at me for a
moment, then swallowed harshly before setting down what looked like a burrito
bowl down on the seat beside him.
“Evie?” He stood abruptly and started marching toward me. “Is something
wrong?"
My lips parted just as he came to tower over me. His hands hovered over my
shoulders as he looked me over, as though searching for injuries.
“No,” I said faintly, forced to inhale the woodsy scent of his musk. “It's about the
apartment.”
He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced to the side. “Apartment? What
apartment?”
I huffed. “The one you discussed with my roommate,” I told him. When his
confusion seemed to deepen, I added, “The luxury apartments downtown.”
“Oh!” Then it hit him, and he started to nod in recognition. “Your friend Aria came
up to me, actually. Said you guys needed some help looking for good
apartments.”
“And you could've left it at that,” I said, scowling. “But instead you've been going
around recommending me to landlords like I'm some sort of superstar. No one
asked you to do that.”
Timothy stepped back, finally moving his hands and placing them on his hips in a
defensive stance. His expression hardened as he thought it over.
to/d
“No one had to ask me to do anything, Evie,” he said softly. “I just figured I could
help out. Aria told me about the place you two are currently living at and those
are some crappy apartments to be living in.”
2/6
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Chapter 33
050%
Of course, it could've just been another case of Timothy butting into my life.
As I got closer, I spotted a figure moving around behind the glass window of the
lounge. It didn't take long before I figured out it was Timothy, who was cooking.
something in the microwave. Guess I was catching him during his lunch.
I opened the door and slipped inside, although he hardly noticed my presence
with his back turned. He plopped down on the sofa and switched on the TV
before starting on his meal.
“Hey,” I said, trying to sound as stern as possible.
He jerked in reflex, then twisted around with a perplexed look that was comical
when combined with his cheeks stuffed with food. He blinked at me for a
moment, then swallowed harshly before setting down what looked like a burrito
bowl down on the seat beside him.
“Evie?” He stood abruptly and started marching toward me. “Is something
wrong?"
My lips parted just as he came to tower over me. His hands hovered over my
shoulders as he looked me over, as though searching for injuries.
“No,” I said faintly, forced to inhale the woodsy scent of his musk. “It's about the
apartment.”
He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced to the side. “Apartment? What
apartment?”
I huffed. “The one you discussed with my roommate,” I told him. When his
confusion seemed to deepen, I added, “The luxury apartments downtown.”
“Oh!” Then it hit him, and he started to nod in recognition. “Your friend Aria came
up to me, actually. Said you guys needed some help looking for good
apartments.”
“And you could've left it at that,” I said, scowling. “But instead you've been going
around recommending me to landlords like I'm some sort of superstar. No one
asked you to do that.”
Timothy stepped back, finally moving his hands and placing them on his hips in
at defensive stance. His expression hardened as he thought it over.
“No one had to ask me to do anything, Evie,” he said softly. “I just figured I could
help out. Aria told me about the place you two are currently living at and those
are some crappy apartments to be living in.”
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13-05
Chapter 33
“But it works for us!” I snapped, pointing a finger at his chest. “Just because your
and your celebrity friends love living in luxury doesn't mean you can force that
onto me. Some of us put our pride in other, more meaningful things.”
50%.
Somehow, this made him start to laugh. His shoulder shook with the sound as he
turned away and strolled back to the couch. “So you're saying you prefer living in
a dump?”
My cheeks began to burn. “That's a strong way to put it. It's small and cozy.
Perfectly functional.” It's also swarming with paparazzi but that was more
temporary.
Timothy sat down and placed the bowl of food back on his lap. As he raised at
forkful of beans to his lips, his smile widened. “I wasn't trying to wrong you in any
way. If I'd known your taste, I would've pointed you to the grimiest part of town
just for your comfort.”
I snorted. “Oh, you are funny. Really nice of you to make yet another decision
that affects my livelihood. Didn't we discuss this before?”
“Yes, Evie, we did,” he grumbled, and the amusement quickly escaped his face.
“And I do recall stating that I would be willing to help as much as I can. Making
you life easy also extends to me as your client, you know?”
“If that's what you want to tell yourself!” I hissed. “But I'm not taking any more of
your gifts. You don’t have to bribe me into winning this case.”
Timothy wrinkled his nose. “These aren't bribes, Evie.”
“Well, whatever they are,” I interrupted, tossing a stray hair out of my face, “They
are verging on inappropriate. I am in a committed relationship with Lucas, so if he
found out about all of this, it could hurt him.”
“Again, not my intention,” he stated. He started scooping around the food in hist
bowl, but he didn't eat any more of it. The mention of Lucas left him sulking once
again, an unfortunate but necessary tactic of mine.
I shifted on my feet, feeling slightly less secure standing there. Telling him off was
getting a little less satisfying, and at this point I couldn't stomach the hurt on his
face. I looked away and fixed my attention to the wall where several old team.
photos were on display.
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Chapter 33
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“You don't have to take the offer,” Timothy said finally. He had set the food aside.
and was watching me intensely. “But I can’t help how people react to you when I
bring you up. Maybe you're just that remarkable.”
I halted at his words, my previous rebuttal dying at the tip of my tongue.
Remarkable. That wasn't a word that people often used to describe me, but he
seemed confident enough to use it.
After a long stretch of silence, I started backing away toward the door. Timothy
shifted a little, then made a move to stand, but my hand was already on the door
handle.
“Look, I need to go,” I said. “Just....consider what I said. It would be appreciated.”
He had opened his mouth to speak, but I was already leaving the doorway and
entering the hallway. I was practically running down the hall just to get away,
which was an even bigger hit to my pride.
Why did he always leave me feeling this way?
By the time I got home, my stomach was gargling from hunger. I had almost
forgotten that my breakfast had been half a glass of water. As was less patient
with. the paparazzi, although their presence had become typical.
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Reentering our apartment was like
getting whiplash after experiencing
, 5
the luxury apartment we'd yeysdh As
[tu fash sovdp and waited
fp itto eat, I. thought over Timothy
ly >
and Arias words. While I hated to
admit it to myself, they were both
right about these apartments being
far below quality. The content is on
Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
I walked to the fridge and took out some of the leftover stir—fry. I held my hand.
over the skillet to see how hot it had gotten. As I went to grab the container of
food, I heard some shuffling behind me, followed by laughter.
“Aria?” I turned around, but there was no one in sight. I walked out of the kitchen
and stood in the hall, waiting quietly for any more noise. “Aria, is that you?"
More silence.
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S 0 5
I walked into Aria’s room, then into
my own, but both were empty as far
. . : ,
as I could tell. I figured Ariawaibh t
re
have ge Back s0 early, but then I
had to wonder where that noise
)
came from. It couldn't have been
Lucas playing a prank since he The
content is on Novelxo.org! Read
the latest chapter there!
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4
13:05 Wed, 20 Mar
Chapter 33
was at work all day.
E:
Was I going crazy? They say that intense amounts of stress can cause
psychosis, but I'd been through more stressful situations without so much as a
hallucination. I. searched the bathroom for good measure, but there was no one.
The front door slammed, and I jumped in reflex.
“Hello?” I squeaked. When no answer came, I grabbed the bottle of hairspray
from the bathroom counter and entered the hallway. The living room was empty,
but there was a noticeable difference with the sofa.
The pillow had been moved to the side to make room for a folded piece of paper.
I looked around, waiting for some other disturbance to occur. Finally, I mustered
up the courage to walk over and pick up the note..
1 unfolded the paper and looked over the roughly scribbled words. My hands.
began to tremble.
I'm onto you, Coco. I know what you've been up to. We have some things to
discuss.
At the very bottom, it was signed “Bruce®.
“He was here!” I gasped, collapsing onto the couch. The note slipped from my
fingers and landed under the coffee table. Texts were one thing, but that fact that
he'd been inside my home not even a minute ago was unthinkable.
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I pulled my knees to my chin and
eyed the note. Just the feeling of it on
my hands. left a I sng pti hie
ie
: , 5 BS
didnt I&aV& any Gther signs of his
: . B
presence, which meant Aria wouldn't
G - ’
notice either. Perhaps, she didn't
need to know? The content is on
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chapter there!
Besides, acknowledging that Bruce was slowly edging his way into my reality.
would solidify him there as a problem. That was something I didn’t need right
now.
The trial was just a few hours away.
5/0
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