Forbidden Lessons On Ice

Chapter 10

It’s one of those moments where you expect something to happen, but not really, and then it actually happens and you’re sweating like s**t.

I knew Ryan was going to call me. I just didn't know when, but now that he did, I kind of forgot how to act. The call had ended, and now I had to be the one to call him back.

“Did you miss me already? No, that’s cringe. Sounds like I’m trying to be sassy,” I muttered to myself.

I was biting my nail, pacing the floor and trying to figure out what the hell I was gonna say when my phone buzzed again. This time, it was Freya.

“Why now? Please hang up,” I begged the screen.

My brain was officially scrambled. I was standing in my room, talking out loud to a ringing phone instead of picking it up like a normal person. Pure psycho behavior.

The screen went black, but knowing Freya, she wasn't going to let it slide. A second later, her face popped up on the screen again. If I didn't answer, she’d blow up my phone all morning, so I swiped to answer and put it to my ear.

“Did you f**k Axel?!” she blurted out before I could even say hello.

“What?”

“No, wait, this is so confusing. I thought you hated him?” Freya’s voice was pitched high, totally frantic. “Isn't he supposed to be your stepbrother now?”

“Freya, what are you even talking about?”

“Oh, so you’re still keeping secrets from me? Wow, Mia, I really thought we were best friends!”

“We are!”

“Then why’d you straight-up lie about your virginity? I thought we were in this together, and you went and dropped yours without telling me?”

“I am a virgin! I swear I am!”

Freya always acted like she wasn't a virgin, and she even lied about losing it, but I knew the truth.

“Freya, I’m so confused right now. Why are you saying I’m not a virgin?”

“Because you and Axel hooked up, Mia! That literally means you aren't one anymore!” Before I could scream at her that she was losing her mind, she cut me off. “Look at your texts. I just sent you the proof.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear, opening our chat to look at the photo. My stomach dropped into my shoes. “This is AI. It has to be. I didn't sleep with Axel. That’s absurd!”

“Okay, well, he posted it himself,” she fired back.

She dropped another screenshot into the chat. It was a Snap story. Me, wrapped up in his oversized varsity jacket. It wasn't just one picture either; it was a three-photo template grid.

The first frame showed me sitting on the field bench, lost in his huge jacket. The second one showed his hand sliding up under my skirt, and if you zoomed in, God, if you zoomed in, my eyes were halfway rolled back.

My pulse went flat. “He posted this?” I gasped, panicking hard. “Freya, how many people saw this? Oh my god, how many followers does he even have?”

“Like half a million, Mia! What were you thinking, doing that out in the open? Literally the entire school is talking about it right now!”

“It’s not what it looks like!”

“Well, people already ran it through the Internet, and it’s real. It’s not AI, Mia. You need to call him and tell him to take it down immediately. He rated you, by the way.”

“He what?!”

“He gave you a ten out of ten! Mia, he’s literally never given a girl he slept with anything higher than an eight. Oh my god, I’m kinda proud of you.” Freya giggled, clearly torn between being a proud best friend and lecturing me.

“I’ll call you later,” I squeaked, slamming the end button. My hands were shaking so hard I almost dropped the phone.

Why would Axel do this? This was completely off-script. I didn't sign up for this kind of drama, and I definitely didn't want the whole world seeing pictures of me like that. I had to find him. Now.

As the call screen closed, a text notification from Ryan was sitting right at the top of my lock screen.

‘With me you wanted to wait, but with him, it’s day one and you spread your legs? Slut!’

I read it in his exact voice, a cold shiver running straight down my spine. I tried to type a reply, but my fingers were trembling so bad I couldn't hit the right keys.

Instinct took over. I grabbed my keys, jammed my phone into my pocket, and headed straight for the door. It was only nine in the morning, which meant Axel was supposed to be at the practice field for warmups. I didn't care what kind of scene it caused; I needed to confront him face-to-face and make him delete that post.

Walking down the hallways was an absolute nightmare. Every single person I passed turned their head. Whisper circles formed instantly, people nudging each other as I walked by. I kept my chin up and eyes forward, tuning out the noise until I burst through the double doors leading to the stadium.

I was about to lean over the arena boards and step onto the ice when a heavy arm blocked my path.

“Whoa, hold up. You can’t just walk out there, pretty thing. They’re running drills,” a voice said.

I glared at the guy, radiating pure rage. I tried to duck under his arm, but he grabbed my shoulder, holding me back.

“Move out of my way before I make you,” I snapped, my eyes burning into his.

He just laughed, totally unbothered by the fact that I was practically breathing fire. “First off, it’s freezing out there and you aren't wearing a jacket,” he said, smirking down at me. “Second, I know who you’re looking for, and neither of them are out there.”

I didn't trust a word coming out of his mouth. I pushed past his shoulder to scan the ice sheet, looking for jersey numbers. Sure enough, neither Ryan’s nor Axel’s numbers were out on the rink. “Where are they?” I asked, trying to force my voice calm.

“Hold on a second. You want information from me, but you’re not even gonna ask my name or how my morning’s going?”

“Mateo,” I said, reading the name stitched onto his warm-up gear. “Where is Axel?”

He was being insufferable. We’d literally never spoken a word to each other before today. Why did he suddenly care about manners? Everyone knew Mateo and Axel were brutal rivals, constantly competing for the captain spot, they were all good, but Coach always favored Axel.

“Better,” Mateo smirked, leaning back against the fence. “Well, gorgeous, Ryan bailed after first period. Right after the juicy news broke, you know...” He gave me a dirty wink.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, I didn't know you had it like that. Damn.” He actually let out a low whistle, looking me up and down. It hit me like a slap to the face, he’d seen the snaps too. “You’re always hiding under those baggy hoodies. Who knew?”

I felt heat rush to my face, my glare turning razor-sharp.

“Okay, okay, chill,” he said, raising his hands. “Ryan went home pissed, and Axel didn't even show up to school today.”

That was the only piece of information I actually needed. “Thank you.” I spun on my heel to leave, but his hand caught my wrist. “What?” I snapped, tugging my arm back.

“Can I get your digits?”

“Are you serious?”

“Come on, I’m way more fun than Axel, promise.”

“You’re disgusting,” I spat out, pulling my hand free.

Before I could walk away, another guy stepped off the ice and over the boards, pulling his helmet off and wiping sweat from his forehead. “Wait, you’re Mia, right?” he asked, stepping right into my path.

“She’s taken, bro,” Mateo chimed in instantly.

“Ah, damn. Bad timing,” the guy smirked, his eyes trailing over me. “s**t, shorty, I was definitely tryna hit that.”

He gave me a slow, predatory once-over, licking his lips as he backed away toward the training room. It was disgusting, the lust in his eyes... though, okay, a tiny, toxic part of my brain reminded me that every girl low-key wanted to feel desired by the varsity guys. But right now, it just felt suffocating.

“So, you need a ride or what?” Mateo’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“What?”

“I can drive you,” he offered, tossing his car keys in the air and catching them. “If you’re trying to track Axel down, I got my truck right outside.”

I froze. Mateo, literally one of the hottest, most popular guys in our college, was offering to chauffeur me around?

I desperately needed a ride though. I had to get to Axel’s place, make him delete that stupid story, and force him to post an apology saying he made the whole thing up for clout. I couldn't wait around for a cab.

“Fine,” I said, nodding.

Mateo grinned like he’d just won the lottery, looking around to see if any of his teammates noticed him walking off with the girl everyone was talking about.

It was like he thought he was taking Sienna, the head cheerleader, out on a date.

“Don't worry, I’m a real careful driver,” he teased, opening the side exit door for me.

“I don't care how you drive,” I muttered, stepping out into the chilly morning air. “It’s just a ride.”

“Whatever you say, hot-cup.” Mateo chuckled, falling into step right beside me as we headed toward the student parking lot.