MY HOCKEY HEARTHROB

The bus came to a slow, groaning stop beneath a sky painted in soft shades of gold and pale blue. Ariana Brooks tightened her fingers around the worn strap of her backpack as she looked through the dusty window. There it was. Northcrest University. For a few seconds, she simply stared. The towering wrought-iron gates stood proudly against rows of ancient maple trees whose leaves danced gently in the morning breeze. Beyond them stretched elegant brick buildings draped in ivy, sparkling fountains, and neatly trimmed gardens that looked as though they belonged in the pages of a magazine. Students laughed as they crossed the courtyard. Some rode bicycles. Others hurried to class with coffee cups in their hands. It looked... Alive. Nothing like the place she'd left behind. The bus driver glanced over his shoulder. "Last stop, miss." Ariana blinked, realizing everyone else had already gotten off. "Oh... thank you." She stepped onto the pavement, the cool autumn air brushing against her cheeks. The bus pulled away, leaving her standing alone with two suitcases and a backpack that suddenly felt far heavier than it should have. Not because of the clothes inside. Because of everything she was carrying in her heart. She looked up at the university gates once more. "This is your second chance." Her grandmother's words echoed in her mind. "When life closes one door, don't waste time staring at it. Find the next one." A bittersweet smile touched Ariana's lips. "I found another door, Grandma," she whispered. "I just hope it doesn't close on me too." As she walked through the entrance, a banner hanging above the pathway caught her attention. WELCOME TO NORTHCREST UNIVERSITY Dream. Believe. Become. She almost laughed. Dream? She had stopped dreaming months ago. Now she simply survived. She kept her head down, dragging her suitcase along the cobblestone path. No one here knew her. No one knew about the accusations. No one had seen the videos. No one had looked at her with disappointment. For the first time in months... She was just another student. And she intended to keep it that way. Orientation was held inside the Grand Hall. The enormous auditorium buzzed with excitement as hundreds of freshmen and transfer students searched for empty seats. Ariana quietly slipped into one near the back. The farther from everyone else... The better. Around her, students introduced themselves excitedly. "Hey, I'm Sophie." "I'm Ben." "What course are you taking?" "You want to exchange numbers?" Ariana buried herself in the orientation booklet. She wasn't here to make friends. She wasn't here to become popular. She was here to graduate. Nothing else mattered. Nearly an hour later, the orientation finally ended. Students poured out of the hall in noisy groups. Ariana remained seated until the room had almost emptied. She preferred walking alone. It gave people fewer reasons to notice her. Outside, she unfolded the campus map she'd been given. Maple Hall... Journalism Building... Library... Student Union... Ice Arena... The campus was much larger than she had imagined. She sighed softly. "This is going to take forever to memorize." Stuffing the map into her hoodie pocket, she began walking. Unfortunately... Northcrest University seemed determined to prove just how impossible it was to navigate. She turned left. Wrong building. Turned right. Wrong path. After twenty frustrating minutes, she found herself standing somewhere she definitely wasn't supposed to be. Music blasted through loudspeakers. Students crowded behind metal barricades. Blue and silver banners fluttered proudly overhead. A giant sign read— NORTHCREST WOLVES ICE ARENA Ariana frowned. "Great..." She had gotten lost. Again. The atmosphere outside the arena felt completely different from the peaceful side of campus. Students were practically vibrating with excitement. Girls fixed their hair using their phone cameras. Others clutched handmade signs decorated with glitter. One sign read— LIAM, MARRY ME! Another simply said— #17 FOREVER. Ariana blinked. "Who is Liam?" A girl beside her gasped dramatically. "You don't know Liam Carter?" Ariana shook her head. The girl stared as though Ariana had confessed she'd never heard of gravity. "He's only the captain of the Northcrest Wolves." "The best hockey player in the country." "The future number-one draft pick." "The hottest guy on campus." "Oh." The girl sighed dreamily. "When he smiles..." "I literally forget my own name." Ariana smiled politely. "I'll take your word for it." She quietly stepped away before the conversation could continue. Celebrity athletes weren't her thing. She just needed directions back to Maple Hall. Nothing more. Nothing less. The arena doors suddenly slid open. A wave of cheers exploded across the courtyard. "There they are!" "The Wolves!" "Liam!" Ariana instinctively stepped aside as dozens of students rushed forward. A group of hockey players emerged, laughing among themselves. They wore matching navy-and-silver jackets with the university crest stitched proudly across their chests. Even from a distance, they carried themselves with effortless confidence. Then... One player walked out last. The crowd grew noticeably louder. He was tall. Broad-shouldered. His dark hair fell carelessly across his forehead, and his piercing blue eyes swept calmly across the crowd without lingering on anyone. He didn't wave. He didn't smile. He simply walked. Yet somehow... Every head turned toward him. Even Ariana found herself watching. Not because of his looks. Because of the strange loneliness she caught in his expression. It was there for only a heartbeat. Gone before anyone else could notice. "So..." "That's Liam Carter." Before she could think another word, someone shoved past her shoulder. Her campus map slipped from her hand. The paper fluttered across the pavement. "Oh no..." She crouched quickly, reaching for it. Just as another pair of footsteps approached from the opposite direction. A collision was only seconds away..