High Scream (1)
1186 Words
AURELIA
"Jesus, Zane!"
I instinctively grabbed my pillow in fright, my heart leaping into my throat.
He leaned against the window, his hands pressed against the glass like some kind of creep. I backed farther into the room until my back hit the wall. I didn't know if he was in his right mind or if his wolf had become completely unstable.
His glowing eyes remained fixed on me, never leaving mine, sending goosebumps crawling across my skin. I blindly fumbled around with one hand, searching for the key to my dorm door while keeping my eyes locked on him.
"Aurelia, let me explain myself to you. Please," he whispered.
His voice was barely audible, yet it sounded as though he was speaking directly inside my head.
I shook my head.
"I told you I don't want to listen to anything you have to say. Please leave. You'll get both of us into trouble if someone catches you."
"No." He gritted his teeth stubbornly. "I'm not leaving until you let me explain why I had to reject you that night."
"I know how much I hurt you, and I know saying sorry won't heal those wounds, but please... just give me one chance to explain—"
I flung my pillow at the window.
It slammed against the glass before falling with a dull thud.
I stormed over, grabbed the curtains, and glared up at him. My gaze drifted to his bruised fingertips. They were scraped raw, probably from climbing all the way up to my window.
I didn't care.
"I don't ever want to see you anywhere near my dorm again. If you come back, I'll report you to the administrator."
I yanked the curtains shut with enough force to make them sway before marching back to my bed and collapsing onto it.
A low growl came from outside. Then a heavy thud shook the floor beneath me.
I shot upright and stared at the window. His shadow was gone.
He jumped off the building?
Every inch of me wanted to rush over and check if he was alright. But the thought disappeared as quickly as it came.
I lay back on my bed and turned on my phone. The network was still unstable, but earlier that morning I had received the schedule for the upcoming hockey season.
I scrolled through it, forcing my worries aside as I focused on the responsibilities assigned to me. Being Zane's assistant was going to be one of the worst mistakes I had ever made.
Hopefully, I wouldn't end up quitting before the season even started.
A soft sigh escaped my lips as my eyelids grew heavy.
Soon, everything faded into darkness.
.
.
The next day... was very strange.
"Hey, Lia!"
Zane waved from the players' bench while I stood near the bench area beside the rink, clipboard in hand, overseeing the team's statistics and recording the coach's observations.
Despite the freezing temperature inside the arena, my palms were slick with sweat.
I ignored him, pretending I hadn't heard him call my name. Instead, I looked around for a familiar face.
Then I froze.
Elias glided effortlessly across the ice.
"Elias!"
I waved enthusiastically.
His head turned in my direction, and he continued skating before raising his stick in greeting.
My eyes shifted to Zane just in time to see his expression darken.
Nice.
I lifted my chin proudly, strangely satisfied that the day had begun with Zane looking so irritated.
Coach Damian's whistle pierced through the arena, and both teams gathered around him.
He barked out a series of instructions while I remained far enough away to avoid attracting his stern gaze.
Once the players skated back into position, however, his eyes landed on me.
I gulped and tightened my grip around my clipboard.
Today's mission was simple. Record every mistake Zane made.
The whistle shrieked.
The training match began immediately.
Players exploded into motion, their skates carving sharply across the ice and sending sprays of frost into the air. Sticks clashed as they battled fiercely for possession of the puck. Bodies slammed against the boards with deafening force while the sound of blades cutting across the ice echoed throughout the rink.
Coach Damian paced behind the bench, his booming voice drowning out almost everything else.
"Move your feet! You're skating like you've got bricks tied to your ankles!"
One defenseman hesitated for only a second, allowing an opposing winger to slip past him.
"What was that?" Coach Damian roared. "You call that defense? Get your head in the game!"
A sloppy pass slid harmlessly through the neutral zone.
Coach Damian blew his whistle so hard it echoed around the rink.
"Again! Faster! If this is the best you've got, you'll embarrass yourselves once the season starts!"
The players immediately picked up their pace. My eyes remained glued to Zane as I clutched my pen.
Even Coach Damian's relentless shouting made me nervous.
Almost as though he sensed my stare, Zane looked directly at me.
For a brief second, our eyes locked.
His attention wandered for only a heartbeat.
Then—
He stole the puck with a clean poke check.
He lowered his shoulder into an opposing player, sending the boy stumbling into the boards before accelerating down the ice with frightening speed.
"That's it!" Coach Damian shouted. "Keep that up! Stay focused!"
I quickly jotted down the improvement before looking back up.
Zane crossed the blue line, weaved around another defender, and snapped his wrists.
The puck flew past the goalie and slammed into the back of the net.
Coach Damian's whistle echoed through the arena.
"Goal!"
"Zane scored," one of his teammates breathed in disbelief as he skated toward the bench.
"It must've been luck," another muttered, cracking his neck before skating back into position.
The second period of the scrimmage began.
Zane proved them wrong almost immediately.
He scored again.
Then another.
And another.
Cheers erupted from his teammates every time the puck found the back of the net.
I expected Coach Damian to yell in celebration.
Instead, he remained unusually quiet.
His fingers rubbed thoughtfully along his jaw as he watched Zane with narrowed eyes.
The scrimmage continued until the final whistle blew.
The scoreboard read 11–0.
"That was intense. Phew." Elias dropped onto the bench beside me. He pulled off his helmet, grabbed a bottle of water, and drank almost half of it in one go.
The moment he leaned closer, I wrinkled my nose.
The smell of sweat coming from him was overwhelming.
The other players burst into laughter.
Elias smiled sheepishly before scooting farther away.
Unfortunately, it barely helped.
I laughed quietly before looking around for Zane.
He was standing with Coach Damian, the two of them deep in conversation.
After a moment, Coach Damian gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.
Zane slowly turned his head and his eyes found mine instantly.
Every inch of my body froze.
The way he looked at me...
It was as though he had finally found something capable of satisfying a hunger that had been consuming him from the inside.
- Writer
