The Things We Never Say.
1060 Words
Episode Nine —
Campus had a strange way of pretending nothing had happened.
Students hurried between lectures with coffee cups in hand, teammates argued over weekend fixtures, music drifted from open dormitory windows, and somewhere across the quad, someone laughed loudly enough to turn heads.
To everyone else, it was just another Tuesday.
To Jael...
Everything felt different.
She sat near the back of Professor Williams' lecture hall, notebook open but untouched. Every few minutes she found herself staring through the window instead of at the board.
Emily's smile.
Noah's voice calling after her.
"Jael, wait..."
She closed her notebook with a little more force than necessary.
"Miss Adeyemi?"
Professor Williams looked over his glasses.
"Would you care to answer the question?"
Heat rushed to her cheeks.
"I'm... sorry, sir."
A few students chuckled.
Professor Williams smiled kindly.
"Try not to let your thoughts skip class before you do."
The room laughed.
Jael forced a smile.
If only it were that simple.
---
Across campus, the hockey arena echoed with the sharp scrape of skates against ice.
Coach Henderson folded his arms.
"Again!"
The team groaned.
Noah Carter didn't.
He launched himself into another sprint, his movements faster and more aggressive than usual.
His stick struck the puck with enough force to send it crashing into the top corner of the goal.
The net shook violently.
Coach Henderson whistled.
"Carter."
Noah looked up.
"You planning on breaking the goal?"
A few teammates laughed.
Noah didn't.
"I'm fine."
One of the older players, Ethan, skated closer.
"No, you're angry."
"I'm focused."
"There's a difference."
Noah pushed past him.
"Then let me stay focused."
The practice continued, but something was off.
Noah missed passes he normally made with ease.
He took unnecessary hits.
Twice he nearly started a fight.
By the end of training, Coach Henderson called everyone off the ice except Noah.
The arena grew quiet.
Coach rested both hands on the barrier.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"Don't insult my intelligence."
Silence.
Coach sighed.
"You've always played recklessly."
He looked Noah in the eye.
"But today..."
"You played like someone trying to punish himself."
Noah stared down at the ice.
He didn't have an answer.
Because the coach was right.
---
Later that afternoon...
Jael left the library balancing three heavy textbooks against her chest.
She barely noticed someone jogging toward her until the books slipped from her hands.
Strong hands caught two before they hit the ground.
The third landed with a dull thud.
"I'm sorry."
Noah handed the books back.
"I wasn't looking where I was—"
He stopped.
It was her.
Jael took the books quietly.
"Thanks."
She started to walk away.
"Jael."
She stopped but didn't turn around.
"Can we talk?"
"There isn't anything to talk about."
"There is."
She faced him at last.
Students walked around them, but neither seemed to notice.
"You misunderstood yesterday."
"I didn't misunderstand anything."
"You saw one moment."
"I saw enough."
"No."
His voice remained calm.
"You saw Emily hug me after she found out she made the team manager shortlist."
Jael blinked.
"She was excited."
"I was congratulating her."
Another silence.
"You walked away before I could explain."
Jael looked at the books in her arms.
"It really doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
She laughed softly.
"Why?"
The question caught him off guard.
"You don't owe me explanations, Noah."
"We aren't..."
She searched for the right words.
"...anything."
Those two words landed harder than any check he'd ever taken on the ice.
We aren't anything.
He realized then that she believed them.
Or at least...
She was trying to.
Noah took one careful step closer.
"I don't want us to be nothing."
Jael's heart skipped.
She hated that it did.
"You should go."
"Not until you hear me."
She looked up.
For a second, she almost saw the boy beneath the reputation.
Not the captain.
Not the rich kid.
Not the flirt everyone warned her about.
Just Noah.
Tired.
Sincere.
Almost vulnerable.
Then another voice interrupted.
"Noah!"
Emily waved from across the courtyard.
"I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Jael smiled politely.
"There."
She nodded toward Emily.
"Someone needs you."
Before Noah could answer, she turned and walked away.
He watched her disappear into the crowd.
This time...
He didn't chase her.
Because he was beginning to understand something.
Some distances couldn't be closed by running.
They had to be earned.
---
That evening...
Jael sat on the small balcony outside her apartment.
The city lights flickered beneath the darkening sky.
Chloe stepped outside carrying two mugs of hot chocolate.
She handed one to Jael before taking the chair beside her.
"You've been quiet all day."
"I'm just tired."
"You've reorganized your bookshelf twice."
Jael frowned.
"You noticed?"
"I notice everything."
A small smile escaped Jael.
Chloe studied her friend for a moment.
"Do you like him?"
Jael stared into her mug.
"No."
"That wasn't convincing."
"I don't."
"You don't like Noah Carter?"
Jael sighed.
"I don't know him."
"No."
Chloe corrected gently.
"But every time someone says his name..."
She smiled knowingly.
"...you stop pretending not to look."
Jael laughed despite herself.
Then the laughter faded.
"What if everyone is right about him?"
Chloe didn't answer immediately.
Instead she asked,
"What if they're wrong?"
---
Across campus...
Noah stood alone in the empty arena long after everyone had left.
His skates rested beside him.
His hockey stick leaned against the boards.
The lights above the rink reflected across the untouched ice.
His phone buzzed.
Dad.
He ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Then again.
Finally, he answered.
"What?"
His father's voice was as cold as ever.
"I heard you've been distracted."
"I'm handling it."
"I don't pay this university millions for you to lose focus over a girl."
Noah's jaw tightened.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know exactly what I'm talking about."
A pause.
"You will remember why you're here."
The call ended.
Noah lowered the phone slowly.
His reflection stared back at him from the glass surrounding the rink.
For years, he had done exactly what everyone expected of him.
Played.
Won.
Smiled for the cameras.
Ignored everything else.
But now...
Every time he closed his eyes...
He saw a girl walking away with tears she refused to let him see.
And for the first time in his life...
Winning didn't feel like enough.
- Writer
