Page 141
Story: Shots & Echoes
“I just want you to be happy, Iris. That’s all.” His voice cracked slightly, and I felt the lump in my throat swell. I wanted to assure him that I was happy—that every bruise and ache frompractice meant I was on the right path. But as I pulled away from his embrace, a knot twisted in my stomach.
Once he turned and walked down the hall, the air shifted in the room. It felt charged—heavy with unspoken words and expectations left lingering in the silence.
Chris didn’t move from his chair at the kitchen table; he just watched me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
Like a predator.
Like he’d been waiting for this moment.
“You and I need to talk.” His voice sliced through the quiet like a knife.
I crossed my arms defensively, trying to mask my anxiety as he leaned forward slightly. “What’s there to talk about?” My tone came out sharper than intended, but I didn’t care. My heart raced; every instinct screamed at me to deflect, to escape whatever confrontation was brewing beneath Chris’s calm exterior.
He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest while keeping those keen eyes locked on me. “You know what I mean.”
A tightness settled in my chest as I swallowed hard. Part of me wanted to brush it off—pretend everything was fine—but I couldn’t shake off that sinking feeling that he had seen more than he should have. That our easy friendship was about to fracture under pressure neither of us had anticipated.
“Look,” he said slowly, his voice measured but urgent. “You can’t keep pretending this isn’t happening.”
I waited. He clearly had more to say.
“I like you, Iris. I always have,” he said, his voice steady but laced with an edge I hadn’t heard before. “But I’m not stupid.”
My stomach knotted at his admission, and I forced myself to stay silent. If I opened my mouth now, I might break into piecesright here in front of him. I had to keep my composure; this conversation felt like it could shatter everything.
“You and Callahan… I see it. Everyone’s starting to see it.”
Those words hung heavy in the air between us, thickening the already charged atmosphere. My throat tightened as panic washed over me, but I kept my face blank—no sign of the chaos churning inside me.
“There’s nothing?—”
He cut me off before I could finish.
“Don’t.” His tone was firm, unyielding. “I saw the hickey.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks at his bluntness, and I fought the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. How could he know? But even more pressing was the fact that he did know—that my secret had slipped through the cracks and into daylight.
“I see the way you look at him,” he continued, leaning forward slightly as if trying to draw me into his confidence. “The way he looks at you.”
I couldn’t deny it—not when it was true—but I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction either. So instead, I stayed quiet, watching him as he tried to gauge my reaction.
“I’m not going to blow up your life,” he said finally, voice lowering as if sharing a secret meant just for me. “But I need something from you.”
I hated the way he saidneed. Like I was some kind of transaction, a means to an end rather than a person with dreams and desires of my own. Chris leaned closer, his expression a mix of determination and something darker that sent a shiver down my spine.
“We’re together now. Publicly. You and me,” he declared, as if making an announcement that could change everything.
His words hung in the air like a weight, heavy and suffocating. I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued without giving me the chance.
“You’re the golden girl.” His gaze intensified, each word dripping with calculated intention. “If you’re with me, people notice me. Coaches notice me. Maybe I finally start getting real ice time. Maybe I'm no longer a backup."
My stomach churned at the thought—was this really what we had become? A strategic alliance in a game I hadn’t signed up for? I felt like a pawn on a chessboard, being moved around without my consent.
“You help me… and I keep my mouth shut about you and Callahan.”
The reality of his words slammed into me like a freight train. He was offering protection wrapped in strings—a deal that put my future against Knox’s career like it was nothing more than collateral damage. My heart raced, not from excitement but from fear as I listened to him lay it all out so coldly.
“Because if this gets out?” His tone shifted again—more serious now, almost menacing. “It’s not just you. It’s him. It’s his career. It’s his reputation.” He leaned back slightly as if gauging my reaction, and I felt the air grow thicker between us. “After what he did with that ref? He never comes back from it.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141 (Reading here)
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185