Chapter 18

I'm abruptly woken up by Ashley as she bursts through my bedroom door, sprinting toward where I lie in my bed. She looks panicked as she shoves my textbooks to the side, clearing a spot for her to sit next to me.

"What's wrong?" I ask as I sit up, dazed and confused by the rude awakening. "What's going on?"

Ashley groans, visibly frustrated and having a hard time finding words. She looks somewhat terrified, and I'm beginning to panic alongside her.

"What?" I ask again, snapping at her for an answer this time.

"You're not going to like this," she says quietly as she rotates her phone in her hand, catching my eye. "There's a video spreading across social media. Jace just sent it to me. Why didn't you tell me you were fucking Duke?"

Horrified, my eyes widen and I shoot up, sitting straight as I take Ashley's phone from her hand. "What's in the video? Who posted it?" The words roll from my lips but I'm feeling numb, shutting down internally as my eyes meet the screen.

I press play faster than I can stop myself, and the sound of my own moans hits my ear. It's a video of Duke fucking me in the locker room. He's slamming my body up against the lockers, and the video is long enough to clearly show our faces. I'm mortified, cupping my mouth with both hands as tears begin to fall down my cheeks.

I'm embarrassed. Ashamed, really.

This should have never happened, but I was too fucking stupid to think clearly enough to walk away. I dug this grave. I put myself here.

Disgust and nausea roll through my stomach as the video ends.

"Who posted this?" I ask Ashley through watery eyes.

"No one knows. The poster is anonymous." Ashley places a gentle hand on my leg, watching me quietly. "What were you doing sneaking around with a guy like that? He has a girlfriend, Aspen, and they seemed happy together."

Shaking my head, I bring my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them tightly. "She's not his girlfriend."

"Yes, she is," Ashley persists. "I see them together all the time and they're constantly posting each other all over social media. Everyone knows they're together. If I had known it was him you were fucking around with, I would have stopped you weeks ago. You're better than this, Aspen. What happened?"

Glancing up at her, I meet her concerned look. "They aren't actually together. They're pretending to date for status and career jumps. Olivia benefits from the social media hype of dating one of the hottest hockey players in the region, and Duke benefits because Olivia's dad is his coach. He keeps his seat because her dad thinks they're together. It secures his position in the spotlight while boosting her ‘influencer' presence."

Ashley is silent as she mulls over my words. I can almost see the wheels turning in her mind, and I'm anxious as I wait for her response. She's going to hate me for keeping this from her, and I don't blame her. I would hate me too. I know how bad this looks.

"How did you find this out? How did you even get close enough to him to know this information? I thought you weren't into hockey players." Her eyes widen as her mouth drops. "Ace and your dad are going to kill you, Aspen."

Knowing she's right, I swallow before saying, "I know. I'm not into hockey players, but I met him when we were at the bar one night. I didn't know he was a hockey player and I let him walk me home. We didn't even exchange information, but I ran into him again at the Little League fundraiser. It was blizzarding and I didn't have a ride home, so he was going to take me home, but then you texted me saying the power was out and he took me back to his place instead. I wasn't going to go with him, but he confessed the whole thing to me and I was so wet and cold I couldn't argue with going to his penthouse. One thing led to the next, and we ended up hooking up that night. I tried to walk away, I really did. He was persistent and I couldn't resist the urge to be with him. He consumes every corner of my mind and I've fallen for him harder than I meant to." The words fall from my mouth like vomit, spraying all over the room. Ashley's face is shocked, but she's also smiling.

"I didn't think you had it in you to be so rebellious," she laughs. "I'm actually kind of proud of you."

I scoff, "Proud of me? You should be disgusted with me. I snuck around behind everyone's backs for the entire hockey season, lying to everyone just to get some alone time with him." Tucking my face into my hands, I groan. "I haven't heard from him for two days. There's no way he isn't the one who posted the video. Even if it wasn't him, he had to know. Why else would he have ghosted me so suddenly? I should have seen this coming. I feel so fucking stupid."

"You're not stupid." Ashley tsks as she shakes her head. "You were falling for him and he used you. His feelings for you were as fake as his relationship with Olivia. He's the one who should be feeling like shit right now."

"Ace is going to throw the biggest fit," I sigh, reaching for my phone.

I'm not surprised to find my phone has blown up since I fell asleep last night. Forty-eight texts from my brother and dad in a group chat and over a dozen missed calls from them.

I'm so fucking dead.

I'll never live this down. They'll never let me out of their sight again.

`My heart feels broken, bleeding out from inside my chest as I set my phone down. I've disappointed my family, myself, and probably my best friend, but she won't admit it.

He knows the championship will likely come down to the Knights and the Makos, and what better way to fuck with the captain of the rival team? Fuck his little sister, then leak a sex tape of them at the end of the season. It's the only way to save his ass from losing.

He's a fucking coward.