Faking It With The Hockey Star

Chapter 15: Crossing The Line

JUSTIN’S POV

Something was wrong.

I knew it long before Harper ever stepped into the arena. She’d always been composed whenever she held a camera. Confident. Focused. She moved around the rink like she belonged there, always checking her angles, making notes, asking follow-up questions that made even the quietest guys open up.

Today, she couldn’t even keep the lens pointed in the right direction. She’d dropped her tripod twice. Forgotten to switch on her microphone. Apologized to Mason three different times for things that weren’t even mistakes.

And the worst part, she kept looking over her shoulder. Not at me. Not at Coach. Not at the rest of the team. At Ethan. Every few seconds. Like she was waiting for something. Or afraid of it.

I rested both hands on my stick and watched her from across the ice. Mason had done exactly what I’d asked. He kept the interview light, joked around, even exaggerated a few stories to make her laugh.

It didn’t work. She smiled. But it never reached her eyes. That wasn’t Harper.

I followed her gaze one more time. Straight to Ethan.

The moment everything clicked, my jaw tightened. Son of a...

Without saying a word, I pushed off the ice and glided toward him. I wasn’t angry. Not yet. I just wanted answers.

Ethan noticed me halfway across the rink. He stopped talking to one of the forwards and leaned casually against his stick, wearing the kind of smug smile that made people want to wipe it off his face.

"Captain," he said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I stopped directly in front of him. "What did you say to her?"

His smile didn’t move. "Who?"

"Don’t play games."

"I’m not."

"My girlfriend."

He chuckled. "Already calling her that?"

"I asked you a question."

He shrugged. "We talked."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I don’t really care what you believe Justin."

I glanced toward Harper again. She was pretending to adjust her camera, but she hadn’t moved the focus ring in almost a minute. Her hands were shaking.

When I looked back at Ethan, my patience was gone. "You did something."

"I had a conversation with my ex."

"You rattled her. Didin’t you"

"I didn’t touch her."

"I didn’t ask if you touched her." His smile faded slightly. "I asked what you said."

A few players had begun to notice us. Practice around us slowed. Nobody interrupted. Not yet.

Ethan sighed dramatically. "You know how Harper is."

I felt my fists tighten inside my gloves. "No.I don’t. So why don’t you tell me?"

He laughed. "She’s emotional."

I didn’t respond. "She takes everything personally."

Still nothing from me.

"I was trying to fix things."

I stared at him. "Fix what?"

"Our relationship."

I blinked once.

"Our relationship," he repeated. "She overreacted after seeing Chloe."

"You cheated."

"I kissed somebody else just that."

"That’s cheating Ethan."

"It meant nothing."

"It meant everything to her."

He scoffed. "She’ll get over it."

Something inside me snapped just a little. "You don’t get to decide that."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Justin?"

"You’ve known her for what?" He looked me up and down. "A week?"

I stepped closer. "I know enough."

His smirk returned. "No. You think you do." He leaned in slightly. "You’re just enjoying playing hero."

I didn’t move.

"She needed somebody to save."

"No. She needed somebody to respect her."

For the first time, his expression hardened. "You think you’re different?"

"I know I am."

He laughed. "Please." His voice dropped. "You’ll get bored." I stayed quiet. "You always do." Still nothing. "You’ve gone through half the girls on this campus."

"I never lied to them. I never made promises I didn’t intend to keep."

He folded his arms. "You’re using her."

That finally earned a laugh from me. A short one. Cold. "I’m using her?"

"You heard me."

I looked across the rink. Harper was still standing beside Mason. Trying to focus. Trying to smile. Trying to pretend everything was okay.

Then I looked back at Ethan. "You didn’t want her." His eyebrows lifted. "You humiliated her." Silence. "You mocked her project." Nothing. "You made her feel like she wasn’t enough." His smile disappeared. "And now you suddenly care because another man is treating her the way you never did?"

His jaw clenched. "You don’t know what happened between us."

"I know she walked into this arena looking like someone stole every ounce of confidence she had." I pointed toward Harper. "Whatever you said, look at her."

For the first time, Ethan actually looked. Harper quickly turned away, pretending to ask Mason another question. Even from where I stood, I could see her shoulders were tense.

He looked back at me. "She’s dramatic."

"No." I shook my head. "She’s hurt."

"Same thing."

The words hit harder than they should have.

Before I could answer, someone skated between us.

"Cap."

Logan. One of our assistant captains. He looked from me to Ethan, then back again. "Coach is watching."

"is he now?."

"It isn’t worth it."

Ethan smirked. "See?" He tapped my shoulder with the blade of his stick. "Even your teammates know you’re overreacting."

I calmly knocked his stick away. "My teammates know when to stop someone from making a stupid decision."

His smile faded. "You threatening me?"

"I’m warning you."

Logan immediately stepped closer. "Justin."

I took one slow breath. Then another. Finally, I spoke.

"If you ever make her look like that again..." I glanced toward Harper one last time. "...you’ll answer to me."

The silence between us felt heavier than the ice beneath our skates.

Ethan stared at me for another second before giving a dismissive shrug. "Whatever."

He pushed off first, skating toward the opposite end of the rink as though none of this had mattered.

Coward.

I watched him go until he disappeared into the line changing drills. Only then did I turn around.

Harper was still standing with Mason. She’d started the interview again. She was trying. God, she was trying so hard.

Mason caught my eye from across the rink and gave the smallest shake of his head. Not now. She needs a minute.

I trusted Mason. More importantly, Harper deserved the chance to put herself back together without feeling like everyone was watching.

I slowly pushed away from the confrontation, but one thought refused to leave my mind.

Whatever Ethan had said, he wasn’t getting another chance to say it again.

No one is ever going to make her feel that small again.