A Hockey Player's Guide To Deception

Prologue

A gush of cool bruised Nathan's skin, almost as if the wind was warning him, raging at him to start running and never look back. He sucked in a deep quivering breath as his eyes dashed between the three large men surrounding him, they loomed like nightmarish specters. He was isolated, in a forest with three boys significantly bigger than him, that looked like they just walked out from a sick torture ritual at the Bohemian Grove. He fought a rising panic, he was stuck. His fate was at the hands of these monsters. That thought made his heart drop to the pits of hell. He cleared his throat, the bitter taste of fear on the tip of his tongue made the bile in his stomach twist so painfully, it hurt.

Rays of moonlight had snuck through the branches creating an illusion of a halo, it looked like cinematic art, but Nathan's inside were far from cinematic bliss it was storming, melting and churning all at once. Tormenting him. His heart pounded in his chest, and he struggled to maintain his composure. "It's okay," he muttered to himself, though his voice trembled. "Just stay calm."

"It was you, wasn't it?" Louis growled, taking a menacing step towards him. He seized him by the arm and pulled him forward. Nathan went still, terror stabbed at his heart.

"I don't understand." He managed to choke out, his brows furrowed in confusion. Anxiety gripped him. "Why are you doing this?"

"Drop the act!" Louis hissed; his jaw clenched. They were so close Nathan could see the specs of blue in his darkened eyes. They're faces were inches apart now and he could feel his warm breath lightly tease his cheek. A warm shiver spread through him, and he froze at his own reaction to their proximity. He was floored by his reaction.

"I don't know what you're talking ab-" His words were cut off by a sharp pain in his abdomen. He gasped, hunched over as another punch landed, followed by another then another until he lost count. Pain spread through his body, and he collapsed into a ball, desperately shielding his head with his arms. It was almost like he was five again, getting beaten to pulp by his father all over again, defenseless and weak. Suddenly, his lungs were contracting, and he couldn't breathe, the ground seemed like it was opening up to swallow him. His heart pounded so fast; he could hear the frantic thumps in his ear. A hurricane of thoughts raced through his mind; panic surged through his blood, and he found himself wheezing for air, his vision blurred. He felt like every second that passed by his air supply was being cut off.

A whisper of wind brushed against his skin, and he realized the three boys had paused. He could sense their hesitation as they exchanged uneasy glances. Summoning a strength he didn't know he had, he forced himself to his feet and began to run. He didn't look back, even as their shouts and grunts faded into the distance. His only thought was 'escape'. He needed to get out of here, or he wouldn't make it out alive. He spotted a bush from a distance and threw himself down. Crouching low, worry gnawed at him like a little demon. His heart pounded in his chest as he strained to listen for any sign of his pursuers. The eerie silence around him was punctuated only by the distant hum of birds, and he took a ragged breath, the tension in his body slowly easing.

The sudden crunch of a stick followed by a dull stillness made Natham stiffen and before he could react, a warm hand clamped down on his shoulder and squeezed, A familiar chilling voice whispered in his ear, "Gotcha."

Before he could respond, he was shoved to the ground roughly. With a vicious urgency, Louis grabbed at the light fabric of his shirt. Nathan tensed, his eyes widening when his brain registered what was happening. Like a deer in head lights, he laid still, a paralyzing dread seizing him so powerfully he was frozen with shock and terror as Louis yanked at his top, mercilessly. The rip echoed through the air, a harsh grating noise that seemed to linger in the air.

Silence

Kayla closed her eyes in shame as her nipples hardened when the chilly wind came in contact with her bare skin. Her cheeks flushed with a mix of humiliation and fear. She dared to open her eyes fully, and was met with Louis's ashen face, his eyes wide in disbelief and absolute horror.

Kayla flushed him a weak, bloody smile, "Surprise?"