Ice & Prejudice

Chapter 76

Nik's POV:

No matter how hard I pushed myself, how fast I skated, her words were still there, replaying in my mind like a broken record.

"I don't need you, Nik. I never did."

I clenched my teeth, digging the edge of my skate into the ice as I sped around the corner, nearly losing my balance. It didn't matter how fast I went or how hard I tried to outrun it-Victoria's voice, cold and emotionless, followed me like a shadow.

"Wolves! What the hell are you doing?!" Coach Gibson's voice boomed across the rink, cutting through the haze in my head.

I ignored him, my legs burning as I pushed harder. The final game of the season was on Friday. We'd made it this far, one step away from taking it all. But now... what was the point? The fire that had driven me all season was gone, extinguished in one conversation by the lake.

"Wolves, you're done. Off the ice, now!" Coach barked, his voice laced with frustration. "You're a liability out there, so until you get your head out of your ass you're benched!"

I skidded to a stop, my chest heaving with exertion and frustration. The other guys skated past me, their focus on the practice, but I could feel their eyes on me. They knew something was up. They'd noticed the shift in me, even if they didn't say it.

As I stepped off the ice and headed for the bench, I could still hear her voice in my head, still see the cold, detached look in her eyes when she told me it was over. I could handle a breakup, but the way she did it, the way she looked at me like I was nothing... it didn't make sense. None of it did.

I sat on the bench, my helmet still on, staring at the ice as the practice continued without me. My fingers trembled as I unlaced my skates, each movement mechanical and numb. The cold from the ice seeped through the soles of my skates, but it was nothing compared to the cold that had settled in my chest since that day at the park.

Eventually, the practice ended. The other guys filed off the ice, their voices looming through the rink as they joked and shoved each other, already talking about the game on Friday. I stayed where I was, letting them pass, in no hurry to shower or change. What was the point? Without Victoria being there, everything felt... empty.

In the locker room, the usual chatter and laughter surrounded me, but I barely heard it. I sat there, still in my gear, staring at the floor as the others stripped off their pads and jerseys. My thoughts were a tangled mess of anger, confusion, and hurt. I couldn't make sense of it-why had she done it? What had changed? How could she just... turn off like that?

"Hey, man, you good?" Noah's voice cut through the noise, pulling me back to the present.

I looked up to see him, Dickie, and Harvey standing in front of me, concern etched on their faces. They knew something was wrong-how could they not? I'd been playing like shit all practice, and Coach's decision to bench me hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Yup," I muttered, turning away from them, but even I didn't believe the lie.

"No, you're not," Harvey said, his voice softer now. "What's going on, Nik?"

I could feel their eyes on me, waiting for an answer, but the words were stuck in my throat. How was I supposed to tell them that the girl I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with had ripped my heart out? How could I explain the emptiness I felt without sounding like a goddamn mess?

"It's Ria, isn't it?" Dickie asked, a knowing look in his eyes.

That did it. The knot in my chest unraveled, and before I knew it, the words were spilling out of my mouth. "She dumped me."