A Hockey Player's Guide To Deception

Chapter Ten

She had been standing in the same spot for the past thirty minutes, desperately cycling through excuses in her mind, trying to find something, anything, that could save her. So far, she had only come up with one semi-believable lie: she had a condition called gynecomastia, which caused her chest to appear larger than the average male's.

It was foolish, and she knew it, but she was desperate. They would have to be absolute fools to believe her, and even then, it wouldn't hold up for long. Her heart raced as the reality of the situation sank in deeper. If she were caught, the consequences would be severe, and she had a feeling that they wouldn't hold back when it came to meting out their punishment. She wasn't just dealing with school discipline anymore; she could face serious trouble, maybe even legal action. After all, she had technically committed identity theft. She had lied about who she was--pretending to be someone she wasn't, all to survive this hell. She had gone through too much for it all to come crumbling down this easy. When she thought of all the ways she could be discovered she hadn't thought of it playing it out like this.

But how much longer could she keep up the charade? 

Obviously not too long with the way things were going for her. She raised her head in frustration and looked up at the ceiling. The only option would be wait till late till she was discovered, with half her body uncovered. 

Ugh It wasn't helping that she is wearing pink lace panties. A knock on the door startled her and her eyes widened in alarm, she stood waiting for the stranger to speak up, but she was met with silence. A throat cleared.

"I thought you might need this." The voice was soft and low, Kayla's brows creased in confusion. That voice was certainty unfamiliar. She relaxed as he hangs uniform set over the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, reaching for the uniform and clutching it tightly to her chest, as though if her grip loosened even slightly, it might vanish into thin air. Silence followed. She waited, her eyes narrowing as the seconds stretched on, but still, no answer came. After a couple more moments, she shrugged her shoulders, about to turn away.

"Nolan." The voice was low, almost tentative

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Nolan," he repeated, firmer this time.

Kayla froze. The name was enough to make her pause in hesitation. She hadn't seen Nolan much since that day, and when she did, he always seemed to avoid her. Whenever their eyes met across a room, his gaze averted immediately, like he couldn't bear to face her.  She felt a mix of emotions, annoyance, disappointment, but also a deep sense of understanding. He had left her to face the wolves on her own after she'd stood up for him, and part of her wanted to hate him for it. Yet, another part of her knew why.

"Nolan?" she said again, her voice softer, as if testing the name on her tongue.

"The one and only," he replied.

"Oh." She blinked, at a loss for words. "This is... unexpected."

"I figured," he muttered, shifting on his feet.

An awkward silence settled between them, thick and heavy. She could feel the weight of everything unsaid.

"Thanks" she finally blurted out.

"It's no big deal," Nolan mumbled. They both fell into silence as Kayla dressed in the oversized uniform, the fabric swallowing her whole. The sleeves hung past her hands, and the hem nearly grazed her knees. She had never felt so small, not just physically, but in the overwhelming weight of everything happening around her. She clicked the door open slowly, the creak of the hinges the only sound in the awkward silence. Nolan stood outside, ramrod straight like a soldier, his lips pressed into a thin line. He looked uncomfortable, unsure of himself. Kayla gave him a small, awkward smile.