A few hours earlier.
[Ash, I can’t make it to skate practice today. There’s a cheerleading team eting, so we’re heading to Green Bell. See you tomorrow. Sorry. – Koi]
Ashley quickly typed a reply after reading the ssage from Koi.
[Got it. See you tomorrow. – Ash]
As he stared at the screen for a mont after sending it, the unread marker disappeared, and another ssage popped up.
[Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow. – Koi]
Only then did Ashley smile faintly and close his phone. Honestly, they could ssage like this all night. Koi always replied when he got a ssage, and because of that, even if Ashley said goodbye first, Koi would send another one back once Ashley replied. He probably thought he absolutely had to reply whenever he got a ssage.
Cute.
Ashley chuckled quietly, the smile still lingering on his face as he lifted his head. The ice hockey team mbers were skating and practicing on the rink.
Haa, a sigh slipped out from his lips. While the others were sweating it out, he was stuck in the stands just watching—it was driving him crazy. But there was no choice. He was waiting for the coach’s decision.
Before his manifestation, Koi would usually finish practice around the sa ti Ashley’s team did, so they’d head to Ashley’s house together for skate practice, then part ways. But since manifesting, their consistent schedule had been thrown off.
Koi told him to go back to the mansion first and that he’d co by after practice, but Ashley chose to wait. Even if Ariel gave him a new bike, riding it up the mountain would still be a pain. If you made soone you liked go through that kind of trouble, you weren’t a real man.
Also, Ashley wasn’t thrilled that Koi was riding around on Ariel’s bike.
I need to get him a new one as soon as possible.
He couldn’t stand watching Koi stroke that bike like it was precious. But he couldn’t just go and buy one on his own either. Most importantly, it had to be sothing Koi liked. So all he could do was look for opportunities to drive Koi around whenever possible—especially to and from school. Of course, Koi insisted on bringing that damned bike and stuffing it into the trunk, but this was still better.
Should I pick him up at Green Bell when the eting ends?
That wasn’t a bad idea. The distance from Green Bell to Koi’s house was pretty far. Even if the new bike was better than the old one, it was still a tough ride. And besides, getting to see Koi again was a plus. Not seeing that bike in use was another plus. There were only upsides.
If he asks why I ca, I’ll just say I was passing by and thought of him. Koi would believe it. He believed everything Ashley said. With that thought, Ashley checked the watch on his wrist. The shop closes around ten, so there was still plenty of ti.
When is the coach going to talk to ? Just as he was stretching in boredom, he heard footsteps. The coach was walking toward him. Folding his arms and waiting as he got closer, Ashley watched the coach take a seat one spot away from him.
“Hey, did you wait long?”
“About an hour?”
Ashley deliberately checked his watch and smiled faintly. The coach gave an awkward smile in return.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make.”
“Yeah, I figured. I’m ready either way.”
If the answer was still no, then so be it. It’d be disappointing, but that’d be the end of hockey. It’s not like he planned to go pro anyway—maybe that made it easier to let go. The coach spoke again.
“You’re only planning to play until the end of this school year, right?”
“Yeah. I’ve got to start preparing for college too.”
Now that he thought about it, how did Koi’s college entrance exam go? He didn’t seem to do that well. Shouldn’t he retake it? If he delays it, it’ll overlap with other prep and get even harder.
He’s not planning to skip college altogether, is he?
Then Ashley rembered Koi saying he wanted to work at NASA and pushed the last thought aside. He’ll need to retake the exam. I’ll make sure.
“Ash, based on what we discussed...”
Ashley snapped back to the present at the sound of the coach’s voice and focused again. The man scratched his neck and cleared his throat. So it’s a no, Ashley thought, when the coach finally said:
“We’ve decided to let you play for just this season.”
The answer caught him off guard. The coach continued.
“It’s your final season, and we also need ti to reinforce our lineup. There are a few kids planning to quit after this season anyway, so we were going to make changes next year. You knew that, right? It’s just one season. Besides, having you play doesn’t break any rules.”
Then, after a short /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ pause, he added:
“We’ll just keep an eye on any issues related to your rut cycle. I’ll make preparations to sub you out if needed. It doesn’t hit you all of a sudden, does it?”
“Uh... probably not?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Ashley raised his hands briefly, then lowered them.
“It hasn’t happened yet, but I’ve heard there are signs before it starts. I’ve also got suppressants.”
“Alright then.”
The fact that Ashley had manifested not as a typical alpha but as an extre alpha was known only to Koi, his father, and his father’s secretary. None of them knew that regular suppressants barely worked on extre alphas. In fact, there were no other extre alphas known to take suppressants, so no one knew how effective they even were.
Still, he could manage his pheromones, and as long as he didn’t go into rut, he’d be fine. The coach had apparently also prepared for the possibility.
“Then can I join training again?”
Ashley’s question earned a nod from the coach, who checked the ti.
“We’re almost done for today, so let’s say you rejoin starting tomorrow.”
Getting up first, the coach gave Ashley’s arm a couple of encouraging pats as he stood and smiled for the first ti.
“Hocoming’s coming up, you know. We’re counting on you. Let’s end the season strong.”
“Thank you.”
The coach smiled at Ashley once more and walked off. Ashley, watching him go, turned his head and locked eyes with Bill.
Bill had stopped mid-practice and was staring at him. Seeing the worry and uncertainty on his face, Ashley gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. Bill imdiately let out a cheer, and soon the other guys started looking back and forth between them in shock, then joined in, shouting and waving their arms excitedly.
He’d been skipping practice under the excuse that he still wasn’t feeling well, even though his cold was gone. The team had no choice but to wait, knowing that the final decision would co after Ashley and the coach had talked. It had only been a few days, but it seed they’d really been hoping for his return.
Ashley grabbed his things and was about to head out but pulled out his phone first.
[Koi, I’m rejoining practice starting tomorrow.]
He paused mid-text. A better idea struck him. He deleted the ssage and shoved the phone back in his pocket. Right then, the coach’s whistle signaled the end of practice.
“Bill!”
He called out while descending from the stands. Bill, who’d been heading back inside, stopped and turned around. As he ca over to the fence, Ashley spoke.
“To celebrate rejoining, want to go to Green Bell? My treat.”
“Hell yeah. Yo!”
Bill spun around and yelled the news to the rest of the team. Watching his retreating back, Ashley thought:
This should get into the cheerleading team hangout naturally.
Traditionally, the cheerleading squad and the sports teams were close. That’s how he and Ariel ended up dating—they saw each other all the ti. When the two groups happened to et at a restaurant, it was only natural to join tables.
I just need to stall for a bit and walk out with Koi.
Whistling, Ashley slung his bag over his shoulder and headed outside. Once the others ca out, they’d all get in their respective cars and head to Green Bell. The plan was perfect.
Until reality hit.
*
“What the hell is this?”
Ashley asked with a frown. Ariel mouthed, “Don’t ask .” Only the girls from the cheerleading team were smiling smugly. Ariel quickly realized their little sche and was dumbfounded, but she couldn’t storm out without losing her composure. She took a deep breath, choosing to hold her dignity for now.
Ashley, however, was different. What mattered to him more than dignity was the fact that Koi was sitting at the far end of the table—flanked by cheerleaders on either side.
“You told them we broke up, right?”
He growled in a low voice. Ariel smiled, muttering through clenched teeth.
“Of course I did. What, you think I’m crazy? You think I’d still pretend to date a bastard like you?”
“Then what the hell is this?”
Even Ariel didn’t know. She raised her hands briefly, then forced a smile and glanced around.
“We have stuff to talk about. Why don’t we rearrange the seats? Cheer team with cheer team, hockey team with hockey team.”
“We can do that after we eat, right, Elle?”
The vice-captain quickly chid in. Other mbers started nodding along, saying, “Yeah, yeah,” and Ariel had no choice but to surrender to democracy.
“Fine, whatever...”
“What’s the talk about, anyway? So kind of eting?”
This ti, a hockey player joined in. Before Ariel could answer, the vice-captain spoke up.
“We’re changing our uniforms. Gotta pick a new design.”
“Then we can all look at them together, right? We’ll help you choose.”
Another clueless hockey guy added his two cents. The cheerleaders quickly agreed, and aside from Ashley and Ariel, everyone seed satisfied. The seat rearrangent was scrapped.
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