Page 6 of Into Ruin

“Earth to Church.” Royal shakes his head, leaning on the doorjamb. “You okay?”

I sit up. “Just didn’t feel like going through the whole charade tonight.”

He nods slowly. “You still feel like you’re on a pedestal?”

I grunt.

I’m the novelty. I’ve been the novelty.

Luckily, my teammates didn’t see me that way. I had practiced with the team before I accepted a spot at Framingham State University. And when I was drafted second overall at the NHL draft this past June, it was with the franchise’s knowledge and support I spend the next two years playing college hockey.

The media coverage went hard for a few weeks, but things have calmed down. I’ve learned to shut outthatnoise. It’s just the school’s noise that seems harder to ignore.

“My sister is gonna crash in my room tonight,” he says.

I raise an eyebrow. “You have a sister?”

“Half sister. Our mom divorced my dad and married hers. And I don’t talk about her much because I know how assholes can be. They hearbaby sisterand thinkhow fast can I get in her pants? It’s disgusting.”

“Right…”

He shudders. “I swear, she can date whoever she wants, just not one of my teammates. That asshole wouldn’t make it out of FSU alive.”

I snicker. “If she’s hot, good luck.”

“Don’t.”

I hold up my hands in surrender. “No, no, of course not. So where did this sister come from? Is she visiting or something?”

“She’s a freshman. Her name is Harper, just in case you run into her in the morning or something.” He glances out my window. “Although it’s practically morning already.”

My blood runs cold.

Harper?

Sister?

I cling on to a normal, even expression. “Yeah, I’m gonna get to sleep while I still can.”

“Same. Night, Church.”

He closes my door, and I immediately stand. I lock the door and open my phone, going to the photo of her student ID.

Freshman dorm.

Harper Shay.

She doesn’t look like Royal Lawson. She doesn’t have his last name. She?—

If she tells him what I did, he could sabotage me. From the sounds of his threat, hewoulddo whatever he could to get retribution. I wasn’t gentle with her, not in the slightest. The truth could mean saying goodbye to my career—my future.

She let me think she was trying to hook up with him, and that couldn’t have been further from the truth. She didn’t deny my accusations. It was her trump card. Royal’s sister could’ve come out with it, and I would’ve stepped aside.

But she didn’t.

My jaw tightens.

She’s not going to get away with this.

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