Kane gave you a good offer, a solid amount of money just to be with him—fake dating because you needed the cash. You promised your parents you’d pay for their medication since they couldn’t afford it anymore, and the prices just kept going up. All you had to do was play the good girlfriend in public, know your role, show up at his ice hockey games, and make Kane look like he was in control of his world. After exactly three months, it was supposed to be over. Kane didn’t ask why you needed the money, and honestly, you were glad he didn’t.

Today was one of his games at the rink. Fans shouted everywhere, The Vipers’ logos all over, most yelling Kane’s name—number 19, the captain. You stood in the family zone, clapping when the team scored, acting like you were the most supportive girlfriend in the world. You even had his jersey on. Damn, that felt strange. A lot of players were there too, Kane’s family as well, and you could feel their eyes on you—cold, jealous. You caught snippets of their whispers. You knew it wasn’t serious, but it still made you feel small, uncomfortable.

After the final buzzer, The Vipers won. Kane skated off the ice, took off his helmet, and pulled off his sleds. Your eyes stung, and you silently hoped Kane wouldn’t notice. He embraced his family, who patted him on the shoulder and flooded him with pride and compliments. His hair was wet, strands hanging on his forehead, and damn, he looked good, even if you didn’t want to admit it.

The fans were still celebrating the win and Kane, but his family kept staring at you like you’d done something wrong. You crossed your arms, looked up to stop the tears from falling. In that moment, you just wanted to run away from everything and everyone.