Chapter 1 The Night He Broke My Heart

Athena's pov

“Ten million dollars? You've got to be kidding me. That's a lot of money, Athena." Christie let out, covering her mouth. "You're not letting him have all that money, are you?" She stared at me, peeping into my eyes and waiting for me to let out the ultimate truth.

"What if I already did?" I shared a look with her. It was almost time for the game and no one was more excited than I was and I needed to get to the stadium fast but Christie kept holding me back.

“You gave your boyfriend ten million dollars? Jesus, Athena, what for? All he ever does is ask you for money and you always give it to me.” Christie sneered. I immediately regretted why I brought him up, I should've kept my mouth shut.

I exhaled, putting my arm around her neck. “Let it be, Chris. Besides, he said he's going to pay me back. I've been with Dylan since we were kids, I can trust him.”

Christie shook her head sharply. “Well, I don't. Boys who keep sucking their girlfriends dry don't even deserve to be called men at all. Sorry, Athena but your boyfriend is still a kid.” She moved ahead of me, heading towards the stadium.

I chose to keep my mouth shut because no matter how hard I try, Christie's idea of Dylan will always remain the same. She was like his sworn enemy and if she had the chance, she'd really sell him off.

From the back door of the stadium, we walked until we were able to catch Mira and Ariel at the front row seat, screaming for their boyfriends on ice.

Ariel was the first to squeal when she saw us trying to crawl up behind her. “Get in, get in. The game is already 40 minutes in and they've had their first break!” Her words stretched to the last.

They made way for Christie and I to walk past them to the seats they had preserved for us. My hands couldn't stay still, it went up and down in the air constantly.

Mira pinched me, calling my attention to her. “He's been doing so great. I have a good feeling that they'll win this game, I'm so sure of it.” She squeezed my shoulder while flashing a smile at me.

“I'm excited too. I heard that whichever team wins, they get to leave with a million dollars and a scholarship. Can you believe that?” I quickly turned away because I knew it'd lead to questions I wasn't ready to answer.

The announcer blasted through the speakers as each rattled against each other. I was able to catch Dylan as he skated across the ice kicking and swerving with his team. My palms were getting sweaty and my heart threatened to beat out of my chest.

I closed my eyes and prayed that Dylan would score. If he did, everything was going to change tonight and we'd be able to finally live our lives together as we wanted. My eyes remained for a couple more minutes until I heard.

“And he scores!! Dylan has won the game for his team tonight. Go rangers!” My eyes flew open instantly to see Dylan and his teammates skating the ice in a winning move.

“Yayyyy!!! Go Dylan!!” My girls screamed, sharing in my joy. My heart swelled with so much excitement. He really did win.

I screamed Dylan's name and the moment his eyes settled on me, I got up from my seat and raced the stairs. I didn't let them finish before running off to the field, jumping into Dylan's arms. His cologne filled my nose, making me want to sniff him over and over again.

"Ouu, congratulations baby. You deserve this!" I squealed in his neck as he hugged me tightly. “I have a surprise for you at my place and I'd love for you to see it.” I tried to take him by the hand but he stopped me, he was carrying a long face.

“I'd love to, baby, but Jake and I planned this team party that I can't afford to miss. You know how important these parties are for me. I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back.” He kissed my lips quickly and ran off leaving me speechless on the spot.

I watched him wrap his arms around the necks of his teammates as they did their victory dance while I stood feet away feeling like I would explode from jealousy.

“Just let him have his time. He must've waited for this for days.” Mira said as she came to stand beside me, along with Ariel.

“You think? I mean I had this surprise planned out for him and I really wanted him to see it.” I murmured, faking a sob. Ariel and Mira hugged me tightly, squeezing sadness out of me.

“Yes, let's go have our fun and let him have his. You two can always patch this up, he's your boyfriend and he loves you.” Ariel's words lingered in my head like a reminder, I faked a smile.

Yeah, Dylan loves me. He'll come back.

✯✯

I glanced at my watch, constantly checking my time to see how much time had passed. Dylan hadn't called me back to let me know if he was done. It was like he had just disappeared. I laid in Mira's bed, wondering if I should call again.

I had called Dylan's phone several times but he didn't answer. This was unusual because Dylan never leaves my calls unanswered and it made me feel odd.

I looked over to Mira and Ariel. "Did you guys see Christie? She didn't come around after the game ended."

Ariel was quick to nod. "No, maybe she went off with one of the hockey players. You know, her usual thing of always hooking up with them." She giggled, almost falling on Mira. And as sad as it was, it was actually true.

But I waved her off. "Come on, Ariel, I'm actually being serious this time. And I was supposed to meet up with Dylan too and he's not taking his calls either." I whined. The mixed feeling of anger and sadness surged inside me. To think that I already had a whole surprise mapped out for Dylan, only for him to choose to run off with his team.

“Anyways!” Ariel sat up straight on the bed to announce. “The school rangers are hosting their after party tonight and I got invites for us.” She clapped in excitement.

I stared at her confused. “There's an after-party for the rangers? How did I not get invited?” I darted from Mira to Ariel and they stared back with the same confused look on their faces.

“Dylan must've forgotten. You know how busy he's been with preparing for the game. I'm sure it wasn't intentional.” Mira shrugged, looking over to Ariel who agreed with her. Somehow it caused a feeling of unease to settle in my chest and I felt so uncomfortable.

“Anyways, prepare girls. We are leaving tonight.” Ariel added, literally leaving me no room to blank out. If I ever get there and I see Dylan, he's going to explain why he ditched me and still didn't invite me to the after-party.

Minutes later, I was wearing my grumpy face and we were on our way to the after-party. The feeling in my heart grew stronger and I felt it weaken me by the minute.

Inside the building, I realized that everyone who was anyone in school was invited, well except me. And I searched for Dylan so he could explain that to me.

Ariel tried getting me drinks but I kept refusing. I couldn't find Dylan and I was in my grumpiest state ever. Until someone picked up a mic and went on stage.

It was Dylan.

“Guys, I have a special announcement to make. There's someone I'd like to thank for holding a special place in my heart and for making our win possible.” The whole room went silent and all I could hear was the sound of my heart beating.

“Christie, can you please come on stage?” Dylan held out his hand and I watched as Christie stood up from the crowd and walked right to with their hands knotted together.

Mira held my hand, “What are they doing? Athena, what's going on? That should be you on that stage, not Christie.”

I shook my head, still unable to understand a thing. “Trust me, Mira. I'm as puzzled as you are.”

Dylan picked back the mic. “Christie, since we were kids, you've been everything to me. We've been together since high school and we've been through tough times together and I can't think of anyone else that I'd want to spend the rest of my life with.”

My heart raced faster than I could feel it weighing me down. What was he talking about? Is this a prank?

I watched as Dylan got on one knee and pulled out a box. The crowd went ohh and aww in surprise while Christie stood there, covering her mouth like she was in shock.

“Will you make me the happiest winning man tonight and marry me?”