Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 192

ALLISON’S POV

Justin snatches his phone from my hand and shoves it into his pocket. “It’s nothing, Allison.”

“Nothing?” I rise to my feet, hands on my hips. “I just read the texts. He’s been shaking you down for cash and threatening to tell your coach? Are you kidding me?”

He frowns, his jaw tight. “I said it’s nothing, so just drop it.”

I scoff, running a hand through my hair as I stare at him. The worst part isn’t even that he’s lying or that he expects me to act like I didn’t just see some dude extorting him. It’s that whatever he’s hiding is big enough for someone to blackmail him

I’ve seen my fair share of messy, shitty situations and yeah, lately it feels like life’s just a trend of terrible luck…but Justin? No. I refuse to believe he’d do anything so messed up that someone could threaten him like this. It’s not possible.

“Let’s try this again,” I say, forcing out a breath. “And this time… you’re actually going to tell me what’s happening.”

He drops into the chair beside his table, his back rigid like I’m not even allowed near him. I wait, half-expecting him to finally say something, but nope, he’s giving me the cold shoulder.

“Allie, go to sleep.”

My heart drops. Allie…not Allison. He rarely calls me that. And his tone? It’s so cold it’s like he’s shoving me out the door without moving a muscle. My eyes twitch, because why now?

“What are you hiding?” I step closer. “Who is this Black guy? What did you do? Talk to me!”

“And what if I don’t!” His voice booms, making me flinch. He jumps to his feet, his chest heaving as he faces me. “Nothing’s happening, so stop trying to play detective or something.”

My fingers curl into fists at my sides. “So you get to know everything about my life, but I can’t know anything about yours?”

He huffs, shaking his head, and I can see the tension in his jaw. “This is about you again, isn’t it? You don’t really care about what I did, you just want a way to connect it to yourself.”

My eyes narrow, lips slightly parted, and my chest tightens. A memory flashes in my mind: the first time my dad yelled at me, how small and powerless I felt. Strangely, it’s familiar, like I’m back in that same spot. Is this… how Justin sees me? Some self-centered kid who only thinks about herself?

I suck in a deep breath. “Justin… I said that because I feel like we’ve crossed a line. We’re not just friends, and we should be able to tell each other things. I came to you first today because I trust you. I feel safe with you, and… I thought maybe you’d feel the same around me. You don’t always have to be the one fixing everything, I can do that for you too.”

For some seconds, he says nothing. Then he groans, slides closer, and takes my hand in his. I fight back tears, hoping whatever he says next will make me forget the last minute of this conversation. His thumb rubs over the back of my hand, and he forces a small smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Look,” he says. “I’m wiped out tonight. I had a game, and I’ve got classes tomorrow. What you saw? It’s nothing. Forget it, okay?”

He reaches toward me, like he wants to pull me in, but I step back, my chest tightening. Instantly, his expression shifts, and suddenly the warm, familiar Justin I know feels miles away. There’s a wall between us now, built to hide his secret. Still… a part of me knows he’s trying, in his own way, to protect himself from something.

“If you won’t talk about it… maybe I should just go,” whisper, squaring my shoulders. “Trust has to be mutual if it’s going to mean anything.”

He grits his teeth. “And what do you really want from me, Allison?”

I meet his gaze, my heart thudding, and say the only thing I can. “The truth.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify