Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 219

Chapter 79

JUSTIN’S POV

+25 Points

Allison’s been moping since her audition ended. I know it didn’t go as planned, but I’m starting to think it’s

worse than we expected since she hasn’t touched a thing to eat. I’ve tried everything I can think of, but

she won’t budge. She’s just curled up in bed, staring at the ceiling like the world’s ended.

My eyes land on the pizza I ordered and I let out a sigh. Time to try round two.

I grab the box and step into her room. She doesn’t even glance at me, but just stays wrapped up in the

same spot like she can’t notice me.

Sliding onto the bed beside her, I set the pizza box between us and rest my hand lightly on her arm. “Aren’t you hungry?”

She shakes her head, barely.

I lift her chin gently, making her meet my eyes. “Talk to me. I hate seeing you like this.”

She doesn’t say anything for a long moment, then lets out a sigh and slowly sits up. Her eyes drift to the pizza box. Without a word, she opens it, pulls out a slice, and starts eating. I just watch quietly, silently hoping she’ll take more than one bite. Lucky for me, she does and after finishing the first slice, she

reaches for another.

Halfway through the second slice, she exhales sharply, her lips twitching. She dumps the half-eaten piece back into the box and slumps back against the wall. “They thought I was a joke,” she mutters.

1 scoot closer. “Who?”

“All the casting directors… or whatever,” she answers, biting her lip. “They didn’t even let me get a word out before kicking me out in the most humiliating way. I wish I’d never gone.”

For a moment, I’m speechless, my chest tightening with frustration on her behalf. Then slowly, I pull her into a hug. She melts into me, and I rub her back gently, just over and over, while she just clings to me.

After a few minutes, I pull back slightly. Her cheeks are damp, and I reach out, brushing tears from her face and cupping her chin.

“Did I ever tell you what happened the first time I skated on a rink?” I ask.

She hesitates, then shakes her head. “No.”

“Alright,” I say, a small smile tugging at my lips. “So, my middle school coach told my aunt that I would never play hockey, not even at a high school level after watching me.” The memory comes easy so it isn’t hard to tell. “He said he’d never seen anyone my age just learning to skate, let alone try to play seriously. And, well… I was a kid, but his words crushed me, especially with the other kids laughing. I told my aunt I never wanted to go back.” I lift an eyebrow. “You want to know what she said?”

1/3

& Chapter 79

+25 Points

“Look at you, trying to look out for your girlfriend,” Her voice is softer this time, and I feel a warmth bloom in my chest. “Is it true?”

“Is what true?” I ask, tilting my head.

“Braydon mentioned… that you’ve had feelings for Allie since our freshman year. Is that true?”

I rub my jaw, exhaling slowly. “Yeah.”

“How couldn’t I see it?” Her voice falters, then she continues. “I mean, I did notice you guys getting close at some point and tried to make sure you didn’t cross any boundaries… but I feel like I should have seen more. I guess I’m oblivious to everyone but myself. Guilt has been eating me alive. It’s frustrating because part of me thinks I should be mad at both of you, and another part just blames myself entirely for missing the clues.”

“Katy, you did nothing wrong and you shouldn’t feel guilty,” I say. “You know how your brain works. Ever since you were five, you’ve been brilliant with instructions, recalling details, and solving puzzles. But then, for some reason, you couldn’t tell the difference between sad and angry faces in cartoons. You get hyper-focused on patterns sometimes, don’t recognize social cues, and can shut down when things

overwhelm you outside your safe bubble. You shouldn’t have to figure us out from clues, okay?”

She hesitates. “So… you’re saying I should be mad at you?”

I snort. “Aren’t you already?”

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