Faith Oluwasegun의 작품

IvyThe evening practice had settled into a steady rhythm. The team was running drills, sticks clashing, skates carving sharp lines into the ice. I stayed on the sidelines, camera raised, trying to focus on my job instead of the way Asher kept glancing in my direction every few minutes.Things were stable and almost normal.Until Coach Harlan blew his whistle and waved me over.“Hart, come here for a second.”My stomach tightened. I lowered my camera and walked over to the bench where he stood. He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, looking unusually serious.“How are you doing today? I heard about the five points deducted from your scholarship,” he said without preamble. “That’s rough.”I nodded, swallowing hard. “Yes, Coach.”He sighed. “You know how these things work. Those points can follow you all the way to graduation, affect your overall standing, future recommendations, everything. As a scholarship student, there’s not much wiggle room.”I stayed quiet, grippi

IvyAsher looked up at the reporters, his expression shifting instantly from irritated to fiercely protective.“Look, guys, you want a statement? Here it is.” Asher’s voice carried down the corridor, deep and authoritative. He tilted his head down and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to the top of my head. The unexpected softness of his lips against my hair made my breath hitch. “Ivy and I are together. What happened last night was just a fight. Couples argue, and unfortunately, things got loud, emotions ran high, and it looked worse on video. But we’re fine. We’re good. Now turn the cameras off and give us some space.”The reporters erupted with a barrage of new questions — When did you start dating? What about Jennie? Is this serious? — but Asher ignored them all. Keeping his arm locked securely around my shoulders, he steered me down the hall, forcing me to walk in perfect lockstep with him.Every eye in the athletic complex was glued to us. His body heat radiated against my side, hi

Ivy Girlfriend? I stared at Asher like he’d lost his damn mind. My brain was still short-circuiting from the kiss — the way his hands had cupped my face, the heat of his mouth, the way my stupid body had leaned into it for those few treacherous seconds. The moment we stepped inside the empty hockey lounge, I yanked my hand out of his and exploded. “Are you out of your mind?” I yelled, voice echoing off the walls. “There is no way in hell I’m dating you!” Asher scrubbed a hand over his face, looking as exhausted as I felt. “Tell that to Coach Harlan. He’s the one who suggested this. If the public thinks we’re in a relationship, the whole thing gets spun as a lovers’ quarrel instead of athlete misconduct. I get to stay on the team. You get to keep your scholarship.” I held up a hand. “Hold on. None of this is making any sense.” He kept talking like I hadn’t spoken, pacing in front of the lockers. “We have to think radical here, Ivy. The school doesn’t punish messy love lives. The

IvyI walked across campus clutching my bag like a lifeline, my steps slow and heavy. The meeting with the student adviser kept replaying in my head on an endless loop.The woman had been polite but firm, her expression unreadable as she reviewed the notes on her laptop.“The board is already reviewing your scholarship in light of the recent… incident,” she had said. “We’ll try to contain the situation, but only if the attention dies down quickly. Otherwise, you may have to forfeit the scholarship entirely.”She had paused, then added, “I’ll be in touch soon, Miss Hart.”Just like that. No “one more chance.” No warnings. Just the cold reality that everything I had fought for could be taken away.I thought back to the two years of endless applications, rejection letters, late nights filling out forms while Mom was in treatment, and the constant fear that someone like me didn’t deserve a shot at Northbridge. I had sacrificed so much to get here. And now, barely a week into the semester,

IvyI barely slept.After the chaos at the party, after the slap, after watching Asher walk away into the night, I had tossed and turned for hours. The alcohol had left me with a dull headache and a heavy sense of dread. I finally drifted off sometime close to dawn.“Ivy! Ivy, wake up!”Lena’s voice yanked me violently back to consciousness. She burst into the room, still in her pajamas, waving her phone like it was on fire.“Ivy, oh my God, wake up right now!”I sat up groggily, rubbing my eyes. My head pounded. “What… what time is it?”“You need to see this.” She shoved the phone into my hands, already playing a video.The clip was shaky, clearly filmed by someone in the crowd at the party. It started with Asher grabbing my wrist and pulling me away, then Marcus intervening. The fight exploded on screen — punches, shoving, drinks flying. Then the camera zoomed in on the moment I slapped Asher hard across the face. The audio caught the sharp crack perfectly.The caption above the vid

Ivy The dorm room was a mess of clothes and excitement when I got back from the library. Lena stood in front of the mirror, trying on different tops and humming to herself. “Where are you heading?” I asked, dropping my bag on my bed. “Sophomore party tonight at the old fraternity house off campus,” she said brightly. “It’s supposed to be fun — music, decent drinks, no freshmen rules. You should come with me.” I hesitated. The photos. Asher’s stupid deadline. The six hundred shots still waiting on my laptop. But the thought of sitting alone in this room, obsessing over his pictures and replaying every humiliating moment, felt worse. “Can I come?” I asked. Lena’s face lit up. “Yes! But what about the pictures you’re supposed to send Asher?” I shrugged. “They can wait till tomorrow. I need a break.” She didn’t argue. Twenty minutes later we were walking across campus toward the pulsing bass of the party. Inside, the house was crowded and warm, lights low, music loud. Lena stuck