The Shutout

Chloe taped him right on the bench. She didn't care about the cameras. She wrapped his hip with precision and anger and love.

"Go be a wall," she whispered, slapping his pads.

"For you," Liam said.

He skated back to the crease.

The third period was legend.

Liam Sterling didn't just stop pucks; he erased them. He made glove saves that defied physics. He stacked his pads against a 2-on-0 breakaway. He was a force of nature.

The team, fueled by their goalie’s insanity, rallied.

3-1.

3-2.

3-3 with a minute left.

The final seconds ticked down. St. Jude’s broke away. A slap shot from the point.

Liam didn't see it. He sensed it. He flashed the leather. *Snatch.*

He held the puck as the buzzer sounded. Overtime.

In overtime, North Ridge scored in thirty seconds.

The arena exploded. Helmets flew. The team mobbed Liam.

But Liam pushed through them. He skated straight to the bench. He didn't stop for the trophy presentation. He didn't stop for the scouts.

He stopped at the glass where Chloe was standing.

He took off his helmet. His hair was a mess, his face dripping sweat. He was smiling so hard it looked painful.

"We won," he mouthed.

"You won," she shouted over the noise.

"We," he corrected.

A reporter shoved a camera in his face. "Liam! Liam! That stunt—the scandal—what do you have to say?"

Liam put his arm around Chloe, pulling her into the frame. He looked straight into the lens.

"She's the reason I'm standing," Liam said, his voice ringing with pride. "She's the MVP. If you want me, you respect her."

He looked down at Chloe.

"And if the school tries to suspend her again," he added, "I'm transferring."

\---

**Epilogue**

*Six Months Later.*

The ice on the Frozen Lake—a secluded pond three miles from campus—was choppy and natural, nothing like the zambonied glass of the arena.

Chloe sat on a log, wrapped in a blanket, holding a thermos of cocoa.

Liam was skating lazy circles in the twilight. He was wearing a Chicago Blackhawks practice jersey.

"First round," he shouted, skating backwards. "Can you believe it?"

"I believed it when you stopped that breakaway in the third," Chloe called back.

He skated over to her, spraying snow on her boots. He sat down next to her on the log, breathless and happy.

"Scholarship letter came today," Chloe said, bumping his shoulder. "University of Minnesota. Sports Medicine program."

"Nice," Liam grinned. "That's close to Chicago. I can visit."

"You better."

Liam wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his side. The cold air nipped at their faces, but Chloe felt warm.

"No more secrets?" she asked.

"No more secrets," Liam promised. "Just us. Out in the open."

He leaned in and kissed her. It tasted of cocoa and victory.

The sun set over the frozen pond, casting long shadows over the two of them—the Wall and his Keeper—unbreakable and invincible, finally, together.