The Captain's Shadow — The Locker Room Key

Plus-sized me slept with the campus golden boy I'd been crushing on for a whole year. Hockey quarterback Ethan Cole. I found the team locker room key in my bag. I thought Ethan had given it to me.

We both drank too much until I heard Ethan's teammates laughing. I heard Ethan gave Tessa the locker room key last night. They stayed here all night. Tessa and him look made for each other.

Unlike Big Jane, she takes up space just standing on the sidelines. If it was Jane, that'd be a lifetime of trauma. Laughter drifted over from the other side of the lockers. I crouched on this side, knees to my chin, too scared to move.

Big Jane was me. I weighed 165 pounds, a little chubby. They nicknamed me Big Jane. They also called me the moving fridge on the second floor.

On the second floor of the hockey rink stands, a small window faced the rink. I didn't dare stand by the boards, so I only dared stand on the second floor. Every time Ethan scored, he'd skate to the boards, lift his stick, and tap three times. times. Everyone thought he was tapping for the cheerleaders. So did I. I looked down

at the locker room key in my hand. So, it was for Tessa. So, last night, I was lifelong trauma. Only when the footsteps faded did I dare get up. The corridor glass reflected my fat 165-pound body. Loose clothes still