MEANT TO HATE YOU; FALLING FOR THE ICE KING

SARAH'S POV

"You have to be strong for me, okay?"

Those were Mom's last words before she died.

The memory hit me like a punch every single day. She was gone, and no amount of being "strong" was going to bring her back. It wasn't going to erase the mountain of hospital bills I was drowning in. It wasn't going to stop the landlady from banging on the door like she wanted my soul as payment. And it definitely wasn't making senior year any easier.

But I kept going. I had to.

My phone buzzed so hard it nearly slid off the table.

Calista.

She was supposed to meet me at our usual spot after the last period, but she never showed up. That wasn't like her at all.

I answered instantly. "Babes, where are you? You okay? I've been waiting forever."

The second I heard her shaky breathing, my stomach twisted. Something was horribly wrong.

"Calista? Talk to me-what's going on?"

She didn't answer right away. Just a broken little sob. "Sarah... I can't... I just can't right now."

"Calista? Talk to me-"

She hung up.

My heart started beating fast. I hit redial, but my thumb slipped and opened a trending campus video instead.

The thumbnail made my blood freeze.

Hockey Star Marcus and the Girl in the Locker Room...

I shouldn't have clicked.

But I did.

Calista's face filled the screen - tear-streaked and terrified. Marcus, the school's golden hockey king, was right there with her. The fear in her eyes... it was something I'd never seen before.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

I called her back immediately. "Pick up, pick up, pick up..."

She answered on the first ring, voice barely there. "Sarah... please come home. I need you right now. I can't do this alone."

The line went dead.

I didn't think twice. I grabbed my bag and ran.

The bus ride felt like forever. That video replayed in my head the whole way - her broken expression, the way she tried to pull away. By the time I got to her house, I was a mess.

The housekeeper let me in without a word. I rushed to Calista's door, and it flew open before I could even knock properly.

She looked destroyed.

Messy hair, swollen red eyes, arms wrapped tightly around herself like she was trying to hold her pieces together. The second she saw me, she collapsed into my arms, sobbing so hard her whole body shook.

"Sarah... he... I didn't want any of it," she choked out between sobs. "I tried to stop him. I swear I did."

I held her close, fighting back my own tears. "Shh, I'm here. I've got you. You don't have to say anything right now, okay? Just breathe. I'm not going anywhere."

After what felt like hours, she pulled back slightly, wiping her face with a trembling hand. "You saw the video, didn't you? Everyone's probably seen it by now."

I nodded, throat tight. "Yeah... I saw it. God, Calista, I'm so sorry. I wish I'd been there. What do you need me to do? Tell me and I'll do it."

"That bastard is going to pay for what he did to me," she whispered, her voice turning icy cold. "I swear, Marcus will regret ever touching me. I'm not letting him get away with this. Not after everything."

The switch in her was scary. One minute she was shattered, the next she looked ready to destroy him.

I squeezed her hand tightly. "We'll figure this out together, okay? Whatever you need-lawyers, talking to the school, anything. Just don't shut me out. Promise me."

She gave me a small, broken smile. "You know me, Sarah. I always land on my feet. But... thank you for coming. I don't know what I'd do without you."

That was Calista. Even after everything, she always found a way to fight back.

The next few days dragged in painful silence.

Calista stayed locked in her room most of the time. I sat alone in the loud cafeteria, scrolling job listings on my cracked phone, trying not to panic. Mom's medical debts weren't going away just because she was gone. They kept piling up, and I was running out of time.

I was deep in numbers that refused to add up when a hand slammed down hard on my table.

I jumped.

A tall man in a sharp navy suit stood over me. Expensive watch, polished shoes - he looked completely out of place in our rundown high school cafeteria. His calm brown eyes sent chills down my spine.

"Sarah Chen," he said smoothly.

How the hell did he know my name?

I clutched my bag like a shield. "Who are you? And how do you know me? What do you want?"

He sat down without asking and slid a thick brown envelope across the table. "Relax. I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to fix your problems. There's a lot of money in this for you - enough to change everything. Enough to make those debts disappear."

I stared at the envelope, heart pounding. "Money? What kind of money? I don't even know you. Is this some kind of scam?"

He stood up to leave. "Read it. If you're smart, you'll show up at the address inside. Trust me, Sarah. This is the opportunity you've been waiting for."

"Wait!" I called out, voice rising. "You didn't even tell me your name. At least give me that!"

He glanced back with a faint smirk. "Alex."

Then he was gone.

I raced straight to Calista's room, envelope clutched tightly in my hand.

"Some guy approached me today," I said, dropping onto her bed. "He gave me this. Said it could solve my money problems - the debts from Mom and everything. He knew my name, Calista. It was so weird."

Her eyes locked onto the envelope immediately. "Open it. Now. Don't just sit there staring at it. What are you waiting for?"

My fingers trembled as I tore the seal.

The letter was short and unbelievable.

Congratulations, Sarah Chen. You have been personally selected to star in a brand-new high-stakes reality show. The prize? Two million dollars.

Two. Million. Dollars.

A shaky laugh escaped me before it died in my throat. "This can't be real... Calista, look at this. Two million? Is this actually happening?"

She snatched the letter. Her eyes widened, then filled with fierce determination. "Sarah... you're doing this. No excuses. Two million dollars? That's life-changing. You could pay off everything. Live without worrying for once."

"But they didn't even name my co-star," I whispered, heart racing. "Why hide that? It feels wrong. What if it's dangerous? What if this is all a trap?"

She grabbed my shoulders, staring straight into my eyes. "Think about the bills. Your future. Everything you lost when your mom died. This could fix everything. You have to do it, Sarah. For you. For her. Don't let fear stop you now."

She was right.

But something deep inside me screamed that this was too good to be true. Who was this mystery co-star they refused to reveal?

And why did it feel like agreeing would drag me into something far more dangerous than I could imagine?