Faking It With The Hockey Star

Harper’s POV

I stirred my coffee slowly, watching the dark liquid swirl around the spoon. For the first time in days, my mind was quiet. There was no comparing salaries, scrolling through endless company reviews, calculating rent, or wondering if I was making the biggest mistake of my life.

I had spent almost the entire weekend researching every internship offer I had received. I had read reviews from former interns, searched through employee experiences, compared companies, looked at their active projects, and even messaged a few people who had actually worked there. I had asked hard questions, listened carefully, and sometime in the middle of the night, I had finally made my decision.

I took a slow breath, letting out a soft sigh. "Okay. I can do this."

"Do what?"

I turned around. Emma stood at the entrance of the kitchen, her hair messy and her eyes still heavy with sleep.

I smiled at her. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she mumbled, walking toward the counter and reaching for another mug. "Now answer my question."

I laughed softly. "I made my decision."

She immediately looked more awake, her eyes clearing. "About the internships?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Emma leaned against the counter, waiting. "So?"

"I am staying," I said cleanly.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Here?"

"Here."

She stared at me for a few long seconds. "You actually turned down the out of state offers?"

"I have not turned them down yet," I took another sip of my coffee. "But I am going to."

Emma’s expression softened into genuine curiosity. "Why?"

I knew that question was coming, and this time, I had an answer that felt right in my chest. "Because I think this is what makes the most sense for me right now. The company here is not offering me a salary, but I am not choosing an internship because of the paycheck. I am choosing it because of what I will learn."

Emma nodded slowly, listening.

"They have connections to some really good producers and directors," I continued, setting my mug down. "I will have access to equipment I could not afford on my own, I will be on actual sets, and I will get hands on experience instead of sitting behind a desk doing meaningless work. After everything I have done with my documentary, I think I need that."

Emma smiled warmly. "You really thought this through."

"I did," I leaned back against the counter, feeling the burden leave my shoulders. "I also do not want to rush into moving somewhere just because the offer sounds impressive on paper. I would have to pay rent, figure out transportation, move away from Mom, leave you and Noah... and leave Justin."

Emma gave me a knowing, amused look.

I rolled my eyes. "Do not."

"I did not say anything."

"Your face did."

She laughed softly, and I found myself smiling with her.

"I know my relationship is not the only reason I am staying," I explained gently. "But it is part of my life, and I do not want to pretend it is not."

"Fair," Emma agreed.

"And honestly, I have enough saved to give myself some breathing room."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "How much?"

I hesitated for a brief second. "About a hundred and ten thousand dollars."

Emma nearly dropped her mug, her jaw virtually hitting the floor. "What? Where did you get that much money from?"

I burst out laughing at her reaction. "Emma!"

"One hundred and ten thousand dollars?" she gasped.

"Yes. Justin placed me on a monthly allowance, so that summed up to about sixty thousand dollars, plus the documentary money and my own savings."

"Harper! You had that much and did not tell me?" She stared at me like I had just announced that I owned a private jet. "How?"

"The documentary earnings, my savings, and the money I have been getting from my weekly allowance," I shrugged, holding up my hands. "I barely spend anything, and I did not realize how much it was until I actually added everything together last night."

Emma shook her head, still trying to process it. "And you are not choosing the internship that pays?"

"No," I smiled softly, feeling absolute peace with my decision. "I want to invest in myself. If I can spend the next year learning from people who are already doing what I want to do, that is worth more to me right now."

Emma’s smile slowly grew, filled with sisterly pride. "I am proud of you."

A comforting warmth filled my chest. "Thanks."

"And your YouTube channel?"

"That is another thing," I picked up my mug again. "It is finally starting to bring in money. It is not huge yet, but it is growing steady. So I will have another source of income while I am learning."

Emma nodded along. "Okay, so you are basically saying you will survive without the internship salary."

"Exactly."

She thought about it for a quiet moment before giving me a decisive nod. "I actually think you made the right choice."

A massive wave of relief washed through me, soothing every last trace of anxiety. "I hope so."

"You did," she bumped her shoulder against mine playfully. "And besides, you are not going anywhere."

I smiled softly. "Not yet."

There was something profoundly comforting about saying it out loud. I was not running away, nor was I abandoning everything I had built. I was consciously choosing what I wanted, and for the first time, that choice did not feel like something I had to be afraid of.

Emma glanced up at the clock on the wall. "So when are you telling Professor Silas?"

"Today."

"Then we should get ready."

I looked at her, a spontaneous idea forming. "Actually..."

"What?"

"Let us go to my school together."

She blinked in surprise. "Your school?"

"Yes, come with me," I smiled warmly. "I will meet Professor Silas, tell him my decision, finish whatever paperwork I need to complete, and then you and I can spend the rest of the day together."

Emma’s face lit up instantly. "Just the two of us?"

"Just the two of us."

"Okay," she picked up her mug, beaming. "Sounds like a plan."

"Good."

She started walking toward the hallway before pausing to look back at me. "Let me go get ready."

"Okay."

As she disappeared into her room, I looked down at my coffee and smiled into the warm steam. Today was no longer about wondering where my life was going. Today, I was finally going to tell the world where I wanted it to go.

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