# Chapter 30: The Game, The Father, and the Warning
Hello everyone, it’s me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 30 of *The Deal: Off Campus*.
And wow, what a chapter this is. It gives us hockey, humor, heat, heartbreak, and one of the most uncomfortable father-son confrontations in the entire story. If you thought things between Hannah and Garrett were complicated before, Chapter 30 takes that complication, throws it onto the ice, and then slams it into the boards.
We begin with Hannah, who is driving Garrett’s Jeep to Cambridge with Dex, Stella, and Allie in tow. Dex and Stella cannot believe they are actually inside Garrett Graham’s car. Stella jokes about carving her name into the leather seats like Carrie Underwood, and Dex keeps asking whether Hannah and Garrett are dating. Hannah gives her usual answer—they just hang out sometimes—but even she can feel how flimsy that excuse has become. The truth is, something is happening between her and Garrett, and everyone can see it except maybe Hannah herself.
The road trip is fun and chaotic. They blast music, Dex and Hannah sing together beautifully, and Allie and Stella join in for the choruses. By the time they reach the Harvard hockey arena, they are all in high spirits. Hannah has never been to Harvard before, and she wishes she could explore the campus, but they are running late, so they hurry inside. The arena is huge, modern, and packed. They manage to find four seats near the Briar side, and since they already ate way too many corn chips in the car, they skip concessions.
Dexter admits he knows nothing about hockey, so Hannah gives him a quick rundown. But nothing could prepare her for the real thing. The crowd roars, the PA system blares, and the players move with lightning speed. Garrett is number 44, but Hannah doesn’t need the number to find him. He is the center of the starting line, and from the moment the ref drops the puck, he dominates. He wins the opening faceoff, flies down the ice, checks opponents like a pro, and looks absolutely mesmerizing. Hannah can barely keep her eyes off him.
Briar takes an early lead thanks to a goal by Birdie—the dark-haired senior Hannah met at Malone’s. Harvard ties it up before the first period ends, and the game stays intense. Dex starts asking hilarious questions about hockey terms, especially “the crease,” and Allie jokes that everything about hockey sounds dirty. They laugh so hard they almost fall out of their chairs.
But underneath all the fun, Hannah’s mind is wandering. She suddenly remembers that she has a dinner date with Justin on Sunday night. She forgot all about it because she has been too busy having sex with Garrett. The realization unsettles her. She hasn’t thought about Justin all week, but that doesn’t erase the fact that she was drawn to him for a reason. She doesn’t even know what she and Garrett are. He hasn’t called her his girlfriend. She isn’t sure she wants to be his girlfriend. She has a type: quiet, serious, moody, creative, musical, smart, sarcastic, and emotionally open. Someone who makes her feel at peace. Garrett has some of those qualities, but not all of them. And peaceful is not the word for what Garrett makes her feel. With Garrett, she feels like her whole body is wired with electricity. When they are naked, it is like a Fourth of July fireworks display going off inside her. Is that a good thing? She has no idea. Her track record with guys is not exactly great. How can she be sure Justin isn’t the one she should be with if she doesn’t give him a chance?
Then we shift to Garrett’s point of view. After the game, Briar is riding the high of crushing Harvard. Garrett has decided Hannah is his good luck charm, since the last three times they played Harvard, they lost. When he walks outside the arena, Hannah is waiting for him with Allie, a dark-haired girl he doesn’t recognize, and a huge black guy. Hannah looks shy, unsure whether to hug or kiss him. Garrett solves the problem by doing both. Immediately, one of her friends yells, “I knew it!” Garrett grins and teases Hannah about keeping them a secret. Hannah raises her eyebrows and says, “Us? I didn’t realize we were an us.” Garrett dodges the relationship question and asks how she liked the game. They flirt—Hannah points out he didn’t score a goal, and he promises a hat trick just for her. He asks if she is busy tomorrow night, wanting to get her alone again.
But then a shadow falls over the moment. Garrett’s father appears. Phil Graham. The man Garrett hates with every fiber of his being. His father says, “Garrett. A word.” Hannah looks concerned, but Garrett tells her he’ll be back in a minute. He follows his father into the parking lot, where his teammates can see them. Some of them look envious, and Garrett thinks bitterly that they have no idea what they are jealous of.
His father demands that Garrett come home for Thanksgiving. Garrett refuses. His father threatens to drag him home. Garrett is shocked—why does his father suddenly care? Then his father reveals that his girlfriend is cooking dinner and requested Garrett’s presence. Garrett didn’t even know his father had a girlfriend. The phrasing doesn’t escape him: *she* requested his presence, not his father. Garrett tells him to say he’s sick, or dead. His father calls him “boy,” a word that brings back memories of fists, broken noses, and beatings. He reminds Garrett that he pays for tuition, books, and equipment. Garrett keeps a spreadsheet of every cent, planning to repay him once he gains access to his trust. But tuition for next term is due in December, before his trust comes in, and his savings aren’t enough. He is trapped. His father says, “It’s time to pay up, son. You will come home for Thanksgiving. Understood?” Garrett gives a curt nod and stalks away.
He returns to Hannah, who asks if everything is okay. He lies and says it’s fine. Coach calls him to the bus. He kisses Hannah’s cheek and tells her to call him after tomorrow’s game. Coach comments that Hannah is cute and asks if she’s his girlfriend. Garrett admits he has no idea. On the bus, Logan tells him something that makes his heart stop. Logan says he was at Maxwell’s Halloween party, and Kohl was there. Kohl claimed he is going out with Wellsy this weekend. Garrett says, “Bullshit,” but doubt creeps in. Hannah came into his life because of Kohl. She was interested in Kohl before. She even went to the party to see him after she and Garrett kissed. Logan says he just thought Garrett should know. Garrett manages a tight “Thanks,” and the chapter ends with his mind racing and his chest heavy.
This chapter is a perfect storm. It gives us the sweetness of Hannah and Garrett’s growing connection, the thrill of a hockey game, the humor of Dex and Allie, and then it rips the rug out with Garrett’s father and Logan’s warning. The contrast between the joy of the game and the dread of the parking lot is masterful. And that ending? It leaves us desperate for the next chapter.
**Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating:** I absolutely loved this chapter. The alternating perspectives worked beautifully. Hannah’s confusion feels real and messy, and Garrett’s pain is so raw it hurts to read. The hockey scenes are vivid and exciting, and the banter keeps the story from becoming too dark. But the father confrontation is chilling, and Logan’s revelation is the kind of cliffhanger that makes you want to scream. My only complaint is that I wanted more of Hannah and Garrett together before the drama hit. Still, this chapter delivers on every emotional level.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
**Next Chapter Prediction:** Garrett will be consumed by doubt about Kohl’s claim, but he won’t confront Hannah right away—he’ll probably stew and then explode at the worst possible moment. Hannah, meanwhile, will be torn between her Sunday dinner with Justin and her feelings for Garrett. I predict a misunderstanding, a tense conversation, and maybe Hannah finally admitting that she and Garrett are more than “just hanging out.” But with Thanksgiving and Garrett’s father looming, the peace won’t last long. The next chapter will likely bring jealousy, confrontation, and a major step forward or backward for Hannah and Garrett.
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