# Chapter 40: The Breakup That Hit Like a Slap Shot
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 40 of "The Deal: Off Campus." This is the chapter where Garrett Graham finally stops pretending everything is fine and walks straight into the emotional ambush he has been dreading. Grab a seat, because this one hurts.
Garrett has been living in a fog of dread for days. Hannah is avoiding him. She claims she is busy with work and rehearsal, but Garrett knows that excuse is thinner than arena ice after a double overtime. She has been busy before, and it never stopped her from coming over for dinner, calling him before bed, or simply being *there*. So the silence is not about schedules. It is about him. And Garrett is almost certain it is about what happened with Delaney.
The memory gnaws at him. He should not have hit the guy. He knows that. Doing it in the arena, in front of hundreds of witnesses, was reckless and stupid. But the thought that Hannah might now be afraid of him—that she might see him as some violent caveman who cannot control his temper—cuts deeper than any punch ever could. So Garrett does something desperate but determined: he shows up at her dorm without warning. He even texts Allie to confirm Hannah is home, then begs her not to tell Hannah he is coming. It is not his finest moment. But he needs answers.
When Hannah opens the door, she does not look happy. She does not look furious either. That almost makes it worse. There is a flicker of regret in her eyes, a hesitance that tells Garrett everything before she even speaks. Still, he asks the question plainly: why has his girlfriend been avoiding him? She sighs. Just a sigh. Four days of distance, and all he gets is a sigh. He presses harder, and she finally invites him into her room so they can talk properly.
That is when the floor drops out from under him. Hannah says she has been thinking. Garrett immediately knows where this is going. No one starts a sentence like that unless it ends with a breakup. And sure enough, she says it: she does not think they should see each other anymore.
The words are quiet, but they land like a blade between his ribs. She rushes to explain. Things are moving too fast. It has only been two months, and they are already saying "I love you." It is serious. Too serious. She is confused. Garrett, meanwhile, is not confused at all. He is devastated.
He forces himself to ask what she really means. Is this about Delaney? Is she scared of him? Did he scare her so badly that she cannot look at him the same way? But Hannah’s shock seems genuine. She insists it is not about that. The conviction in her voice makes him pause. If it is not about Delaney, then what is it?
She says they are moving too fast. Garrett tries to bargain. Fine. They can slow down. What does she want? See each other once a week? Stop staying over? Just tell him. But Hannah’s answer is worse than anything he imagined. She wants them to see other people.
Garrett can only stare at her. He is afraid of what he might say if he opens his mouth. Hannah keeps talking, faster now, explaining that she has only had one serious relationship before him. How does she know what love is? What if there is someone else out there? Something better? College is supposed to be about exploring options, meeting people, dating, figuring out who she is. She never expected to fall for Garrett, and she definitely never expected it to get so serious so fast. She is confused. She needs time to think.
Garrett tastes blood from biting the inside of his cheek. Then he asks the question that guts him just by saying it out loud: she fell in love with him, did not expect it, and now she wants to date other people—and possibly sleep with other guys—just in case someone better comes along. Is that what she is saying? Hannah looks away. The silence stretches. Then she nods.
Something inside Garrett cracks wide open. He tells her he is leaving because he cannot look at her right now. At the door, he pauses for one last parting shot. He calls her a coward. For someone so strong, he says, she is choosing the most cowardly way out. Then he walks away.
But he does not go far. Garrett is a man on a mission now, and that mission is alcohol. There is nothing in the fridge, so he storms into Logan’s room without knocking, throws open the closet, and grabs the whiskey from the top shelf. Logan is startled, then concerned. He asks what is going on. Garrett manages to say the words: Hannah dumped me.
Logan does not gloat. He does not make a joke. He just looks sorry. He asks what happened, but Garrett cannot tell the story yet. He needs to be drunk first. He takes a deep swallow of whiskey, expecting the burn, but he is too numb to feel it. Logan watches him for a moment, then takes the bottle, raises it, and says they are getting shit-faced. And honestly? That might be the only plan that makes sense in this chapter.
This chapter is a brutal emotional knockout. Garrett’s fear of being seen as a monster, his desperate attempt to fix things, and the cold shock of hearing Hannah choose uncertainty over him—it all lands with painful clarity. Hannah is not written as a villain here, but she is frustratingly human: confused, scared, and maybe too quick to run from something real. The breakup scene is raw because neither of them is completely wrong, yet Garrett is the one left shattered. The final image of him and Logan with the whiskey bottle is not just about drinking. It is about a man trying not to feel his own heart break.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
I give this chapter 4.8 stars. It is emotionally devastating in the best way, and Garrett’s vulnerability makes him even more compelling. The only reason it is not a perfect 5 is that I wanted a little more of Hannah’s internal conflict—though her confusion does feel realistic for someone still figuring out love.
Next Chapter Prediction: Garrett is going to get drunk fast, and Logan will likely become his reluctant therapist for the night. I expect a messy, painful aftermath scene where Garrett either spirals or finally lets himself grieve. Meanwhile, Hannah may start second-guessing her decision once Allie gets involved. There is also a chance we will see a tense run-in between Garrett and Hannah soon, because this breakup does not feel final—it feels like the beginning of a much harder fight for them both.
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