The excuse is pathetic, and the exact same one he gave Johnny. Jack passes me the phone quickly. “I didn’t realize you two were friends,” Dad says, his eyes darting back and forth between us, evaluating the situation.
“Dad . . . I’m his tutor. Remember?”
Oh fuck, this is bad.
“Schultz, get ready for morning skate.” Dad leaves no room for argument, and Jack nods once. He gives me an apologetic look, but I know he’s in a shitty position here.
“Yes, sir.”
Dad doesn’t say anything until Jack leaves us alone, and for a moment, it’s tempting to bolt out the front doors and run far away from here. “I want the truth. Are you and mycaptainfriends?” Dad asks, placing heavy emphasis on exactly who Jackis to him. Always the coach first, and a parent second, and I can’t forget it.
“I can be friends with whoever I want.”
“That young man has a lot going for him. He’s going places, and I don’t want you distracting him from what’s important.” He pinches the top of his nose in frustration, and I’m not even sure why I’m surprised to hear him say everything I thought he would. I knew he would be upset. Jack is his star fucking player—his captain.
But telling me I’m a distraction when Jack is playing his best season yet? It’s bullshit.
“Right. Cause hockey is always more important, how could I forget?” The sarcasm in my voice is unmistakable, and maybe this is it. Maybe this is where I finally tell him how tired I am of him putting hockey over me.
“For Jack, it is. You’ll understand someday if you find something to love the way he loves being on the ice.”
My jaw falls open before I can stop it, his words landing exactly the way he meant them to, and I take a step backward. I love ice skating. I love hockey. I love my friends. I love plenty of things. “No, I understand perfectly well. I’m not distracting Jack.”
“Alondra, if I walk through those doors, will I find whatever notes Jack said you brought him? And if I check the security cameras in there, what am I going to see?”
I’m all out of moves here, and there’s nothing I can do to stop the tears burning in my eyes. I forgot about the cameras. They never even crossed my mind.
“He doesn’t need you messing with his head, Al. You can keep tutoring him, but past that, I don’t want you spending time with him.”
“I think he’s perfectly fine to make the decision for himself.”
Shut your mouth, Al. Don’t dig yourself a deeper hole.
“Alondra, go home,” Dad says, his jaw clenching as more players start to shuffle in through the front doors.
“Dad—”
“Go home.I don’t want to see you here again.”
I turn away from him without another word said while trying to keep the tears at bay. I pass Coop and Dylan who heard the last part, and I shake my head. It’ll just be worse if they say something.
CHAPTER 30
Jack
“Doyou want to talk about it?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder at Alondra. She hasn’t been herself since this morning, and based on the mood Coach was in for practice, the interaction didn’t get better after he dismissed me.
“Not really,” Al says, pulling her knees up to her chest, leaning against my headboard. She seemed like she was on another planet the entire night, and all I want is to be there with her.
“You barely said more than five words all night,” I say, but I think Alondra disappears into her head again because she doesn’t react at all.
I step into the bathroom, brushing my teeth to give her a few minutes alone.
I want to know what Coach said to her, and if she won’t tell me, I’m half-tempted to march into his office tomorrow to set the record straight. Alondra’s been trying to tell me since I learned her true identity how her dad would receive the news of us being friends, and I hoped she was wrong.
Hell, even if she does tell me, I should still defend her to him. It’s what I should have done this morning instead of being the dutiful captain, following Coach’s directions.
She hasn’t moved a muscle since I stepped into the bathroom, and I hate seeing Al like this. My loud, grumpy bundle of chaos has disappeared into herself, and I don’t know how to fix this, but I’m desperate to.
