“Are you serious?”
He tilts his head to study me. “Yes.”
Now I’m fuming. An uncomfortable heat sears me from the inside as I think of every single thing I should say to him. But I keep my mouth shut as I whiz around the edge of the ice, ducking to pick up every last one of the cones. I drop them by the pile of equipment with a clatter and clear off so fast I’m surprised my skates don’t leave a trail of steam.
The door slams shut with a bang. I peel off my helmet, jaw still tight, before I even hit the bench. “That asshole is lucky I didn’t throw my stick at his head. Dude came in like a stormtrooper because I was recording a thirty-second video. Like I personally insulted the sanctity of men’s hockey.”
Maisie plops onto the bench, reaching down to unlace her skates. “He’s intense, huh?”
“Intense?” I scoff, unstrapping my pads. “He’s a walking pressure cooker. Uptight. Controlling. Acts like the entirecampus exists to orbit around his perfectly gelled hair and daddy issues.”
Beth chokes on a laugh. “Damn.”
“I’m not wrong.” I wave a hand. “He can barely look anyone in the eye unless it’s to judge them. Probably has a color-coded calendar for when he’s allowed to feel feelings.”
The girls are all laughing, egging me on.
“And honestly?” I keep going, too wound up to stop. “I wouldn’t date him if he was the last eligible human on the planet. I don’t care how many assists he racks up or how many scouts are foaming at the mouth. He’s just another emotionally unavailable rich boy playing at depth. You take away the hockey and the family money and what’s left?”
Beth hums. “A tightly wound man in a polo shirt?”
I grin, savage. “Exactly. You strip it all down, and Beau Whitaker is just a rich guy with an organizer where his personality should be.”
“What a dick! Don’t worry, I won’t sleep with him,” Beth says, shooting a puck across the dressing room. The girls all cheer when it lands on the top shelf of Jenna’s locker.
Was that even an option?
“Not unless you want to seduce him, get him to fall for you, and then break his heart.” Maisie bobs her eyebrows at Beth.
“That seems like a very convoluted revenge plan. And it might have a tiny flaw. I don’t think that guy has a heart. Or if he does, it’s frozen in a block of ice.”
I can’t ignore the twinge of guilt twisting my heart as everyone laughs. As the leader of the team, I should set the example, not trash talk the captain of the men’s team. And I know we shouldn’t have gone over our practice time. That one is on me. But he really didn’t need to be such an ass about it. His reaction was a bit over the top. But I need to reel this back in before it gets out of control.
“You know what? It’s fine. We should have cleared out on time. Ice time is at a premium, and this is our new schedule. We’re going to have to be more conscious of this for the rest of the year. We need to be able to get along with these guys. So let’s be the professional ones, and don’t start any childish games with them.” As much as it pains me to admit it. I let my anger get the better of me. “You all know we have to work ten times as hard to be taken seriously as female athletes. We’re not derailing our progress like that.”
“No way. Prank war!” Krista yells.
“As team captain, I forbid you from playing pranks on them.”
“But think how good that would play on camera?” Maisie says. “Your followers would eat it up.”
“No. No, no, no.” Shit, I don’t have time to manage the situation if it slips off the tracks. Not between my schoolwork, leading the hockey team, and running my social media. The weight in my chest ramps up again as my responsibilities chase each other around in my head, taunting me. “No pranks.”
“Fine.”
I scan my teammates, getting a series of nods. Fingers crossed, that’ll stick.
The heat of the shower is calling my name, and I’m willing to risk the shitty water pressure in our dressing room to clean up. Even though I’m heading to the workout room to bide my time until the meeting that’s been called after practice. Butterflies are flying rampant in my stomach. I’ve been called into a meeting with the athletic director, coach, and our PR team.
I’m sure it’s nothing too crazy. Probably just a beginning of year planning session. But I have to lean against the wall and take several deep breaths to head off the anxiety crackling back to life.
Chapter 2
Cold Snap
Beau
Afewinchesofsnow blanketed the campus overnight, so I’m wandering the arboretum before our first practice of the season. The house has felt too crowded since my sister started spending more time there. I may have given them my blessing, but it’s still awkward seeing her with my best friend. That protective edge of anger simmers when I see his hands on her. The problem is I feel like I’m the one who doesn’t belong, even though it’s technically my place.
