Mr. Thompson looks like my father hit him, his hands shaking as he looks at the hockey players my father laid out. Riley looks only semi conscious, his face appearing to have been run into the door a couple of times. My concept of time and space is foggy at best, and I’m clearly missing important information.
“Curtis,” Mr. Thompson whispers, swallowing hard. “I’ll speak to whoever I need to so you can stay out of jail. It doesn’t matter that their dicks are still out and that they hurt Caelia. The owner and public relations team will side with the players.”
“And that’s why I quit,” Dad growls, walking away.
“Daddy,” I whisper, my lashes fluttering as I struggle to stay awake.
“I’m so sorry,” he gasps, almost running to escape the hockey stadium. “Baby, I’m?—”
“You love this team,” I interrupt. I’m responsible for trashing his entire career. I’ve heard of coaches who never work again for much less. While I’m naive about a lot of things, I do hear the gossip surrounding this sport.
“I love you,” he says fiercely, crossing the parking lot. “I don’t care if I never coach again, you’re my priority. Only you, Caelia. Don’t worry about me, that’s my job, okay? None of this was your fault. I should have protected you better from my goddamned team.”
Dad loads me carefully into the passenger seat of the SUV, making sure to tuck the blanket around me. I can’t summon the strength to fix my pants, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment and shame.
My eyes finally shut as he drives me to the hospital to the tune of him chanting that I’m strong, I’ll survive this, and countless apologies.
He saved me, and I’ll never forget that. There’s no good hockey player other than a dead one. It’s a lesson I’ll never forget.
I may love the game because he taught it to me, but I’ll never be anyone’s pucking fan again.
1
Six years later
CAELIA
“Ican’t believe this is it,” I whisper, looking around the apartment. I’ve lived in several places with Addie, but we really went in for this one.
It’s where we moved to after college, got our first real jobs, and shared our big secrets. Just because you grow up with someone, doesn’t mean you’re easy to trust. Addie is my best friend in the world, the keeper of my secrets, and now I’m leaving.
“Hush, you’re acting as if this is the end of our friendship,” Addie says, laughing even as tears well in her eyes.
“Don’t cry,” I groan. “I’ll start if you do, and then we’ll need ice cream to get over it.”
“It would be a great diversion tactic,” she admits. “You won’t be able to leave then because you’ll inevitably need a nap. Ugh, I’m going to miss you. Please make sure to call me when you can?”
“I promise,” I sniff. Addie knows I have a penchant for falling asleep when I eat too much, and would be willing to use it against me if it means that I have to stay longer.
Don’t let the bubbly personality and smiles fool you. My best friend can be ruthless too. Especially when it comes to me.
“Why did I think it would be a good idea to move so far away from you?” I whine, my walls crumbling in my safe space. I don’t have to pretend to not have feelings here, or that my past doesn’t still wake me up in nightmares.
Covering my face as I drop to the side so my head falls in her lap, I allow myself to wallow in self pity.
Addie sighs, her fingers running through the strands of my dark hair.
“Fine, I’ll play,” she murmurs. “You’re going to New Orleans because that’s where your dad is coaching, and you miss him. There’s also a small business that begged you to become their marketing rep for social media content and they’re paying you to do what you love, remember? You know the reasons, Cae. You and I both have big girl shit to accomplish. It won’t change how much we love each other, okay?”
“You’re forgetting how codependent we are,” I mumble, pushing my fingers against my eyes to dispel the tears that are starting to leak out. “I feel like a faucet!”
“No leaking unless it’s because there are hot alphas around,” Addie teases. “And the tears will be leaking down your legs then.”
Snorting out a giggle, I shake my head. I don’t need to tell her that’s unlikely. She knows my story, but it doesn’t make it any less amusing. Addie doesn’t have a filter, and her dirty mind has no bounds, despite her inexperience.
Here I can be a normal girl hanging out with her best friend. There’s no pretending to be strong when I don’t feel it.
“You’re awful,” I smirk. She’s accomplishing what she set out to do, and I no longer feel like crying. “To being badass omegas, huh?”
