Evan will be safe. They’ll make sure of it.
Dad falls into step beside me as we enter the arena. It’s empty of fans. Only a small cluster of guys sits in the bleachers. We move toward them.
Coach Mitchell stands with his back to the glass behind the players’ benches, chatting with students and guests. Everyone turns to watch us approach. I recognize a couple of guys who went to hockey camps I attended.
Coach Mitchell grins and walks over to greet us. “Damon, so glad you could make it. And you must be Adam Storm.”
Dad takes his hand. “You can call me Adam. We’re excited to learn about the opportunity here.”
“Not as excited as we are to have the option of getting your son on our team.” Coach Mitchell puts his hand on my shoulder and leads me over to the group of guys. “Ivan will be your roommate for the week.”
Ivan lifts his hand and smirks at me.
“Beside him is Axel, Spencer, Logan, and Ryan. You’ll meet the rest of the team tomorrow.” Coach Mitchell turns to me. “These are our freshman players who agreed to host you guys for the week.”
I nod at them and look at the other two guys sitting there. They’re the more familiar players.
“Caleb Brown and Landon Pierce are here to spend the week getting to know our program.”
I’m familiar with their stats. Both of them might have made it into Juniors with a little push in the right direction. I’ve seen them at camps. They have some bad habits, which probably kept them from going that last step. Or maybe they’ve corrected those habits and just have parents who didn’t want their kid gone for a year or two. It was a hard sell to my dad when I got in, so I imagine other parents might feel similarly. My dad is introducing himself to their parents, who sit a few rows back.
The guys return my nod of acknowledgement.
“I’ve said this before, but I want to reiterate. These guys aren’t your competition. These are potential teammates.” Coach Mitchell leans back against the protective glass and looks at us. “We’re waiting for one more and then we’ll be ready to talk a little about the program. I won’t keep you too late since it’s a Friday night and you’ll want to get settled.”
I take a seat next to Landon, and he glances at me with an assessing look. Yeah, we’re too used to looking at each other as competition. But we’re also used to being on teams for camp with people who the next day will be on the opposing team.
Coach Mitchell turns and smiles. “Ah, there he is. We have one more coming Monday.”
We all turn to look at the newcomer. Jackson Riordan.
I should have guessed he’d be part of this program. He’s almost as good as me, and as far as I can tell, he hasn’t committed to any program yet. Fuck. I watch him as he smiles at the coach and gets the same song and dance I got, with the exception he doesn’t have a parent with him.
At least with him here, Evan should be safe this week. Unless she’s right, and it isn’t just Jackson.
Jackson’s eyes meet mine. He narrows his but maintains the smile on his face as Coach introduces everyone again. Jackson nods at the three of us, but none of us say anything. Jackson takes the seat next to me. I keep my face blank, but my gut twists.
If he’s the one hunting my girl, we’re going to have serious problems. If he’s not hunting her now, he made her uncomfortable both in the past and present. Made her fearful. It doesn’t matter if he’s not the one stalking her. He made her afraid.
I focus on Coach as he tells us what our week will be like. Classes with our host, practices, scrimmages, the opportunity to play with the whole team and figure out if we’ll fit in or stand outin a not good way. This is what I’ve been looking for. A chance to level up again. To continue to grow as a player.
But now I’ll be able to find out more about who Jackson is as a person. He could be stalking my girl. Sending texts to her mother to out Evan in the middle of the night. This is my chance to pin down who Jackson is now.
We goand get our stuff from our parents’ cars and say goodbye until tomorrow morning for the campus tour. Dad gives me a half hug before climbing into the car and heading to the hotel. With Jackson here, the urge to tell my dad about Evan’s stalker has faded. He can’t hurt her from here.
We leave our hockey gear in lockers at the arena and bring our suitcases with us to the freshman hockey housing.
“We find our freshman players do better living in a house together with some of the sophomores. Similar to a fraternity, but with fewer parties.” Coach Mitchell leads us across campus to the dormitories.
This might be a problem if all freshmen are expected to live in the house. I’m not sure they’d let me have Evan live with me. But I keep my mind open. We can always pay for this house and an apartment for the four of us to actually stay in.
“There is a curfew, especially during the first year.” Coach Mitchell stops in front of the door and turns to look at us. “It’s a suggestion. You won’t be punished if you stay out past curfew, but it’s definitely frowned upon and might determine whether you get play time during games. We prioritize the game and your schooling. If either slips because of you being out past curfew too often, then there will be some sanctions placed on you.”
Coach Mitchell nods to Axel, who steps up to the door and puts his ID on the reader. The door unlocks with a click. We all follow him inside.
“I’ll expect to see you all after the campus tour tomorrow.” Coach Mitchell looks at the four of us. “Axel will show you around the house. There’s some basic gym equipment here. You’ll get a pass for the athlete’s gym for the week for extra workouts. Have a good night, and if you need anything, ask your host. If you need to speak to me, my number is in your email.”
He claps Ivan on the shoulder and then leaves us alone with the freshmen players.
