The disappointed look on his face doesn’t budge. “We’re one month into the school year, and already you’re dropping the ball. This isn’t a good sign for you, St. George. You know the rules. Hollis University doesn’t tolerate bad grades from its athletes. Even a star athlete like you, who’s captain of the team.”
Dread drags through my stomach. I should have seen this coming. I’ve known since I first enrolled at Hollis that student athletes have to maintain a C average or higher to keep their spots on the team and play.
I’ve never been a very good student—far from it. I’ve never cared about studying or performing well in school. All I’ve ever cared about is hockey and partying.
But I managed to keep a C average freshman and sophomore year because I took mostly general studies and intro courses. But now that I’m a junior, I had to declare a major at the beginning of the semester. So I picked Communications because I thought it would be easy…but I’ve been slacking. A lot.
I’ve missed a ton of classes, and I’ve been half-assing my assignments. And now it’s finally catching up to me.
Just the thought of me losing my spot on the team—losing the most important thing in my life—sends a wave of panic through me.
I care about hockey more than anything. When I’m on the ice playing, I feel alive. It’s the one thing I’m good at. And if I lose that, I have nothing.
I swallow back the sick feeling crawling up my chest and throat. “I’m really sorry, Coach. I’ll do better…”
Coach Sawyer aims a hard stare at me. “That’s not good enough.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “Look, I’m gonna be straight with you, St. George. As much as I’d hate to cut you from the team, that’s exactly what will happen if you don’t get your grades up this semester. And if you’re off the team because you’re on academic probation, you can kiss any chance of being drafted into the NHL goodbye.”
That dread feeling curdles in my stomach. My dream is to play hockey professionally, to follow in the footsteps of my big brother, Ryker St. George, who’s had a long and impressive career in the pros.
And now, I’m about to lose out on that dream because I’m a dumbass who was too busy partying to pay attention in school.
A fresh wave of determination zooms through. “I’ll get my grades up, Coach. I swear.”
His hard expression doesn’t budge. I can tell he doesn’t believe me. I can’t blame him. I’ve never gotten higher than a C in any class I’ve ever taken at Hollis.
“I really hope you do. Because if you don’t, no more hockey for you,” he says. “So do whatever it takes. Spend all your free time studying. Beg your professors for extra credit. Hire a tutor. I don’t care what, just do it.”
He dismisses me, and I head to the locker room. As I get cleaned up, I rack my brain for all the ways I can get my grades back on track.
And then it hits me. I know someone who would make the perfect tutor. She’s a genius who’s gotten straight A’s her entire life. She’s a student here too, and the same year as me. If anyone can help me, it’s her.
One problem: she hates me.
I push that thought aside. I leave practice, that determined feeling inside of me intensifying as I head across campus to find her. Because despite how she feels about me, she’s my only hope.
I just have to come up with a way to convince her to help me.
Chapter 2
Poppy
“Great job with that ending sentence. It leaves your essay on such a strong note.”
The freshman student beams at me. “You really think so?”
I nod and hand her back her paper. “Absolutely. This is such an improvement from your first draft.”
She lets out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Poppy. You’re the best.”
“You’re going to get an A on this paper. I can feel it.”
She thanks me again and leaves the Writing Center. Anna St. George, my best friend and fellow student tutor, smiles at me from across the room.
“You’re so good at this,” she says.
I shrug, but she shakes her head.
