“What are we going to do?” I groaned.
“To help Elliot?” Seth asked, clearly confused.
“No, idiot. Theteam. He’s the only goaltender in Ransom who can stop a puck. Since Micah moved to Florida, the only other option we have is that kid Anderson.”
“There’s really no one else?”
“No, everyone else who tried out at the start of preseason was even worse. Don’t you remember?” I almost shuddered at the thought. Most of them could barely stay upright on their skates.
“I didn’t really notice.” Seth shrugged.
“Trust me, they played like they’d never held a hockey stick in their lives.”
Seth nodded, as though he was finally starting to understand my urgency. “Sounds like a problem for the new coach.”
“It’ll be a problem for all of us if Anderson plays in our first game this Friday. We’re up against some strong teamsto start this season, and in just over a month, we’ve got the homecoming game against Sunshine Hills.”
“You worry too much.”
“You don’t worry enough. It’s homecoming. My whole family will be there. And the Saints are our biggest rivals. I refuse to lose to them.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Seth lowered his voice. “Besides, I think you’ve got a bigger problem.”
He nodded toward the door as Mackenzie came barreling into the room. She was still wearing her borrowed outfit from the school office. The sweatshirt was way too big on her, and she must have been cold with such bare legs. An uncomfortable feeling swirled in my chest. Surely it couldn’t be guilt, could it?
Was I an asshole for getting her wet today? Probably. But I’d been telling the truth when she confronted me earlier: splashing her was genuinely an accident. But that didn’t mean I was sorry she got soaked. It was just a little water—not, for example, a black eye.
I’d mostly managed to avoid Mackenzie so far today. So why, of all the classes, did this have to be the one we shared? Art was the only subject I didn’t totally hate or suck at. There were no right or wrong answers when I entered this room, and it was the one place that could take my mind away from the pressures of hockey; where I could switch off for a little while and relax. She was the last person I wanted here.
“I still can’t believe you soaked her with your car,” Seth said.
“I didn’t mean to,” I replied. “It was a happy accident.”
He rolled his eyes at me and glanced Mackenzie’s way again. “Yeah, well, I think she won this round. Even in those lost-and-foundclothes, she still looks pretty hot. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed.”
I glanced around the room to see several other guys looking at her with interest. Another uncomfortable swirling started in my chest. As much as I hated to admit it, Mackenziewashot. And something about seeing her in a Devils jersey only increased the appeal. I shook the thought from my head. Her looks didn’t change anything.
“Let’s see how interested they are once they’ve actually met her.”
Mackenzie had found a seat near Elliot at the front of the room and was yet to even glance in my direction.
“She doesn’t seem too bad,” Seth said.
“Easy for you to say.” I gestured toward my face. “She hasn’t tried to break your nose.”
“I’m sure it was just a happy accident.”
I glared at him. “You’re also forgetting the time she kissed me, knowing full well her father was psychotic and would kick me off the camp.”
“Yeah, you really need to get over that.”
“Get over it?” I growled. “I feel like I’m reliving it. Only this time, if her dad decides he wants me gone it’ll ruin the most important season of my life. That girl is like a walking tornado. I need to stay well away from her or I’ll get torn to shreds.”
Seth started to laugh.
“It’s not funny.”
“It is kind of funny. Only you would mess up your entire future in hockey because of a kiss with some girl.”
