As I hurried from the locker room, I almost collided with my dad.
“There you are.” He glanced at the door behind me, his frown deepening. “What were you doing in the locker room?”
“Looking for you,” I quickly replied.
“In the boys’ locker room?”
“Someone said you were in there.” I shrugged. “Don’t worry, it was empty. But someone left their bag behind.” I pulled Parker’s bag off my shoulder and passed it to my dad.
He grunted as he glanced down at the name printed on it.
“Darling,” he muttered. “Figures. I’ll go put this in my office. I just have a couple of things to wrap up before we go. Why don’t you grab a drink from concessions? I’ll meet you out front.”
“Sure, Dad.”
He headed for the door on the other side of the locker room. I didn’t linger. I had no idea how long Parker took in the shower and I needed to be well out of range when he figured out what I’d done. He was going to be so pissed. Perhaps he’d be taking out that restraining order after all.
Chapter 8Parker
I stood in the shower, allowing the warm water to run down my face, hoping it might wash away memories of the game. Mackenzie must have by left now—if my attitude hadn’t driven her away, my terrible singing should have done the trick. I didn’t want to see anyone after such an embarrassing loss, let alone Mackenzie. Though, I had to admit, teasing her was a lot of fun, and it took my mind off the game, if only for a little while.
Soon, of course, I was replaying every missed shot, every failed pass, every defensive error over and over again. I might have scored two goals, but it wasn’t enough to make up for our wide-eyed rookie goalie. Could I have done more? Maybe. Or maybe I just wasn’t good enough to inspire this team to victory without my brothers. That was what troubled me most. We never would have lost a game that way if Reed and Grayson were still on the team.
I shut off the water. There was no point hiding in here forever. Taking a deep breath, I reached for my towel. But the hook I’d placed it on was empty. Frowning, I opened the door and glanced around. The towel was nowhere to be seen. What the hell had I done with it? Could I have left it in the locker room?
A wave of cool air rippled over my skin as I stepped out of the shower. But when I got to the locker room I stopped in my tracks. The bench was totally bare.
I gaped for half a breath and then started swearing. Loudly.
This was Mackenzie Foster’s doing. Apparently, Icoulddespise that girl more than I already did. If it weren’t me this was happening to, I might have laughed. I might even have appreciated her revenge tactics. But itwasme standing naked in the locker room, and I was livid. I’d get her back for this.
First, I had to figure a way out of this situation. I scanned the locker room for something to wear. But for once, my teammates had actually taken all their stuff home. All I could find was some stick tape, a plastic bottle, and a stray glove that had fallen on the floor.
What the hell was I going to do? My phone was in my bag, along with my truck keys. Walking home wasn’t an option. I’d either get frostbite or thrown in jail. I just needed to find someone with spare clothes or a phone I could borrow to call for help. Hopefully, I’d find the clothes first; the only phone number I knew by heart was my mom’s.
My gaze landed back on the lone glove that lay on the floor… better than nothing.
Grumbling and muttering curses, I picked up the glove and did my best to cover up. With a deep breath, I prayed the arena was mostly empty and pushed open the door.
The corridor was deserted, which was both a relief and a disappointment. I didn’twantto see anyone, but I would need to find another person eventually.
I glanced at the office door. I had no idea whether Coach Foster was in there, but I couldn’t risk him catching me wandering around naked. I was going to have to search a little further afield.
My heart was racing as I stepped from the safety of thelocker room. It was much colder out here, especially with water droplets still clinging to my skin. I repressed a shiver and tried to ignore the icy air. Perhaps if I just acted like I didn’t mind being naked, no one else would care either.
I started toward the arena entrance. All I needed was to find someone from my team. Or maybe someone who worked here. Hell, even a Tigers player would do. I’d happily pull on one of their jerseys right now.
The girls’ locker room was up ahead, and I considered sneaking inside. Maybe I’d find some discarded clothing in there.
As I approached the door, it burst open, almost hitting me in the face, and a group of girls skipped out. They were all looking down at their phones or in close conversation with each other as they walked, totally oblivious to the naked boy they’d almost collided with. Still, I edged away from the door and hid behind a tall pot plant against the wall. Although it had plenty of height, the plant did little to shield me. Its stupid fronds were far too thin. Thankfully, the girls continued in the opposite direction without looking back.
Just as I was about to try the locker room door again, it opened once more. This time, a familiar face stepped out. My sister Cammie. The prospect of asking her for help was almost as bad as facing Coach Foster. She would never let me hear the end of this. But I was running out of options.
I leaned out from behind the plant. “Psst, Cammie.”
She paused and glanced around her.
“Cammie,” I repeated. “Over here.”
