I breathed a sigh of relief once I was free, but the nagging uncertainty stuck with me as I changed into my gear, a hovering dark cloud that followed me onto the rink. It wasn’t just the team I was worried about. Would I be the same player without my older brothers alongside me? Despite all the praise my female fans had just showered me with, I’d always felt like I was playing in Reed’s and Grayson’s shadows.
But with them gone away to college, it was my time to shine; my time to cement myself as the best Darling ever to be a Devil. I’d already secured a place at Ryker University to play college hockey with my brothers next year. Now all I needed was to win another state championship and be named captain.No pressure.
By the time I got onto the ice, it was already full of players warming up with the assistant coaches. I headed straight for Seth. With his blond hair and blue eyes, girls often speculated whether my best friend was a long-lost Hemsworth brother. I thought he looked like a distant cousin, at best.
Unsurprisingly, Seth was lagging at the back of the group. Nothing fazed him. His laid-back personality was part of the reason he’d ended up on the JV team last year, even though he was easily the best skater at Ransom High. His mom had been a champion figure skater, and he’d clearly inherited her talent on the ice. But while Seth liked hockey enough to show up for games, he rarely bothered to show up for practice. He’d always been happy coasting. And not even his dad breathing down his neck made a difference.
But he’d showed up to every single practice so far this preseason. He’d even joined me for a few extra sessions as well. I got the feeling Seth might actually be ready to give hockey his all.
“Is Coach Ray back tonight?” I asked, falling in beside Seth. I couldn’t remember Coach ever being sick. He’d certainly never let a cold stop him from missing practice before.
“Haven’t seen him yet,” Seth replied with a shrug. He was probably the wrong person to ask. Coach Ray could have beenstanding right in front of him and he probably wouldn’t have noticed.
“Sorry I’m late.” Owen was puffing as he joined us, as though he’d gotten changed too quickly. He was only a year younger, but Owen Cleaver was still far too wide-eyed and innocent to be hanging out with the likes of Seth and me. He’d made varsity for the first time last season, but he and I had become closer since our brothers had graduated. It felt like I’d gained an enthusiastic sidekick. I supposed every superhero needed one.
“You’re fine, Cleaver, we haven’t started yet.” It was an attempt to reassure him, but as I looked more closely, I realized maybe he wasn’t quite so fine after all. “You okay, Owen?”
“Uh, yeah,” he replied. “Just a little nervous.” He instantly corrected himself. “Okay, a lot nervous. It was a miracle I made varsity last year. What if I don’t make it this time? What if my game suffers now that Matt’s gone?”
“Calm down, dude. You don’t need your brother here to play well.” I tried to sound confident, but his words had struck a nerve. “We’re both better off without them.”
“Don’t you miss Reed and Grayson?”
I didn’t get the luxury of missing Reed and Grayson. They were only an hour’s drive away and came home almost every other Sunday for dinner.
“I saw them this weekend,” I replied. “Look, just do what I do when I’m nervous. Picture everyone naked.”
“You picture everyone naked?”
“Well, no,” I admitted, “I don’t get nervous. But if it ever happens, that’s totally my plan.”
“And you think picturing our teammates naked will help me?”
I didn’t seem to be helping. In fact, I think Owen’s freak-out was only getting worse. “Maybe forget the naked stuff.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Just do your best. I’ve got your back, Owen.”
He gave me a nod, seeming just a little more relaxed.
“Have you seen Coach Ray?” I asked him. Owen tended to pay a little more attention than Seth.
“Oh.” Owen’s eyes darted nervously between Seth and me, and he lowered his voice. “Haven’t you heard?”
My stomach twisted uncomfortably. Those words couldn’t mean anything good when said in such an ominous tone. “Haven’t I heardwhat?”
Even Seth leaned in to listen.
“Coach Ray, he…” Owen hesitated, as he searched for the right words. “Well, he’s not coming back…”
A sharp whistle blew, and everyone turned to face the sound. Everyone except me.
“What do you mean, he’s not coming back?”
Owen didn’t answer. Instead, his mouth fell open as he looked past me. I turned to see what the big deal was and froze.
Owen’s tone definitely hadn’t been ominous enough. Because standing at the edge of the rink was my very own personal apocalypse: Coach Wade Foster. And he was wearing a Ransom Devils cap.
“Well, that’s not good,” Seth muttered, shooting me an uneasy glance.
“Is that who I think it is?” Owen asked.
