His ever-present frown deepened as he studied me, and I resisted the desire to swallow. I was already regretting my decision to come talk to him. I hadn’t exactly made a good impression the last time I did. But he didn’t remember me, right?
He nodded for me to continue.
“I, uh, you…” Why was I stuttering? Damn, maybe, I did get nervous. I wouldnotbe picturing Foster naked though. “You didn’t announce your pick for captain,” I finally said. “Coach Ray always announced his captain at the same time as the final team rosters.”
Foster’s eyes sparked with dark amusement. “And I suppose you thinkyoushould be captain.”
“Well, kind of, yeah,” I replied with a little more confidence. “I know what it takes to win. I’ve been playing varsity longer than anyone here, and I’m even on track to beat the school’s all-time scoring record this season. I’m your best pick.”
“That remains to be seen,” Foster said. “I’m planning to assess how the team plays together over the coming weeks. I’m in no rush to announce a captain.”
“Right.” It was probably fair that he wanted to take some time. He had only just arrived, after all. At least he hadn’t ruled me out completely.
“But, Parker?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten exactly what kind ofplayeryou are. I’m watching you,Twelve.”
“Actually, uh, I wear number sixteen now…”
I could almost hear him clenching his teeth, and I mentally kicked myself. I had a nasty habit of saying whatever came to mind.
He started to turn but paused. “Do you remember what I told you before I sent you packing that summer, Twelve?”
“Uh, have a safe trip home?”
Foster stepped closer and I swallowed. It suddenly felt like I hadn’t had that sophomore year growth spurt.
“Stay away from my daughter.”
I had to smother a laugh at the prospect. Three years might have passed, but I’d still rather lose a tooth to a high stick than even think about going near that girl again. Coach Foster wasn’t the only one who could hold a grudge. Thankfully, I managed to keep that as an inside thought, and he finally stalked away.
Still, I was screwed. Completely and totally screwed. Forget being named captain, I’d be lucky to play a single game with this guy in charge.
* * *
It was raining when I got outside, and I pulled my hood up as I continued cursing my luck. Could my day get any worse? A low rumble of thunder answered from somewhere in the distance.
I started toward my truck but hesitated when I noticed a set of keys glinting on the wet concrete. I glanced around the dark parking lot, searching for their owner, and noticed a hooded, hunched figure moving between the rows of cars.
“Hey!” I called, but they didn’t seem to hear me over the rain and wind. “Hey!” I yelled louder. This time, the person glanced over their shoulder, then immediately hurried in the opposite direction.
“Hey! You with the hood!” This time my shouting caused a couple walking out of the arena to pause and a few of my teammates who were getting in their cars shot me confused looks. The one person I actually needed to look my way still didn’t seem to hear me though.
With a sigh I picked up the keys and started to jog through the rain after the retreating figure. I wasn’t even sure the keys were theirs, but I needed all the good karma I could get right now. Returning lost keys seemed like a decent place to start.
As I closed in on the person, they suddenly quickened their pace and cut between two cars. I hiked my hockey bag higher on my shoulder and followed, matching their speed before finally catching up when they stopped next to another car.
I reached out to touch their shoulder. “Hey, I think you—”
They spun. I registered a flash of blonde hair and brightgreen eyes. My heart stilled.
I recognized the girl instantly, but a second later her fist was flying toward my face. I didn’t have a chance to duck.
Next thing I knew, pain exploded across my face. My head snapped to the side and I stumbled back, slipping on a patch of ice. The weight of my hockey bag pulled me down flat to the ground, where I lay staring up at the darkened sky. So much for my night not getting worse.
And so much for staying away from Mackenzie Foster.
