Jennifer leans forward, smiling at Coach Denver. "Coach, what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to let you know that some scouts will be attending the next few games, they've been in communications with me thelast few months and they'll be watching Asher, especially at the finals."
"Does he know?"
Coach Denver's shakes his head, "I didn't want to throw him off his game, distract him but I wanted to let you know." He smiles like a proud father, "They've been watching our boys," His eyes settle on me, "Leon too. Talks of offering them positions in professional teams once they graduate."
My eyes widen, "really?" excitement for Leon and Asher fills me, knowing this is what they've worked for. "What team?"
"The Black Aces."
"That's one of Asher's dream teams." Charlie says, her eyes flicking from the Coach to the ice where the game continues.
Coach nods. "If Leon can keep his grades up like he has been, he'll be on the fast track with Ash."
I tilt my head. I knew Leon had been working hard to keep his grades up, especially since schoolwork wasn't really his forte, but he would always work hard to stay on the ice. It was where he belonged. But Asher, I thought he was struggling too.
"What about Asher?" The words are slipping past my lips before I have a chance to think about them and then Coach Denver's is looking at me like I've grown two heads.
"What about him?"
"Isn't he struggling with school too?"
"Where did you hear that?" Jenny laughs.
I shrug, feeling bare as all three of them look at me. "Thought I overheard him telling someone he needed tutoring to keep his grades up otherwise he'd lose hockey."
"Asher is one of brightest and best players. If anyone would be tutoring it would be him. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's helping half the guys on the team." Coach Denver's laugh is boisterous, but I hardly hear it, feeling my heart thump with pain while my brain catches up with the rest of me.
He lied to me.
"So, Asher doesn't need tutoring? He was never at risk of losing his position on the team?"
"Never." Coach shakes his head, "It's why he's the Captain."
"Are you okay, Ivy?" Jeniffer asks and I nod, smiling simply.
"Yeah. I must've overheard him talking about someone else."
"Definitely, Asher has never been at risk. His grades have never dropped below a distinction." Coach says.
Charlotte watches me curiously but says nothing, her brows drawn together.
I'm too distracted with my own thought to even try and unravel the thoughts flitting across her face.
He lied to me. This whole time he was lying to my face every time we talked about tutoring. He lied to me when he kissed me.
There's a commotion out on the ice, the dull ringing of a bell hitting my ears, but I don't look, the roar of the crowd too quiet in my head.
I feel sick, my stomach roiling with nerves and something else I'm too ashamed to admit.
Was it just to get in my pants? To tick a fucking list? Why?
Oh god, who on the team knows?
Justin, yes, but did he always know?
Was this just a fucking game to him? I'd heard about other sports team doing stuff like this. God Dains fucking team was in on it when he did it to me, had been taking bets on how long -
