With a long breath out, I deflate. “She’s out of her mind if she thinks I’m the one in the wrong here.”
“Yeah, fighter, you’re not the problem at all,” my best friend says.
The annoyance in his tone makes my spine snap straight.
“What the fuck?”
“I could say the same to you,” he grouses, his face fixed in a glower. “I told you to settle this shit with Addie. Your head has never been on straight when it comes to her.”
“He fucking rifled a hockey puck at her.”
“And she’s a coach. She should have known better than to catch it.” He pushes me backward into the bench. “You didn’t see anybody else rushing out onto the ice to defend her honor, did you? She’s not your girlfriend,” he yells, his face close to mine. “She’s your goddamn coach.”
The arena is deadly silent. I didn’t notice that until now. As Brayden’s voice reverberates around the facility, a single hiss comes from the ice. It’s Adeline. I’d recognize any sound she makes anywhere. And we just made things worse.
When I inhale deeply and force myself to look up, only to find Brooks and Gavin staring at me, their eyes creased in concern, it really hits me.
I fucked up
After I shower, I find Brooks waiting for me in the locker room. He’s his usual soft-spoken self, full of genuine concern when he asks what the hell the incident was all about.
I don’t lose my temper. I rarely show emotion. Goalies tend to be good at that. It’s our superpower. If we allowed the shit that bothers us to fester, to get into our head during a game, one goal could easily turn into four.
I can’t afford to spiral.
“I think I’m having a harder time than I thought I would,” I admit as we sit side by side on the bench. “Adeline and I don’t…we don’t get along like we used to.”
He stares at me for several seconds, disappointment radiating from him. Then he rests his forearms on his knees. “It’s not your responsibility to protect her.”
I nod and open my mouth to respond, but he shakes his head.
“We all appreciated the way you looked out for her when she was younger, and I’m sure you saw far more shit from the little assholes who thought they could pick on a girl, but JJ…she’s not a girl anymore. She’s your coach. Are you gonna be able to handle that?”
I nod, promising him I can, but long after he’s gone, I sit in the locker room, rolling his words over in my head.
Can I handle this? Shit. Not like this. Something needs to change.
And it starts with an apology.
So rather than leaving like Brooks told me to, I bide my time, and when all the guys have left for the day, I make my way to her office. This can’t wait until we get home. While we may be housemates, here, she’s my coach. I should have respected that from the beginning.
I knock twice and when her “come in” filters through the closed door, I tentatively push it open and peek in, making sure she can see it’s me before actually entering.
Adeline is seated at her desk, wearing the outfit from this morning, black leggings and a tight jacket withBoltsembroidered on the left breast. Her long brown hair is pulled back into a neat ponytail and her focus is fixed on her computer screen. Those big brown eyes of hers lift, and when she spots me, she sags with exhaustion. “JJ, can we do this later, please?”
I step inside and close the door behind me. With one hand still on the knob, I lean back against the solid wood. “I wanted to apologize.”
With her tongue pressed into her cheek, she shakes her head. “I don’t need your apology. What I need is for you to respect the roles here. I’m not one of your puck bunnies.”
My jaw clenches as a sick ache pulses in my gut. “I know that.”
“Thenactlike it,” she grinds out.
Along with discomfort, my irritation flares to life again. Not wanting to escalate the situation, I reach for something we used to do, something that would always make her smile, no matter how pissed off she was. “Why don’t we grab a slice of pizza at Antonio’s? You can tell me all about how you’re now my coach and I have to be better,” I say, keeping my tone light. “I promise I won’t interrupt or steal your pepperoni.”
Her eyes widen for just a second.
Come on, Adeline. Meet me halfway here.
