Street hockey wasn’t ice. No edges, no glide, no clean lines carved into frozen water. Pavement dragged. Sneakers caught. The ball bounced wrong, sticks clacked harder, bodiesgot too close because half the men here were pretending this was casual while absolutely treating it like war.
I let Luke have the first move.
He lunged toward the ball, quick enough to prove he hadn’t lied about once being good. Former athlete. Still coordinated. Still arrogant. Still used to people giving him space because of who he used to be.
I gave him none.
I stepped into his lane, stole the ball off his stick clean, and cut around him before his shoulder even finished turning.
The whole street yelled.
Knox screamed, “Oh, he robbed him!”
I sent the ball between two defenders straight to Ryker, who snapped it into the makeshift net before Luke fully processed what happened.
Daniel threw both arms up. “That’s how we do it.”
Luke’s smile tightened.
I jogged past him slowly enough to make it obvious. “You good?”
His eyes flashed. “Lucky bounce.”
“Sure.”
Pip stood near the curb beside Aura who had just shown up, the bag of buns forgotten in her arms. Aura’s gaze shifted between me and Luke, sharp and knowing in a way that confirmed what my instincts had already started screaming.
She knew something.
Noted.
The next play started rougher.
Luke came harder this time, shoulder checking into me with more force than street hockey needed. I absorbed it, let him think the contact mattered, then spun off and stripped the ball again. This time I didn’t pass. I cut through two of his guys,shifted around a dad built like a refrigerator, and buried the shot into the bottom corner.
The kids on the curb lost their minds.
Kellen yelled, “Mercer’s cooking him!”
Pip’s mouth twitched despite herself.
Good.
I wanted that smile back.
I wanted every second of this game to remind her that she wasn’t standing alone in a house with him anymore. If he wanted to play dominance games, fine. I played those too.
I just played them better.
Luke wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, jaw working. “College boy thinks he’s cute.”
I smiled. “Nah, but Bliss thinks so.”
The street erupted.
Ryker choked on his drink. Knox bent over laughing. Emmitt slapped his stick against the pavement like I had scored twice.
Across the street, Pip’s eyes went wide.
