Siobhan and I were still on the concourse—mostly alone, thankfully—when the buzzer sounded, announcing the start of the third period. Shiv looked at me uncertainly, deep teal eyes studying my face.
“Go watch,” I said. “It’s okay. I’ll wait for him here.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, Chase could be a while.” He was probably getting reamed out, or he’d been forced to sit in on the intermission pep talk with the rest of the team.
It wasn’t nearly as cold in the concourse, so I unzipped my puffy black coat and perched on an uncomfortable blue metal bench, killing time by texting back and forth with Zara and Noelle about everyday stuff. I couldn’t fill them in on what had just gone down because I still didn’t understand it.
Two minutes later, Chase appeared in the hallway. His face was tight, and his posture was even more stiff. I locked my phone and shoved it into my purse, then stood to greet him.
Chase leaned in, giving me a half-hearted kiss on the lips, then pulling back again quickly. His expression was stormy, a mixture of emotions I couldn’t read. He grabbed my hand, but he was silent as we walked to a quieter, more secluded area by the doors and sat at a small table.
“What happened out there?” I dipped my chin in hopes of catching his eye, but he looked away, his attention fixed on the speckled white table between us. Like usual, Chase was too tall for the furniture, and his knees were angled out awkwardly.
“Game stuff.”
“Looked like more than just game stuff. Why did you get so mad?” I asked, voice low so we wouldn’t be overheard, although we were alone since the third period had begun and the fans were all in the arena again. “I was scared you were going to slit Luke’s throat with a skate or something.”
Chase shook his head. “Morrison shot off his mouth again. He’s been needling me for a while, and I finally snapped. That’s all.”
I stretched my arm across the table and took his hand in mine. He stroked my fingers with his thumb, but he didn’t look up at me.
“What did he say?”
“It’s nothing, James.” If it was possible, he went even more tense then, the cords in his neck tight. “Don’t worry about it.”
His deflection ramped up my worry. “Why are you being so weird?”
“I don’t want to repeat it,” Chase said, dark eyes snapping up to mine. His tone took on an edge that he never used with me. “Let it go, okay?”
“Why? Was it about me?” Of course it was. I didn’t really need to ask.
His jawline turned to granite. “Bailey.” Now I knew it was serious because he never used my real name. “I don’t want to repeat it to you. It’s gross and it’s disrespectful.”
What the hell did Luke say?
“Now you have to tell me.”
Chase’s brow knit together, but he didn’t reply. Stubborn as always. But I had a right to know what Luke was saying about me, especially if it was that offensive.
I squeezed his hand, tamping down my frustration. “Carter. Tell me, please.”
“Fine.” He loosened his tie and shifted his weight in his seat. “But I want it on the record that I’m only telling you so you’re not upset with me.”
“Stop stalling.”
Chase swallowed. “Luke told me he broke up with Sophie, so I said, ‘why the fuck would I care?’ and he said…”
“He said…？”
“Then he said, and I quote…” Chase drew in a breath, nostrils flaring. “Because I seemed to like his sloppy seconds.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach.
“What?”
“Yeah, so my plan is to break both of his knees with a crowbar next time I see him off the ice.” He paused. “If you could give me his address, that would really help move things along.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but no words would come.
“Carter!” a deep voice barked. Coach Miller was standing with his hands on his hips at the dressing room entrance.
My heart sank at the very sight of him. His face was redder than the Falcons cap he was wearing, and fury radiated off his body.
“I have to go back and talk to Coach.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll wait for you. Good luck.”
OceanofPDF.com
CHASE
“Carter!” Coach Miller barked, storming into the office. He threw himself into his chair, leveling me with a poisonous glare. “What the hell was that about?”
“Nothing, Coach. I just lost my cool,” I said, sinking into the seat opposite him. “Won’t happen again.”
Technically, it was true. Next time, I would be calm and methodical when I tore Morrison apart. I wouldn’t make the mistake of snapping and giving him a warning signal.
“You were about to commit a felony out there.” He pinned me with his beady eyes, his expression stern. Then he softened a fraction. “What did that Morrison kid say to you?”
I folded my arms and did my best to keep my voice level. “I’d rather not discuss it. It was personal.”
Coach Miller frowned. “If it was a slur or another inappropriate comment, it can be reported to the league, and the schools will get involved.”
“Sorry. Can’t say.”
“I can take the three-game suspension down to two if I demonstrate mitigating circumstances to the league.”
“I appreciate it, but I’ll take the three.”
Even if my stats would tank.
He sighed and stared at his steepled fingers on the surface of his desk. After a long moment, he blew out a breath and brought his attention back to me. “I’m going easy on you because I think you’ve really turned a corner this year.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll let this go for now. But if you look at this Morrison again, the suspension will be a lot longer than three games.”
“Understood, Coach.”
“And if you start a fight with him again, you’re out for the rest of the season.”
Fucking hell. We both knew I couldn’t afford that.
“I won’t,” I said. “You have my word.”
Fine, so I couldn’t go after him on the ice.
And my teammates had my back.
Getting reamed out by Miller didn’t take long. But Bailey and I had to wait for the game to end before we could leave because Siobhan had driven Bailey and I gotten a ride with Dallas.
We killed time talking about anything but hockey. Or trying to talk, because Bailey was unusually quiet after I came back out. She was obviously upset by what I told her—which was why I didn’t want to in the first place.
Relief washed over me as players from both teams filtered out of the dressing rooms. All I wanted to do was get the hell out of here.
Suddenly, Bailey stiffened, her focus fixed in the direction of the concession stand. I swiveled in the direction she was looking.
Morrison.
My vision tunneled, and every promise I made to Coach Miller flew straight out the window.
I clenched my fists. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna annihilate that motherfu—”
“No.” Bailey put a firm hand on my chest. “Let me handle him.”