“What a fucking asshole,” she breathes, watching my face, and panic rises in me.
I don’t want Pippa to know the effect Connor had on me. She’s my little sister, and I’ve always been the strong one for her. When our parents wanted her to let music be just a hobby, I pushed her to follow her dreams. I’m the one she comes to with questions about life; it’s always been like that between us. I take care of her, not the other way around.
I don’t want her to know how badly I’ve been hurt. I don’t want her to worry about me.
“Miller and I came to an arrangement.” I explain how he wants to look like a better captain to Ward this year and he’s more than happy to help me stick it to Connor.
She studies me with narrowed eyes. “You hate Rory. Why do you care if he wants to be captain?”
I open my mouth to protest. After what he did to my friend in high school, I know he’s just like every other jock who can have whatever he wants without consequences.
I don’t hate him, though.
We watch the players scramble for the puck at the other end of the ice. “I care because I made a deal with him. It’s only until January, anyway. You can tell Jamie, but please ask him not to say anything.”
Pippa’s eyes narrow like she doesn’t believe me before a teasing smile pulls up on her mouth and she tilts her chin to my jersey. “You wear it well.” She wiggles her brows. “Very cute.”
“Shut up.”
“He got the size right and everything.”
“I told you everything so you can be my support person.” I give her a pointed look. “Not so you can tease me.”
“I am your support person.” She pulls out her phone and opens her camera app. “But I like to tease you, too. Smile like you would if you were sleeping with Rory Miller.”
I laugh at the insanity of it, and she snaps a flurry of pictures. “Oh my god. I would never.”
As he skates past, our eyes meet. He grins and mouths hey before skating off.
“Oh my god,” a woman says behind us. “Was that at me?”
“No,” her friend answers. “It was to her.”
The back of my neck prickles.
“That’s Jamie Streicher’s fiancée beside her,” the woman whispers, and Pippa grins at me. They have no clue we can hear every word.
“Dad will be thrilled,” Pippa adds, peering over to Jamie at the other end of the ice. Next period, he’ll be in the net in front of us. “He likes Rory.”
I groan. Our dad’s a hockey nut. I didn’t even think about this element of our arrangement. “If Mom and Dad bring it up, tell them it’s not serious.”
“You haven’t had a boyfriend since Connor.” She cuts me a glance. “They’re going to get excited.”
There’s a flurry of activity on the ice in front of us. Rory sinks the puck, and noise erupts in the arena. The fans jump to their feet, cheering as lights flash and the Vancouver players surround Rory. Pippa’s hand comes to my elbow and she widens her eyes, pulling me up to standing.
“Clap,” she hisses. “Act like you’re happy that he scored.”
I start clapping awkwardly and Pippa laughs, which makes me laugh.
“I don’t want Mom and Dad getting attached to him,” I tell her when we sit down. “He has his own parents.”
Pippa’s frown makes me pause.
“What?” I press.
“Rory needs more good people in his life.”
I scoff. “With his ego? He probably grew up eating his after-school snacks off a gold platter.” I find him through the glass, speeding up the length of the ice with the puck. “The guy doesn’t know the word ‘no.’ I’m sure he was spoiled rotten as a kid.”
Her mouth twists. “He doesn’t talk to his mom much, and I don’t think his dad’s like ours. Have you ever watched Rick Miller on TV?”
I don’t watch sports commentary. Rick Miller is a Canadian hockey legend, though. Everyone knows his name.
“Honestly?” She winces. “He’s kind of a dick. He’s Rory’s agent first and his dad second.”
An ache pangs through me.
“When I went home last month,” she continues, “Dad had framed the ticket from my first concert in Vancouver.”
Pippa and I grew up in North Vancouver, and when we moved out of the house, our parents retired and moved to Silver Falls, a tiny ski town in the interior of British Columbia.