ANMELDENPatrick set up a meet-up in our group chat that afternoon, something to shake off the events of the week. I'm the only one in our group with a car, so it's always mine or nothing when we need to get somewhere together. Noah took shotgun without asking, same as always, while Patrick and Mark folded themselves into the back. "Are you good?" Noah asked, glancing over as I pulled out of the lot. "Peachy," I muttered. "You didn't sound very peachy after practice," Patrick pointed out from behind me. "We heard you going off on Roden all the way from the locker room, for what he did during the last match." "I wanted to hit him, if I'm being honest," I replied. "That's about as peachy as I've got in me right now." Noah snorted. "My guess is half the athletic building heard it too, the way your voice was carrying." "He wasn't wrong to lose it a little," Mark said, more carefully than the others. "I mean Roden was being a complete hog during the game." "Tell that to him," I sighed
PAIGE What happened on the ice had dragged me straight back into everything I'd spent two years running from. It felt like stepping off a heated pan and jumping right in the fire instead. Mason Carter had called me his girlfriend out in the open, in front of whoever was still hanging around after the scrimmage. Even if half the seats had cleared out by the time it happened, it didn't matter. Haven Hills college didn't need a packed crowd for this kind of gossip to spread. A handful of people with phones was more than enough. Coach had pulled me aside right before we left, telling me not to let whatever Ryan and Olivia said get under my skin, which meant he'd seen the whole thing. He didn't ask if I was okay, not really. He just reconfirmed, like he needed to hear it twice, that I was still fine moving into Mason's place tonight. I told him yes. What else was I supposed to say? The drive over was uncomfortably quiet. Mason's eyes stayed on the road the entire time, giving awa
MASON "So, we heard Coach tricked the new girl into living with you," Noah said, wiping sweat off his face with his jersey during the hydration break. I grabbed my water bottle and didn't answer him right away. "Tricked is a strong word," Mark said, dropping onto the bench beside Noah. "More like ambushed. Same difference though." "She looked ambushed, that's for sure," my other team mate Patrick added, grinning as he stretched his legs out. "She had this face like she just found out she would be working with a monster." "She'll survive," I muttered. "Will you though?" Noah asked. "You've never had anybody living with you before, have you? Not even your own cousin lasted a week last summer." That part was true. My cousin complained that I kept the place too quiet and left after four days. I didn't like how invested Coach seemed to be in this whole thing. None of the other caregivers had to move to my house. They usually came in, did their hours and left. But this... this
Either Chloe was on crack, or she had deliberately set me up for this disaster.Back at that cafe, she had said,‘Ryan’s off living his NHL dream. The chances of him showing up at team practices or around campus are basically zero.’Famous last words.Because Ryan was sitting only a few feet away, Olivia wrapped around him like a scarf. Every PDA being shoved straight in my face.I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten it was mid-June: the traditional call-off for the season, the week when alumni and donors flooded the arena.Of course he would show his face. Of course he would make sure everyone saw him.I faced the ice, trying hard to be interested in the game practice. I couldn't be. Not when they were right there.The final whistle blew. Players began streaming off the ice, sticks clattering, their voices buzzing as they spoke to each other. I couldn't even remember who won the game.I forced myself to move, grabbing the water bottle and holding it out as Mason limped toward the bench.A
The hockey season was starting soon, but today's game wasn't an official one.It was a scrimmage, between the team members, divided into white and blue.And even though it was only an exhibition game, the stands were already half-full with students and secret scouts, donors from within and beyond.If the number of people gathered were not motivation enough, there was also the fact that the scrimmage was how Coach would evaluate our play, our line chemistry; and determine who starts the game on opening night.As I headed to the ice, I caught Coach talking to the new girl out of the corner of my eye. I didn't need to get close to hear what he was telling her: to stay close to the players’ bench in case my knee decided to give out.I felt her eyes on me the second my skates hit the ice. Not the usual starstruck or tired stares most of the previous caregivers had given me.No, this girl, Paige, her gaze was clinical. Almost as if she was actively watching to see me fall, so she could swoo
EVELINEEveline stared at the ceiling for a long time, the heavy knot of Thursday night’s argument still twisting tight in her chest.She rolled out of bed and found Tammy sitting on the couch. Tammy glanced up, taking in Eveline’s pale face and the dark circles under her eyes before she even had a chance to speak.“Did you sleep at all?” Tammy asked softly.“I didn't sleep,” Eveline admitted. “I was an idiot on Thursday night, Tam. He was trying to look out for me, and I threw it right back in his face like he was an enemy.”“Well, you certainly didn't hold back,” Tammy noted, though her tone was entirely devoid of judgment. “So, what are you going to do about it? You can't just be gloomy all weekend.”“I want to text him,” Eveline said. She pulled her phone from her pocket, turning the screen on. “I just... I don't want to sound pathetic, but I need to fix this.”Tammy offered a warm smile, sliding her hand over mine. “Send the text, Eveline. Swallowing one’s pride never killed any







