Chapter 16.

Richard’s POV.

My left shoulder was throbbing with a dull, nagging ache.

It was from where the front bumper of that sports car had clipped my bike’s frame some minutes ago.

I leaned back against the wall of the locker room, holding a heavy ice pack firmly against my bare strap.

"Dude, you’re out of your mind," Marcus muttered, tying his skates on the wooden bench across from me. He shook his head, looking at me like I had completely lost my head.

"Brenda Steels literally rammed her car into your sportbike in the middle of a packed campus parking lot. You could’ve broken an ankle or a wrist right before the match could even start!"

"She tried," I corrected him softly, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. "She missed."

Marcus looked at me incredulously.

"Both of you are out of your minds. Don't tell me you have a soft spot for her," Marcus scoffed, pulling his jersey over his head.

"No, her dad is one of the stakeholders funding the team, Marcus.” I reminded him.

“She thinks she’s untouchable then!"

"She is but… to an extent," I said, shifting the ice pack slightly. "It just makes it so much more fun when I break her." A rare smirk made its way to my lips. Marcus looked at me, his eyes wide, as he recognised the smirk.

Before Marcus could say anything else, heavy, hurried footsteps echoed down the tiled hallway.

Stephen slammed his leather equipment bag onto the floor near the open doorway. His face was flushed bright red, his eyes wore that same bitter, desperate look he always wore whenever things didn't go his way, I looked away, ignoring him.

He suddenly stopped when he noticed I was sitting there.

"Must be nice," Stephen sneered, walking past us toward his assigned locker.

"Show up late, get your precious bike wrecked, and Coach still hands you the first line on a silver platter. Some of us actually grind during morning drills."

Marcus opened his mouth to bark back, but I held moved my eyes, signalling him not to bother.

I didn't even bother standing up. I just sat there and looked at Stephen slowly, calmly, letting my gaze drift down to his perfectly clean, unblemished practice jersey.

"You grind during drills, Stephen," I said, my voice deadpan and quiet enough to carry across the entire room. "Because drills are the only time anyone ever sees you on the ice."

The locker room went dead silent. A couple of guys nearby looked away, hiding quiet, amused smirks.

Stephen froze, his jaws and fists clenched.

I bit back the smirk threatening to spill, I knew where it always hurts this one.

He turned to stride back towards me but his friends whisked him away.

"Get dressed," I added coldly, tossing my melting ice pack straight into the bin. "You've got a long night of sitting on the bench ahead of you."

I watched in slight amusement as he tried to force his way back to me, in an attempt to take his anger out on me but his friends held him and dragged him towards the exit.

Brenda’s POV.

I had literally dragged Laura to the VIP Box. I don't know why she seemed hesitant to be here, this was one of her favourite places.

I looked down on the ice below, the game had started, the rink was filled with noises and the players felt small but my eyes seemed to find someone.

The crowd roared every single time Richard made contact with the puck, his figure in a black jersey slicing through the opposing defense effortlessly.

"Look at him," I hummed happily beside Laura, casually swirling my iced drink in my hand. "He thinks he’s so slick. Did you see him earlier? Someone said he was trying to hide an ice pack!"

"Brenda, you crashed your car straight into him," Laura gave me a pointed, as a matter of fact look.

I kept my eyes fixed on the thick safety glass. "He could have been seriously injured."

"Please. It was just a tiny little tap," I said with a deeply satisfied smirk, taking a slow sip.

"His big ego took the hit, not his body. And seeing him stumble on the hard ground in front of half the student body was worth every single penny it's going to cost to fix my bumper." I continued.

“Half? That was like the whole school.”

“No, you are exaggerating,” I countered.

Laura shook my head, her face looking pale, but I thought that's how she looked. "You're playing with fire, Brenda. Both him and Stephen look like they're ready to snap at eachother."

"Let them try," I laughed softly, setting her cup down. "It makes the whole campus dynamic so much more…”

The door at the back of the VIP suite clicked open.

Two tall men wearing sharp black suits stepped inside first, taking up firm security positions by the frame.

My laughter cut off. My hand froze in the air, and the color drained right out of my cheeks as I turned slowly a bit.

"Dad...?”

My dad stepped into the suite. Was he here to watch the game or did he hear about what I did?

He stood tall in his usual suit, his dark hair combed back to perfection that made me want to roll my eyes.

The sheer power radiating off him made the entire glass suite instantly feel tiny, he usually didn't come for games, why today?

I swallowed hard, my arrogant confidence instantly evaporating into thin air. "Dad, I... we were just watching the game."

"Good evening, girls,"

He didn't look at me. Instead, His dark, piercing eyes swept right past me his daughter, locking dead onto Laura

My breath caught in my throat. What was happening. I prayed Laura didn't rat me out.

He walked across the soft carpet, stopping directly behind my chair. He walked forward and greeted the other people there.

"Enjoying the match, Laura?" I heard him whisper.

I blinked, glancing back and forth between them. My brows furrowed as I looked at my father’s unusual proximity to us, noticing the thick, heavy silence hanging in the air.

I noticed Laura was nervous, as her fingers were clamped in front of her.

She might rat me out in fear, even if not asked about what happened today, I quickly let out a small, nervous chuckle.

"Dad, you scared us! Are you here to watch the game?" Or lecture us on road safety, but I said that in my head.

My dad's eyes turned to mine, “Yes, sweetheart.”

I sank in my chair, thankful to escape this time.