Chapter 5

I was the first to come out onto the ice. Nico trailed right behind me, and I could feel the heat of his stare on my back as we entered the rink.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered smoothly. He bent forward into position, and I mirrored his stance, every muscle tense. I desperately wanted to slap that arrogant smirk right off his perfect face.

"When you are ready, I am ready," I told him, keeping my voice steady and sharp.

Theodore dropped the puck right between us and immediately scrambled to the far corner to watch the chaos unfold.

Instead of lunging, I took a calculated step back.

I purposely let Nico skate toward the puck first, giving him the false confidence that he had the upper hand. The second he reached for it, I lunged forward, skating hard right beside him. I delivered a heavy body check and struck the puck from a distance. To everyone's shock, it flew straight into the net.

I had already calculated the exact distance, the angle of my stance, and the precise force needed to make the puck enter the net effortlessly.

Nico was sprawled on the ice, staring up at me in absolute disbelief. He couldn't comprehend what he had just witnessed, and neither could the rest of the team. They stood frozen, looking like they had just seen a ghost.

"Come on, Captain! Get up! Don't let him win!" Liam yelled from the sidelines.

Without looking back, I flipped him the middle finger. Liam glared at me, his face twisting with rage.

"You only got lucky. I wasn't focused," Nico barked defensively, scrambling back to his feet to patch up his wounded pride.

"Lucky? Right. Are you sure about that?" I sneered. "Looks like the tables have turned, Captain. You should probably go home while you still have a shred of dignity left. I can just pretend this humiliating moment never happened."

By now, the guys on the sidelines had pulled out their phones, eagerly recording the showdown. A rush of pride washed over me. Someone in the crowd was keeping score, whispering the tally.

"Just shut up. This time, I won't go easy on you," Nico hissed. His eyes darkened with pure fury as his knuckles turned white around his stick. 

I tightened my own grip, matching his intensity.

Theodore stepped up with another puck, dropping it squarely in the middle.

This time, I didn't give Nico the chance to move first. I struck the puck and took off, skating as fast as my legs could carry me. All those brutal training sessions since I was a little kid were finally paying off.

Nico threw his weight forward, trying to blindside me with a heavy shoulder check. Anticipating the hit, I swerved sideways at the last second. He lost his balance and crashed hard into the boards. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the sight.

Infuriated, he scrambled up instantly and raced alongside me, desperate to steal the puck. I cut into a sharp, erratic zig-zag pattern, completely throwing off his timing, before firing the puck cleanly into the back of the net.

"What the actual fuck?" someone whispered in the background.

"How did you even do that?" Theodore asked, his face a mix of genuine confusion and intense curiosity.

Beside the net, Nico was bent over, gasping for breath.

"Do you still call that luck?" I asked, skating lazily toward him.

"What are you?" he demanded, looking completely lost. "There has to be a trick to this. I refuse to believe it. I'm just a little tired today."

I shook my head, amused by how desperately he was trying to hold his shattered ego together.

"Okay, maybe I'll give you another chance," I grinned, tossing out an idea like it was the simplest solution in the world. "How about i do this blindfolded?"

He swallowed hard, glaring at me with a look that said he wanted nothing more than to strangle me on the spot.

"Or are you scared, Mr. Lancaster?" I challenged, extending a hand to mock him. He violently slapped it away.

"Stop trying to act cool. If you end up breaking an arm, don't blame me," he snapped, gesturing to the bench. "Someone bring me a piece of cloth."

I took the fabric from a teammate and tied it securely over my eyes, pulling it tight until everything went black.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Theodore's voice echoed nearby.

"I don't know, dummy," I retorted sarcastically.

Even without my sight, my other senses sharpened instantly. I could feel the subtle shifts in the air currents. My instincts could track if someone was beside me, in front of me, or anywhere in my immediate perimeter.

 And right now, the air felt heavy. I wasn't alone on the ice with just Nico. I was playing against two people, and I could feel their movements clearly.

"Start!" Theodore shouted.

I tracked the sharp sound of his voice and the distinct thud of the puck hitting the ice. I paused, listened, and followed. 

The scraping of skates told me the puck was moving to the left. I advanced, confident that whoever held it was cornered on that side. I tapped my stick against the opponent's to confirm my suspicion, then slammed my body straight into them. A loud grunt and a heavy thud followed, from the sound I knew it was Theodore.

So Theodore had joined the game to help him. How cunning, I thought, smiling beneath the cloth.

I stopped and waited for Nico to make a move for the puck. Since I couldn't touch it with my hands, I needed his movement to pinpoint its exact location. 

The rush of wind gave away his position. I swept my stick forward, clashing against his until I felt the solid weight of the puck. With a swift, practiced motion, I fired a shot toward where I knew the net stood.

A collective gasp echoed through the rink. I pulled the blindfold off just in time to see the puck ripple the back of the net.

I had practiced this exact shot a thousand times, for a thousand minutes. And now I was executing it flawlessly in front of a crowd that used to think I was worthless, or rather, thought my brother was worthless.

It was a bitter shame that women weren't allowed to play this sport. I was clearly better than their so-called captain, who was supposed to be the best in the country.

"That's enough, Captain. Run home to mummy. Only she can dry your tears right now."

Nico stood there, his fists clenched so tightly his arms trembled.

"You think you're so cool," he gritted out through clenched teeth, trying to suppress the absolute humiliation burning inside him.

I shrugged, shaking my head.

"It's not that I think I'm cool, Nico. I know I am. I guess we finally know where we both stand." I tossed my stick onto the ice right in front of him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words seemed to catch in his throat.

I skated to the bench, changed into my sneakers, and headed for the exit. Before walking out the door, I blew a theatrical kiss toward the phone cameras still recording my every move.

"Yes, I know you're the best, Jade," I muttered happily to myself, getting into my car and driving home.