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He’d shouted it so loudly several people who were hanging out in the foyer glanced our way. It felt like I was always cold these days, but the chill his words sent down my spine caused my whole body to shiver.
I slowly turned to face him. I didn’t want to make a scene, especially when I knew Reed would soon be finished with practice and could show up any minute. Tonight wasn’t supposed to be about my ex, and I knew I should ignore him and just keep walking. But something made me hesitate, and there was a feeling in my gut that told me I should at least hear him out.
I glanced around to make sure we weren’t drawing any more attention and took a few steps toward him.
“What are you talking about?”
Jeremy tentatively edged closer to me as though he was worried a single wrong word might spook me. “Look, I know I messed up,” he said, readjusting the large bag slung over his shoulder. “And I know you hate me. But I still care about you, and I can’t sit by and do nothing anymore. Reed Darling is using you, Violet. He’s using you to get to me. To get in my head and throw me off my game.”
I sighed and shook my head. Was Jeremy so arrogant he thought this was all about him?
“My relationship with Reed has nothing to do with you.” I replied tightly. It might have started that way, but I liked to believe it didn’t anymore.
“Come on, Violet. Don’t you think it’s just a little convenient Reed suddenly decided to date the ex-girlfriend of his biggest rival?”
"Jeremy, stop…”
“And that he started going out with you right before we faced off on the ice in the biggest game of the season. You know we have a game against each other this weekend, right?”
My stomach dipped because that was something I’d only learned today. Was this why Reed hadn’t mentioned it? Had he deliberately kept it from me?
Jeremy must have assumed my silence meant I didn’t know, so he continued. “Reed and I are playing each other this Saturday, Violet.” He repeated it a little softer this time as though he was gently trying to make it sink in. One part stuck with me in particular: the game was this Saturday.
That was the same Saturday as Reed’s winter formal. The final day of our fake relationship. I wanted to ignore Jeremy’s accusation, but a lump was forming in my throat. The fact my arrangement with Reed was due to end immediately after such a big game between him and Jeremy felt off.
“This game means a lot to everyone,” Jeremy added. “But it’s different for Reed. He will do anything to win.”
From the way he was looking at me, I knew he meant I was that anything. I drew my arms around myself, wishing I could just shut out what Jeremy was saying.
“Why would he do that?” The words rushed out of me. “Why would Reed go to such lengths to get an edge in a game of hockey?”
Jeremy’s lips twisted in a look of sympathy. “He hasn’t told you, has he?”
“Told me what?”
“That Reed and I used to be friends.”
“What?” His words bounced around in my mind, but no matter which way I considered them, I failed to believe they were true. Reed and Jeremy hated each other. I’d heard plenty of shocking things about Reed over the last few weeks, but somehow this was the least believable of them all. Everything else my ex was saying at least seemed plausible, but this was just a step too far.
Jeremy released a long, hard sigh. “It’s true. Ever since we were kids. We were inseparable on and off the ice.”
“But didn’t he break your nose a few years ago?”
“He did.” Jeremy nodded solemnly. “All because a girl he liked happened to pick me over him. Natalie and I got together in freshman year, and Reed couldn’t handle it. He tried to steal her away from me, but when he realized he couldn’t, he got his revenge another way. He’s been out to get me ever since.”
Silence hung between us. I didn’t want to let Jeremy’s words get to me, but I couldn’t seem to shake the things he’d told me. “I-I don’t believe you.” I could barely get the words out.
“I’m telling the truth. Here, I’ll show you…”
He took me by the arm and pulled me toward one of the trophy cases that lined the walls by the entrance. He walked straight up to the glass and pressed a finger firmly against it. There were countless awards, statues, and pictures in the cabinet, but Jeremy was pointing at a large wooden trophy that took pride of place on one shelf. Above it, there was a picture of a hockey team. The kids in the picture must have been around twelve at the time, and right in the center were Jeremy and Reed with their arms around each other’s shoulders and wide grins on their faces.
Anyone who knew the pair would have recognized it as them immediately, but any doubts I might have had were quashed when I saw both their names listed at the bottom of the photo, side by side.
I quickly shook my head. “No, you can’t have been friends. He would have told me.”
“Like he told you about Natalie? And the game this weekend?”
Jeremy lifted a hand and gently rubbed my arm as I stood staring into the trophy cabinet in stunned silence. I wanted to deny everything he had said, but as I stared at a younger version of Reed, I wasn’t sure I could. There was no denying what I saw in the photo. A clear bond between Jeremy and Reed.
