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“He wasn’t always a Darling Devil,” Jeremy murmured. “Once upon a time, he was very different. The day he broke my nose was the day everything changed…”
His words caused an involuntary shiver to run down my back. Jeremy must have taken my reaction as acceptance, and he sounded slightly more confident when he continued.
“I’m sorry, Violet, but you can’t trust him. Everything Reed has said to you or done for you has all been to make you fall in love with him so he can get his revenge. He wants to destroy my game and steal my girl. He wants to take everything from me.”
My mind started to spiral as I thought it over. If Jeremy was right, that meant everything about my relationship with Reed had been fake—even the parts I’d felt certain were real. Him going out of his way to help me with my car, inviting me to family dinner, and kissing me on the ice. Had Reed been playing me since the moment we met? I wasn’t sure what to believe or what to think. But I was staring at a photo of Jeremy and Reed together. A photo of something I thought was impossible. And all I could think as I looked at it was, maybe, I didn’t know as much as I thought.
Was this why Reed had been so quick to agree to our arrangement? Because I wasn’t the only one who had wanted Jeremy to pay. Because I was Reed’s perfect revenge.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not true. I know it isn’t.” No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make myself sound convinced.
"I’m really sorry, Vi,” Jeremy said, the look of sympathy returning to his face. “I wish it wasn’t.”
He walked off without another word, leaving me still staring at the photo that sparked a thousand questions and just as many doubts.
Jeremy had said that Reed Darling would do anything to win, and Reed had once told me something similar: that it was his job as captain to do whatever it took to guarantee victory. Could I really just be a tool to help Reed achieve that? A way to make Jeremy pay for a perceived wrong years ago? Was it possible that Reed only kissed me yesterday to make me foolishly believe this could be real?
I’d been coming here in the hopes of ending our fake relationship. I thought I was ready to take a risk and see what we could be when all the rules and restrictions were stripped away. But now I wasn’t so sure.
There were so many questions churning through my mind, most of which I was afraid to have answered. This was exactly what I’d wanted to avoid and why I didn’t want another relationship. But, more importantly, this was why I had my rule against dating jocks. Never trust boys with killer smiles and strong right arms, my mom had always told me. And run in the opposite direction if a guy’s life revolved around a sport.
I didn’t want Jeremy to be right, but deep down, a part of me already believed he was. Amid the haze of emotions and uncertainty that was clouding my mind, a single thought shone clearly. As much as my heart might resist, I knew I needed to put a stop to this before I got really hurt.
25
REED
“You need to stop smiling like that,” Grayson said. “It’s freaking people out.”
A few of the rookies who were sitting on a bench on the other side of the locker room were staring uneasily at me. To be fair, Grayson had a point. I’d been staring off into space with a wide grin on my face because training was finally over for the evening, and I was about to see Violet again.
“Yeah, dude,” Parker said from the other side of me. “It’s especially weird when most of the guys are only wearing towels…”
The smile quickly dropped from my face, and I thumped my younger brother.
“Hey,” Parker complained, rubbing his arm.
“Go find someone else to annoy.” I finished packing away my gear and threw my bag over my shoulder. “I’ll see you both at home later.”
“Have fun with Violet,” Parker crooned.
I shot him a scowl, but I couldn’t manage to keep it on my face for long. My chest felt like it was glowing with warmth as I left the locker room. And each step I took seemed to spread the heat further as my anticipation built. I knew it was early days and that Violet and I still hadn’t talked about what we were doing moving forward. But a kiss like that could only mean good things, right?
I expected to find Violet waiting for me by the ice, but as I walked past and found no sign of her, I decided to head for the front entrance. A few Sunshine Prep players were arriving for practice, and they all shot me cold and menacing scowls as we passed. The game this weekend was going to be brutal, and I knew losing wasn’t an option. My teammates and I wouldn’t be able to show our faces around the rink again if we didn’t beat the Saints.
I was nearing the foyer when I spotted Hoffman heading toward me. God, I hated him. Even the way he walked pissed me off. It was more of a strut than a walk. His chin was always lifted toward the ceiling, and he seemed to thrust his arms away from his body, as if he was trying to make himself appear bigger.
When he spotted me up ahead, he made a beeline for me. I was not in the mood for a confrontation with him. Especially when I was about to meet Violet. But I squared my shoulders as he approached. I had no idea what to expect out of him, but I had to be prepared for anything.
“Ready for our game on Saturday?” he asked with a smirk.
I gave him a cold stare in response, refusing to engage in his games. “What are you playing at, Hoffman?”
“Just being polite,” he replied. “It’s going to be a hard week for you when I win the game and my girl back.”
“Good luck with that,” I scoffed before shouldering past him.
There was an especially smarmy look on Hoffman’s face I didn’t like. That was hardly unusual though. The only thing I liked about Jeremy’s face was his crooked nose.
