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Slowly, I set the cue on the table and walk around it until I stop right before her. We’re far enough away from the others that I don’t need to whisper.
“Aside from eternal glory and respect,” I say in what I recognize is a very obnoxious way, “what I want from you is…”
Through gritted teeth, she says, “If you keep stalling, all you’re gonna earn is a kick in the?—”
Okay, okay. If the roles were reversed, I’d be wanting to sock me in the face too.
“Nothing terrible,” I assure her. “All I want is a kiss—and not right now, but when I say so.”
Tinker Bell’s eyes widen. She takes a step back. “A what?”
“You heard me. Be on the lookout.” To make matters worse, I wink and leave her to join Conor’s dart game, as if I haven’t just dropped a nuclear bomb on Tinker Bell. As if my smartwatch wasn’t going into overdrive.
CHAPTER 14
LUZ
Iam—in a succinct word—screwed.
It’s been two days since the pool game. I’m in the middle of the season opener, and I can’t stop thinking about Max Cassiano.
My leg bounces while I watch the action from the bench. Our goalie just made a save worth a prize, but we need to put more numbers on the scoreboard. We’re tied in the third period, and all I’ve contributed is one assist.
The team’s been giving it their all, despite being matched with one of the top contenders for the season. And here I am, wondering when Cassiano is going to kiss me.
Earlier today, I crossed paths with him during dryland training. I was in the middle of a stick-handling drill when he strutted in with his coach to speak with mine. Our eyes met for a brief moment and…
The insufferable guy smirked. Made the whole dimple appear and all. As if he knew all I could think about was that he was walking around with my next kiss.
I’ve never felt rage quite like at that moment. Who cares that the girls won their respective games and that, in theory, it means the Strikes reign supreme in the hockey program. I lost against Cassiano. Again. And now I’ll have to put up with him kissing me.
“Line one, go!” Coach Young calls for me and the two other girls.
We swap over with the third line. I hit the ice with viciousness. JT passes the puck to me. I handle it through the skates of an opposing player. It riles her up, and when she comes, I’m ready. I let her ram against my side and, taking strength from who knows where, I tuck my shoulder against her body and push her down on her ass. Before her legs tangle with mine, I leap over them and skate away.
The squalid home crowd rises in sound volume. Among them, I know, are my siblings and my sister’s best friend. The only one who would contribute to the noise is not the one I’m related to.
Sure enough, when I skate by them, Brooklyn screams. “Go, Luz! Sink one in!”
I pass the puck back to a teammate. Chelsea? I don’t know. It’s a baby blue jersey and not a green one. The opponent can probably read my intentions, because two defense players come to intercept me. I pivot around one of them, leaving them in the dust. My teammate passes the puck back.
I imagine the goalie from the other team as Max’s smug face. The slapshot is so hard it takes several seconds before the buzzer goes off.
I throw my hands up in the air. One by one, my teammates slam against me.
“That was wild!”
“Go, Captain!”
Look at that. Maybe I should let Cassiano piss me off before games more often.
“Stop it,” I mutter to myself as I head over to watch the next faceoff. The fact that I keep thinking about him, even in these circumstances, is a big problem.
Somehow, we manage to cling to the one-point lead until the final buzzer. Which means the winning goal was mine. It should feel fan-freaking-tastic. But as I skate around the ice to thank the few people who showed up for our game, I’m angry.
I only played solid hockey for the last fifteen minutes of the game. If I’d had my head screwed on right, the win might not have been so narrow. As the captain, I’m supposed to set an example for the rest of the team, and today I was a mess.
Before heading back to the locker room with the rest of the team, I brake before my family to get their impressions.
