Page 5 of Breaking the Ice

I crunch on my cone, and she continues, “At least think about it? For me?”

My mom widens her blue eyes and sticks out her lower lip. For a woman in her late fifties, she’s surprisingly good at a pouty face.

I sigh. “Okay. I’ll think about it. No promises, though.”

Thinking about it doesn’t mean I’ll say yes.

Chapter

Three

EVAN

Jonas: What’s going on? Why didn’t you start?

Jonas: Are you ghosting me now? I know where you sleep.

“You look like you need this.” Jonas sets a shot and a glass of beer on the bar in front of me, and I can’t help the smile that tugs at my mouth. No matter how much trouble I’m in, I have friends who know me.

Jonas looks on and sips his drink while I drop the shot of whiskey into my beer and chug. The yeasty taste of hops coats my tongue, mixed with the smoky burn of whiskey. It’s my favorite drink.

It doesn’t solve my problems, though. Normally there’s nothing a Boilermaker and O’Bryan’s can’t fix, but not tonight. The Irish rock music blares, rugby is just as confusing as ever on the TV behind us, and the green, white, and orange flags that hang from the ceiling flutter as the fans stir the air. The lights are dim and the beer is flowing, but my heart is still heavy.

“You’re not having one?” I ask as he perches on a stool next to me.

Jonas shakes his head. “Nope, I can’t afford to make bad decisions.”

Me, either. But I mentally shrug. I’m already riding the bench and messing up my future. What’s one drink in the face of that? Maybe I should try two drinks. I signal for Mike, the bartender, to bring me another one.

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Jonas raises a brow as my empty glasses are replaced with full ones.

“Did you get me liquored up to ask that?”

“Maybe.”

I stare at my beverages instead of drinking them. It’s not that I’ve been purposely avoiding this conversation. But Jonas’s parents were in town for the home opener, along with Hunter and Natalie. Hunter was our captain and roommate last year and Natalie is his girlfriend. They live in Chicago and Jonas is dating Hunter’s sister, Hadley. I wasn’t going to ruin their family time with my hockey woes.

Jonas has the patience of a saint. He doesn’t press but continues eyeing me, and I know from past experience that he’ll wait all night.

I give in with a sigh. “I lost my eligibility to play. Grades.”

“Ouch.” He winces and claps me on the shoulder. “What class?”

“Classes. Elementary Math and US History.” To his credit, Jonas keeps his face impassive at my confession and doesn’t make fun of me for failing something called Elementary Math. “But why do I need to know history anyway? I’m not going to teach it to kids. Or math. You don’t need math to play dodgeball.”

“You do to keep score.”

I roll my eyes. “Pretty sure I’ve mastered simple addition. This stuff is actually really hard.”

He pats me again. “I believe you. So, what do you need to get back on the ice?”

I let my resentment and sarcasm bleed into my voice. “To pass those classes.”

Jonas does not punch me in the face, which is probably what I deserve for that answer. It’s hard not to be upset about it, though. Instead, he takes a deep breath and squeezes my shoulder harder than necessary.

“Yes, I gathered that, Captain Obvious. How can we help?”

I shake my head, flipping my hair out of my eyes. “A tutor, I guess? That’s what Coach suggested but—oh my god, did you know Coach Russell has a daughter? Like, one our age?”