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My parents had done the best for me that they could. My childhood was filled with happy memories, and they loved me dearly. I knew I could turn to them when I was in need. But financially, our lives kind of sucked. College was only part of my future because of hockey. I’d busted my ass in high school to get a full-ride scholarship. My mom, who had been working two dead-end jobs so she and Dad could afford for me to play, had burst into tears when I got my scholarship.
And to the school in the nation that had the best hockey team at that.
Dad had been working long, exhausting hours for as long as I could remember as a general laborer, and that day, when he smiled at me, I knew he thought all those exhausting days and all of the traveling he had to do for work was worth it.
And I wanted to continue to prove to my parents that supporting this dream of mine and working long, exhausting hours was not in vain.
“Bro, what the fuck is up with you?” I heard Collin ask. I glanced over to see who he was talking to and ground my teeth together at the sight of Darren next to him.
“Thought I was finally going to get some from Sterling, but the asshole can’t even get hard. Can you believe that?” Darren asked him. “Fucking asshole wasn’t even worth the time I spent trying to get him in bed.”
I jerked to my feet, my blood pulsing hotly in my veins. “Watch what the fuck you say,” I growled. I wasn’t above pummeling someone on the fucking ice—not even a teammate.
He barked out a laugh. “What—you think you’re going to get some from him, Graham? Good luck. He’s a prude and doesn’t put out for anybody. Not worth the time, if you ask—”
I body-slammed him to the ice. Grabbing the front of his helmet, I yanked his head up and smashed it back to the ice. “Don’t fucking talk about him like that!” I barked.
Darren flipped me off of him before jamming his elbow into my side hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. When he tried to stand up, I kicked my legs out, knocking him back to his ass.
“Break it up!” Coach barked, storming onto the ice. “Darren, Graham, get upnow!” he shouted.
I stood up from the ice but couldn’t resist shoulder-checking Darren hard once he got up, making him stumble. The only reason he didn’t fall was because Collin steadied him from the other side before quickly retreating. They all knew I wasn’t one to mess with, andeveryoneon the team knew how protective I was of Sterling.
Darren was lucky I’d even let him close to my best friend, but that was before I knew how much of a fucking douchebag he was. Now, I was regretting it. Sorely. Because if I had just told Sterling that messing around with Darren wasn’t a good idea, then he wouldn’t be suffering right now. Sterling listened to me when it came to advice. I could’ve saved him from the shit he was going through.
“Both of you get in my office,” Coach snarled. “The rest of you start practice.”
I quickly followed behind Coach to his office, and I could feel Darren at my back, though I didn’t turn to look at him. But if he opened his mouth about Sterling again, I was going to snatch that helmet off his head and bash him in his face with it.
“Sit.” I dropped into a chair across from Coach’s desk, and Darren took the one next to me. “I don’t know what just happened out on that ice, but it willnothappen again, am I clear? Both of you have too much going for you to allow whatever is going on to destroy your careers.”
“Yes, sir,” I grunted. Darren nodded.
“Boy, I cannot hear pucks rattling around inside your head,” Coach snapped. “Use your voice that you were so eager to use to get Graham riled up.”
“Sorry, Coach,” Darren muttered, but not before he shot me a dark look. I just rolled my eyes. Asshole. “I understand.”
“Good. And you’ll both understand why you’ll be doing extra drills after practice is over and why you’ll also be helping the staff clean the rink and bleachers, yes?”
I bit back a sigh. Fuck. That was even longer I had to be away from Sterling. It made my skin crawl. But nonetheless, I nodded and said, “I understand, Coach.”
Darren mumbled an affirmative as well. Coach waved us out. “Get out of my office and get back on the ice. I expect silence from both of you unless you absolutely need to speak.”
We quickly left the office. Darren shot me a scathing look. “Good fucking going, Hurley,” he quietly snapped, calling me by my last name.
I cut him a side-eye. “Maybe if you weren’t so busy running your mouth about Sterling, this shit wouldn’t have happened.”
Before he could retort even a single word, we stepped out onto the ice. I skated away from him and joined in on the drill, focusing on practice and letting everything else fade away for the moment.
That familiar tingle I usually got when my best friend was nearby raced up my spine, letting me know Sterling was watching me. I hadn’t heard anyone come in, but I could just feel when he was close to me like a sixth sense. Turning around, I grinned at the sight of him—an automatic response. “Hey,” I greeted, waving at him.
“You’re late,” he said, frowning at me. A slight grimace passed over his face before his usual mask fell into place when he saw Darren behind me, coming down the stands on the other side. “What happened?”
“Altercation,” I told him with a shrug. He sighed, giving me thatlook. I hated that look; it always made me feel like a child. I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment before shooting him a sheepish smile.
“You can’t go around fighting, Graham,” he chastised as he came closer. “You know that. This is yourfuture. Don’t jeopardize that.”
“Oh, look—it’syou. Graham, man, I’m telling you. If you’ve been sticking around him for the past couple of years hoping to get laid,” Sterling’s face paled, “it’s not—”
