Page 105 of Rival Darling

I continued on my way to the foyer in search of Violet, and I smiled when I found her standing near one of the trophy cabinets. She looked lost in thought as she stared aimlessly through the glass. I hoped she hadn’t been waiting for me too long.

“Hey, Sunshine,” I said when I reached her.

“Hey,” she murmured. When she turned from the glass to face me, her gaze stayed low, and I felt a pang of anxiety in my chest when her eyes didn’t meet mine.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“You sure?”

“Yep.”

Her downcast eyes and one-word answers told a different story though. She didn’t seem okay at all. What could have upset her? Maybe it was because Jeremy was lurking around the arena.

“Has Jeremy been bothering you again?”

She shook her head.

“What then? It’s me, Violet. You can talk to me.”

A sick feeling swirled in my stomach as she continued to avoid my gaze. She was closed up, keeping her thoughts and feelings deep within herself, protecting them. Could she be having second thoughts about us? Had our kiss been too much for her? Was she regretting breaking all her rules? She’d had a day to consider it now, and perhaps she’d had a change of heart since then.

She drew in a breath. “So, you’re playing the Saints this weekend?”

It certainly wasn’t what I’d expected her to say, and I was still trying to figure out what was bothering her. It was probably another rumor. The game was the last thing I wanted to talk about right now, and it felt like she was just trying to distract me.

“Yeah, that’s right…” I replied with some caution.

“It sounds like it’s a big game.”

“The biggest.”

Her eyes drifted to the trophy cabinet beside us, and she traced her fingers across the glass as she spoke. "I guess it’s important that you win, then?”

“It’s important we win every game.” I was still watching her closely, trying to figure her out. “But you’re right. Losing really isn’t an option this Saturday. I’d do just about anything to win.”

“Anything?”

“Uh, almost. Anything legal, that is. You haven’t heard a rumor I threatened the refs or something, have you?”

“No,” she replied softly.

“That’s a relief.” I gave an uncomfortable laugh, unsure where this line of questioning had come from. “So, will you be able to make it?”

“I’m not sure,” she murmured, lowering her fingers from the glass.

Maybe she had to work. She always seemed to be scheduled at the coffee shop when I played. “Well, it might be a good game for you to come to if you can,” I suggested. “If you’re going to see me beat anyone, who better than your ex?”

Her eyes suddenly whipped up, and the pain and sorrow I saw there filled me with dread.

“What?” I asked her.

She gave a slight shake of her head, but I could see she was suffering. Her lips were tightly shut, and her shoulders were slumped. My mind raced as I tried to figure out why she was reacting this way. All I’d done was ask her to come to my hockey game. What was so bad about that?

“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” she said.

“What are you talking about?”

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