Page 35 of Rules

“Quit this shit now, Hill,” I grit through my clenched teeth. The guy’s resisting like an angry bull.

“Let me go, Sanders.”

“No way.” I pull, this time harder, disentangling Hill’s hands from the guy. He slides down the glass and onto the ice. One of his eyes is completely shut, a purple bruise already forming. “Derek needs us, and if you continue with this shit, you’ll only get thrown out of the game. How are we supposed to win then?”

In that moment, a referee decides to stop next to our little group, disapproving eyes not missing a thing.

“Care to explain what the hell happened here?”

Sighing, I throw my head back and if I didn’t have my helmet on, I’d probably pull out my hair.

Well fuck. Can this get any worse?

* * *

BROOK

“The game was brutal,” Jeanette sighs, leaning down in her seat.

After Derek’s hit, Lia insisted on going down to the locker room, and for some reason, they actually let her in. She stayed with him, but Jeanette wanted to go back to the game, even if it was only to see the final seconds, which is basically the only thing we got to see.

Andrew was thrown in the sin bin for the remainder of the period, leaving Max and the rest of the Wolves to finish the game. Thankfully, they did manage to score and win.

“At least they won.” I shrug, looking around, my stomach queasy.

I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but this feeling’s been bothering me since we got to the arena, and no matter how hard I tried to shake it off, I couldn’t, but of course, I don’t find anything.

You’re at a hockey game, Brook. Get a grip.

As soon as the game was over, people started to leave, so we decided to wait a bit until we didn’t have to break through the crowd. The Zamboni was already on the ice, glossing over the surface.

“Thisgame,” Jeanette agrees. “But Derek will be out for a while, so in the long run, it’s not actually a win.”

Not knowing what to say, I simply nod. I’ve never been a sports fanatic, and to be honest, I wouldn’t even go to all these games if Lia didn’t invite me.

I open my mouth, but before I can ask any questions, the familiar tingles at the base of my neck arise. Slowly, I let my eyes scan the half-empty rink, looking for something,somebody.

I knew the feeling. It’s the same one I get when Max is following me home, yet different. I had it during the game—the sensation that somebody is watching me—but because of the number of people in the arena, I couldn’t exactly pinpoint the person looking at me. Now, with fewer people filling the space, chances are better that I’ll find whoever’s been giving me the creeps.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Jeanette frown at me. “Is everything okay?”

My whole body shivers, but I manage to offer her a nod. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You just made a weird face, that’s all.”

This time I turn around and actually give her a dull look, but it disappears when I see a man staring at me over her shoulder.

He’s tall, but that’s not why he stands out. It’s the three-piece suit he’s wearing. Who the hell wears a suit to a high school hockey game?

Our eyes meet. He’s too far from me to see his features clearly, but they have to be light. Blue or green maybe? His lips fall open as we stare at each other across the distance. Shivers run through my whole body, his gaze making me uncomfortable for some reason, but at the same time I can’t will myself to break the contact.

He’s probably around Josephine’s age, if not older, but that’s where all similarities stop. His dark hair peppered with grays is neatly cut, strong jaw clean shaven. A few wrinkles are around his eyes and mouth, but otherwise he looks quite good for his age.

“Who’s the guy?” Jeanette’s voice breaks me from whatever spell I was under.

I’ve never seen the man, but based on how he dresses… “I think it’s Andrew’s dad.”

Jeanette turns around completely to get a better look, but the guy’s already turned his back on us and is going outside with the rest of the crowd. Something I should do if I plan to make my shift on time.

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