Page 29 of Play Maker

Kayden laughed and ruffled Maddox’s hair, which only made our goalie scowl harder.

“Plus, this place has special meaning for us,” Kayden continued.

Aw. My cynical heart melted. Just a little.

“Kay,” Maddox warned, his face bright red.

“What? It’s true,” Kayden admitted as he stared at his boyfriend. “It was the first time I ever gave you a blo?—”

Maddox quickly slammed his hand over Kayden’s mouth. “Stop.”

“Mrphrm.”

Whatever Kayden wastryingto say was muffled and for once, I was glad that Maddox had silenced him. I didn’t need to know any more about my friends’ sex life than I already did.

“That’s so dirty, and at the same time, oddly sweet,” I teased.

“Fuck off,” Maddox growled but it had no impact on me.

We were all used to his attitude by now. Instead, I laughed while he rolled his eyes.

Kayden pulled him in tight, but at first Maddox resisted. Until Kay gave him a resounding kiss, and all seemed to be forgiven. These two…

“Well, okay then, some of us reallydohave to study, so—” I stated, pointing to the stairs.

Neither one of them paid me any attention since they were too busy sucking face. I didn’t mind though, I was happy for them.

“Talk later,” I added and was met with silence.

I wandered up the stairs to the third floor and the place was packed, but I managed to find an empty nook near the window and settled in. Turning my phone off–for real this time—I shoved it in my pocket, grabbed my headphones from my backpack, and started reviewing my biology notes for my upcoming test. I wasn’t the smartest student but with dedication and hard work, I was going to graduate at the top of my class and ensure my future. Hockey was the primary goal, but it wouldn’t last forever. When I was done playing hockey in the pro league, I’d go back to school for my master’s degree. Kinesiologists could work anywhere, with any athlete, but I’d probably stick to hockey or another professional sport.

And I knew there was no fucking way I was going back to poverty or to Hillington. My aunt Josie had done all she could. She hadn’t graduated from high school and though her body shop kept food on the table, it wasn’t enough. With my career goals firmly in sight, I was going to ensure that as a family, we never had to worry about money again.

After almost an hour of studying, I turned my phone back on and got ready to head out to my next class when I noticed a missed call from my aunt.Speak of the angel.She usually called me on weekends. I hoped everything was alright.

I grabbed my stuff and walked down to the first floor of the building and found a quiet corner, then tapped her number and waited for her to answer.

“Hey sweetie, how are you?” she answered on the first ring.

“I’m good,” I announced. “Great in fact. Just on my way to my next class. How’s things with you? Everything okay at the shop?”

“Everything’s fine. Well, things are a bit slow at the shop, so I figured I’d call early,” she replied. “You didn’t need to call me back right away. I know you’re busy with classes. We can talk later.”

“I’ve got fifteen minutes before my next class. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to check in. See how your classes are going and hockey practice. And if you’re getting along with all your teammates. Are you still arguing with that Lund boy?”

I told my aunt all about Axel when I returned home for the Christmas break. Come to think of it, I probably talked more about him than I did about anything else. I didn’t even want to think about what that meant. Nothing good would come of it.

“He still hates my guts and I’m still better at scoring than he is, so nothing’s changed,” I replied, cocky as ever. “Only?—”

“Only what?” she asked.

“Coach is making Axel and I take extra practice together. It’s torture,” I sighed dramatically. “And that’s not all. I’ve been assigned to work with him on a fundraising event here in Sutton. I have no issue volunteering, but I don’t knowhowI’m going to work withhim. We nearly came to blows on the ice yesterday.”

“Do you mean he tried to hit you?” Josie asked, her voice filled with concern.

“Well, sort of. I kind of provoked him,” I confessed. “And then we just went at each other. It wasn’t all him.”

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