Page 2 of Facing Off
She’s…
Still reading her book.
Seriously?
I tap my hockey stick against the glass until she glances up.
Sonya scowls at me as if I’ve interrupted her reading right as the climax is about to hit. No problem. Maybe she doesn’t realize I’m here for her. Every fan around her isclamoring to get my attention by yelling my name. She might think I’m here for someone else.
“Sonya darling, that one was for you!” I singsong.
Her gaze lowers to my mouth, then flicks back up. Eyes half-lidded with boredom, Sonya returns to her reading.
Emmad laughs, coming over to pat me on the back. I have no choice but to skate off the ice with him.
As I do, I’m shaking my head. Because, despite getting rejected, this strange wave of anticipation rolls through me.
Because who doesn’t love an impossible challenge, knowing they’ll eventually win?
I can’t help but laugh to myself.
She thinks she’s not interested?
Wait until I try even harder.
2
ADRIAN
From then on,every time Sonya comes to watch Quinn, I play differently. I’m showing off harder than before.
During one game, I get two assists and score another game-winning goal.
In another, I score backwards and from behind the net.
The game after that I deke the other team’s captain and do this spin-o-rama move before slamming the puck into the corner of the net.
And…
Nothing.
None of it catches her attention. If anything, she vigorously reads harder any time I skate near her.
“Be honest, does she even like hockey?” I ask Quinn the next day, bouncing a puck off my hockey stick during practice.
“Nope,” he says with a soft smile. “But I think she noticed that everyone else has family and friends in the stands cheering them on, and I didn’t. So now she comes to some of my games.” He clears his throat, and blinks a few times. “It means a lot to me, even when she zones out.”
“Dude,” says Matt, chiming in bluntly. “Is that all it takes? Raise your standards.”
The team laughs.
We start doing more drills, but before Quinn heads to the net, I catch up with him. “They’re messing with you, but if you want me to talk to Matt about what he said…”
“No, I’m good.” Quinn’s smile is completely unbothered.
It doesn’t surprise me.
Quinn Connor’s personality is the center of a chocolate lava cake. Gooey-sweet. Not that a lot of people would guess that, because the scars on his face are considered scary. When kids see him, they point. People keep their distance in public. There’s loads of whispering, gossiping, and speculation about where he got them from since no one knows.
