Page 37 of Daring the Hockey Player
"Do I look like I'm hooking up with anyone?" I answer his question with a question.
Kyler shrugs. "I don't go out to the bars with you guys after games. Wait, were you and Amber at the bar two nights ago? The prank call—"
Thankfully, Kyler gets interrupted when Coach Malone enters the locker room to give us a pep talk before the game. I've never been so happy to see Coach in my life.
When the game starts, we're introduced and head out of the locker room and onto the ice. Immediately, I see Amber in the stands. She's wearing my jersey, the one that I gave her, and I can't hide the smug grin on my face.
She waves, and I try not to acknowledge her when Kyler skates past me as we head for the bench. He notices Amber in the stands and my gaze on her.
She's just a friend.
I'm on the ice first with Kyler, Owen, Noah, Chase, and our goalie, Aiden. Kyler and I have always played well on the ice, given that, in our former years, we practiced together, we know each other's moves, and it's like a harmonious dance that we play, tossing the puck back and forth between us before he shoots it at Owen to make a score.
I want to be the one scoring, impressing Amber.
Fuck.
Where did that thought come from?
I glance at Amber in the stands, and she's cheering for Owen, clapping and smiling. I want her to do that because I scored a goal.
I've never been the jealous type.
There's never been a reason for me to be jealous. I've focused on my career instead of girls since high school.
I'm always happy when my teammates do well because we, as a team, do well. That's what's most important.
But I'm not feeling that way right now. There's a bitterness that consumes me, an internal rage that's crawling in my veins, itching to be unleashed.
I want Amber to scream my name, clap for me, and smile when she watches me score the next goal.
I should be happy for Noah, but I don't want her attention on him. My insides are on fire, and when I finally get the puck, I don't want to turn it over to Kyler, the center, even though he's open, and I have Storm and Conrad gaining on me.
Knox Storm uses his stick to trip me up, and Conrad steals the puck, returning it toward their goal.
"Your girlfriend is in the stands, and she's been screaming my name," Storm says.
I know he's trying to get to me. I should ignore him. He's always been a bit of an ass on the ice, but anytime he brings up Amber, I see red.
I slam Knox against the glass, my fist pounding into his chest, and he takes returns blow after blow to my abdomen.
The fight lasts a minute, maybe longer, before we're pulled apart.
"What the hell was that?" Kyler asks.
I don't answer my brother. He doesn't understand why I despise Knox. Storm and I are sent to the penalty box. Amber is seated behind the player's bench, across the ice rink, and can't see me. I'm relieved that I don't have to face her right now, especially after what Knox said.
NINE
AMBER
"I can't believeyou're making me wear a wig," Charlotte grumbles beside me.
"I got you a free ticket, shush." I glare at my bestie. We're both wearing Ice Dragons jerseys, although, more specifically, I'm wearing the one that Jasper gave me off his back the other day. At least he had the decency to wash it, and even though it's clean, it does give off a nice hint of Jasper.
I'm trying not to constantly sniff my jersey like a lunatic. Thankfully, the gagging swamp smell was removed in the washer.
“Yeah, but why doesn’t your boyfriend like me?” Charlotte asks.
