Page 31 of Rival Darling

She’d be coming back. The words chimed like a sweet song in my ears. But the sound quickly dimmed when I realized there was no guarantee I’d be here to see her, and it could be at least a week before her car repairs were done. I wasn’t sure I could wait that long.

“Or you could bring it this Saturday night,” I said. “There’s a bonfire party at a place on the outskirts of town. They only happen a few nights a year, but everyone from both our schools will be there. It’s kind of like a rite of passage if you live in Sunshine Hills or Ransom. Nobody misses a bonfire night.” I was rambling, and I hoped my sales pitch didn’t sound too desperate. I guessed this was what happened when you liked a girl you had no chance with.

“A bonfire night?” she slowly repeated. “I’m not sure…”

“Well, it’s going to be a very cold night for me if you don’t turn up with my jacket.”

“But I thought you were part snowman.”

I released a breathy laugh. “Just think about the bonfire,” I said. “You won’t regret it.”

“Okay,” she finally agreed. “But I’m not making any promises, so please wear another jacket just in case. I don’t want to spend the night worrying about you jacketless and freezing in some field.”

“You’d worry about me? That’s so sweet.”

“I…” She laughed and shook her head. “I’m going to go now.”

I still didn’t want to say goodbye to Violet, but at least I knew there was a chance I’d see her again soon. “Have a good night, Sunshine.”

She playfully rolled her eyes at the nickname and responded with a quick wave. Then, she was gone from the garage before I could think of a legitimate reason to keep her talking any longer.

“You really like her, huh?”

I jumped and turned to find my dad standing in the doorway of his office.

“She’s just a friend.”

My dad smirked. “Uh-huh.”

I narrowed my eyes on him, but he turned his gaze to the clock on the wall. “Are you going to practice today? Or are you planning on hanging around here until she comes back?”

“Shit.” I’d totally lost track of time. I was definitely going to be late, and Coach would be pissed. He wouldn’t be the only one. As captain of the team, I was supposed to be setting the standard for the team and yelling at them when they were late. Not the other way around.

Just this once though, it had been worth it.

* * *

As expected, Coach was out for blood when I arrived on the ice fifteen minutes after practice had started. I was already on his bad side after I spent time in the penalty box during the game on Saturday, so he didn’t take my tardiness lightly. He yelled at me for wasting everyone’s time, and he was only too happy to remind me how important our upcoming games were. The season was just kicking off, but in a few weeks, we would play our biggest game of the year against the Sunshine Prep Saints. They were the one team who had any chance of beating us to the championship this year, and Coach Ray made it sound like my lack of punctuality was going to cost us the whole season.

I was used to Coach yelling, but it was rare that he directed his anger squarely at me. It was harder to take than I expected. This was my senior year, my final year playing high-school hockey, and as captain, I didn’t want to let anyone down. The one upshot of his rant was that I doubted anyone else on the team would be stupid enough to turn up late to training again.

“Hope she was worth it,” Grayson muttered to me when Coach finally ran out of steam.

I gave him a smile. “Totally worth it.”

Grayson grunted before skating off. It was hard to tell if he was signaling his approval or disappointment.

Coach Ray rode us harder than ever that practice, and I knew it was because I’d put him in a bad mood. Once it was all over and we filed into the locker room, I apologized to my teammates. But none of them would hear it.

“It’s not your fault,” Owen said. “Coach has been itching to put us through our paces for weeks.” It was Owen’s first year on the team, so I knew he was probably just trying to make me feel better. His brother, Matt, my best friend, was standing right beside him, smirking as if he found the punishing practice hilarious.

“It was bound to happen eventually, Reed,” Matt added with a grin. “You haven’t been late for something since we were in kindergarten. I swear, you’ll turn up early to your own funeral.”

“What are you talking about? I was never late for kindergarten.”

“Of course not.” Matt laughed. He was probably the one person on the team I’d accept any crap from. But that was only because he had gathered far too much dirt on me over the years.

“Why were you late?” Parker asked from the other side of the locker room. His eyes danced wickedly as though he already knew the answer. I hadn’t told him I was heading to the garage to see Violet before practice, and I had no intention of letting him in on the truth now.