Page 32 of Rival Darling
“Car troubles,” I replied, shrugging my shoulders. It was somewhat true. There were car troubles. Just not mine.
“Funny, you only serviced your car last week.” Parker clearly didn’t believe me, but thankfully he didn’t press for answers. He seemed content with letting me know he was suspicious of my story.
I changed quickly and left the locker room with my brothers. We had almost reached the front doors to the center when they swung inward, and a handful of Saints players strolled through the entrance.
No one was happy about the fact we were sharing a rink this season. But, seeing as Sunshine Prep was renovating the already monstrous arena on their campus, we couldn’t be sure how long the arrangement would last. I’d played a few games there in previous seasons, and I had no idea why they thought it needed improving. It was already incredible. Knowing the pretentious pricks that went to that school, they were probably importing ice direct from Switzerland.
“I still can’t believe we’re stuck training in this dump,” one of the Sunshine Prep players said as the doors swung shut behind them. Before he could say anything else, his teammate spotted us and elbowed him in the ribs. They all froze, and I saw a flash of fear in the eyes of the guy who had spoken. They were probably freshman. All the kids on the Saints were scared of us, but at least the older guys managed to hide it a little better.
I stared back at them, keeping my expression cold and hard. I knew my brothers’ faces mirrored my own. I’d never been all that fond of the reputation we’d developed over the years, but in moments like these, it felt worth it.
“If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to leave at any time,” I said.
“We’re not going anywhere.” Jeremy Hoffman appeared from the back of the group, puffing his chest out like the little superhero he believed he was. He was wearing that ever-present superior smirk of his, and a low growl rumbled from deep in my chest. I had plenty of good reasons for despising the captain of the Saints, but knowing what he did to Violet made the hatred flooding my veins burn even hotter.
He signaled for his teammates to keep moving into the arena, but as he passed by me, he slammed his shoulder into mine.
“Watch it, Hoffman,” I hissed at him.
“Or what, Darling?” he barked back, spinning round to face me.
My jaw tightened, and my hands clenched. I was desperate to wipe the smirk off his stupid face, and I might have done just that, but Grayson grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me outside before I got the chance. Parker followed right behind him, my brothers making certain I didn’t do anything I’d regret. They knew how important this season was to me, and I couldn’t let anything derail it. If I took my anger out on Hoffman, like I so badly wanted to, I could face serious consequences.
“What are you thinking?” Grayson hissed, finally letting go of me as we reached my car.
“That someone needs to shut Hoffman up.”
“Yeah, that’s true,” Parker replied, folding his arms over his chest. “But you know what happened last time you took on Hoffman. And Coach has already told us that anyone who starts shit with the Saints while we’re sharing the rink gets benched. You don’t want to get on his bad side.” There was a serious look in his eyes, which showed my brother knew just how close I’d been to messing up. Parker was the last person I’d expect to come down so hard on me, but if I couldn’t play, then the whole team would be screwed. And hockey was the one thing in life Parker took seriously.
“I wasn’t going to do anything.”
Parkers eyebrows shot up with disbelief. “Dude, you growled at him like a mountain lion about to launch into battle.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m allowed to growl.”
“Pretty sure the only time growling is allowed is in one of those dirty books Mom likes to read,” he replied. “Back me up here, Gray.”
“I don’t know how you know what’s in Mom’s books,” Grayson said to Parker before turning to me. “But he’s right about starting shit. If you get benched this season, or worse, suspended like freshman year, you can kiss your spot on the Raiders next year goodbye. Hoffman’s not worth it. Don’t ruin your future because of him. Or because of a girl you just met.”
“I told you I wasn’t going to do anything.” I threw my hands up in the air, trying to prove my innocence. I wondered what Grayson would think if he knew I’d been questioning all my career goals to get around Violet’s no-hockey-players rule.
“Only because we intervened,” Grayson replied. I went to argue again, but my brother continued. “Save the dramatics for the ice. If you want to make Hoffman pay for what he did to Violet, and everything else, do it at our game against them in a few weeks.”
I exhaled loudly, the tension in my shoulders releasing with the breath. “Okay, you’re right.”
“I usually am,” Grayson replied.
Once they were sure I’d finally regained my cool, my brothers ditched their gear in Grayson’s car, and I slowly made my way toward my truck. I might not have made Hoffman regret cheating on Violet tonight, but I was certainly going to make him pay for it at our game. I just wished I didn’t have to wait so long to teach him a lesson.
8
VIOLET
It was amazing how quickly you could become repulsed by someone you once thought might be the love of your life. One moment, all you can think about is his warm brown eyes and soft dark hair. The next, you realize his hair is actually a little greasy, and his eyes are closer to the color of mud than honey. Even his voice, which was once soft and melodic suddenly sounds more like the whining purr of a drone.
My newfound feelings of disgust for Jeremy were only exacerbated in the week following our breakup as he seemed to embrace the egotistical jock stereotype I’d always tried to avoid. Gone was the sweet boy I’d fallen for over the summer, and out of the shadows emerged a new beast—Jerkemy.
I couldn’t seem to escape him. It was like he was everywhere. At school, he seemed a little bit louder than usual in classes and laughed slightly harder in the corridors when I was near. His sweet summer smiles had disappeared, and in their place, I saw leering looks as he checked out every girl that passed. It made me want to throw up.