Page 93 of The Draft

After twenty minutes of trying to convince Coach I was ready to go out there, I was sitting in the locker room, stewing with anger, because I wasn’t even allowed on the bench. I blew out an annoyed breath, looking around at the empty wooden benches and only hoped that I’d somehow be called into the game, but I knew it was unlikely. Coach wanted me dead. Drawn and quartered, then skewered onto a kebob, was the exact way he wanted me to go. I knew because he told me. I was an idiot and let my dick do the thinking today.

Dammit.

My game was being affected by all this sneaking around, and I hated to admit that Cade might have been right. Maybe having a girlfriend really did make me a terrible goalie. Or maybe it was karma punishing me because I’d gone behind my best friend’s back and slept with his sister. Either way, I was pissed off that I’d somehow screwed myself and the team over because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants for a couple of hours before the game.

“So, are you just going to sit there acting all broody instead of acknowledging that we’re sitting here together?” Henry said from across the locker room, looking at me like I was an idiot, which to his defense was the truth.

Glaring at him, I held back what I really wanted to say, which would be something along the lines of,“stay the hell away from Madison, or I’m going to add to those black eyes.”I still had no idea where he’d gotten them from or why he and Cade were suddenly okay with each other, but I had my own things to worry about.

“Why bother? I have nothing to say to you.”

Henry let out an amused breath and shook his head. “Really? You don’t think we have anything to talk about at all?”

Scratching my chin, I resigned myself to the fact that Henry wasn’t going to shut up. “Fine. What’s this about? Amy?”

“Amy?” Henry raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, really? That’s what you think I want to talk about?”

“What else is there that we need to address? The cost of a nose job, maybe?” I groused. I could admit I was being an ass, but I wasannoyed, and Henry deserved it.

Henry’s nose twitched at the mere mention of it. “Typical goaltender. Guarding the shit out of things that don’t need guarding.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“This team. You don’t need to be so protective of it. I’m not here to try to take down anything or anyone. I just want to play hockey.”

“Then why’d you come here knowing Cade and I play here?”

“I told you already, because we make a good team on the ice, and it’s been years. I didn’t think you cared about Amy while you were dating her, so how the hell was I supposed to know you’d still be holding a grudge about it now?”

“I don’t care about Amy.”

That made Henry laugh again. He stood, made his way to my side of the locker room, and took a seat on the bench opposite. This was why I hated people. The minute you interacted with them, they thought it was okay to come closer and talk about their feelings.

“No, you’re right. That much was obvious in high school, but you still won’t admit the real reason you hate me, will you?”

“And why exactly do you think I hate you?”

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Say what?”

“Madison.”

When her name fell out of his mouth, I held back the urge to knock him out because that would be proving his point. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”

In his full gear, Henry leaned forward and whispered, “Ask me what I’m studying.”

“What are you studying?”

He pushed his tongue out, wetting his lips, clearly amused by the whole situation. “Computer science.”

Madison’s course.

“You know, I tried to speak to her the first day of my lectures, but as she walked out of the room, I couldn’t help but notice you were dragging her over to the corner, hiding away with her. Then you leaned in like you were about to kiss her. Almost like she was your girlfriend.”

“Well, she’s not,” I spat out because I didn’t trust Henry with any information about Madison and me. Not when Cade was still in the dark about it. He had to hear it from me first.

“Really?” With another raise of his brow, he mulled over my words. “Because I could have sworn I saw you chasing Madison into the equipment room earlier this week. Don’t you remember?”