3. Cole
COLE
Some days it feels like the universe is just looking for ways to piss me off.
I push into the locker room and get hit with loud, shitty music. Rhodes. Of course. The guy loves blasting music in here, almost as much as he loves the sound of his own voice.
I keep my head down as I head for my cubby, running my fingers over the tape peeling off the blade of my stick, making a mental note to retape it.
Most of the rooks are already heading for the showers. Gives me time to strip my gear off, and maybe they’ll all be gone by the time I head in.
Some rookie’s hovering around my cubby. I stop, don’t say a word, just lift a brow. His eyes widen and he shifts out of my way immediately. Smart kid.
I drop my stick, pull off my helmet, and toss my gloves into my open bag. Reaching into my cubby, I grab my gum and shove a piece between my teeth, grinding down on it until the burn settles somewhere in my jaw as I tug off the old tape.
“Here.”
I glance up to see Nathan, our goalie, holding out a roll of tape.
“Thanks,” I mutter, taking it from him. He nods once and heads for the showers.
Austin lobs a sock at Ryan, who doesn’t even bother glancing up as the sock hits the floor. “Yo, Cap, you alive over there?”
Ryan grunts, still staring down at whatever he’s doing.
Austin snorts as he yanks his jersey over his head. “What’s up with you? You’ve been moping all practice, man.”
Logan laughs, dragging his sweatshirt off. “His face’s been like that since Monday. Only reason a guy mopes that hard is girl problems.”
He lifts his head slightly, wiping the sweat off with a towel. “I haven’t seen Isabella in over a week.”
I rip a strip of tape with my teeth and pick up my stick, starting to retape the blade.
Austin lets out a low whistle. “Uh-oh. What’d you do to piss her off?”
Ryan shoots him a look and flips him off. “Nothing. She’s just… been staying with Aurora all week.”
“Ah. Chase stuff?” Austin says.
The second I hear his name, everything in me tightens. I tug at the tape, biting down harder on my gum.
“Yeah,” Ryan says with a sigh.
“I mean, I get it,” Logan says with a shrug. “She just found out her boyfriend cheated on her.” He shakes his head. “She’s gonna need a little support from her best friend.”
My brow lifts, my hand pausing on the stick. That’s news to me. I don’t live with the guys, and most days I keep my distance, especially since Aurora is constantly hanging around them.
Still, I can’t say I’m surprised. I warned her. Told her Chase was bad news, that he wasn’t who she thought he was. Not my fault it took her three years to figure it out.
“Yeah, but still. If I didn’t see Maisie for a week, I’d be on my knees at her door.”
Logan scoffs. “You’re such a sap.”
“And proud of it,” Austin says, shooting him an unapologetic wink. “Aurora deserves better than that prick anyway.”
“I heard she walked in on him fucking some other girl,” Miles, one of the rookies, pipes up. “Someone said she smashed a bottle and chucked it at them.” He lets out a laugh. “That’s crazy.”
“That’s bullshit,” Ryan says, rolling his eyes. “She didn’t throw the bottle at him.”
Miles lifts his hands. “Just saying what I heard,” he says, tugging off his pads. “Everyone’s talking about it.”
“I mean, not to, like, defend the guy or anything,” Liam says from the end of the bench, yanking his jersey over his head, “but three years of long distance? I mean, come on. Everybody knows that shit never works.”
“Not an excuse, Turner,” Austin shoots back, glaring down at him. “I’d die before I ever cheated on Maisie. Doesn’t matter if she moved to Mars. Wouldn’t change shit.”
Liam lifts both hands. “Yeah, yeah, message received, man.”
Everyone knows Austin doesn’t mess around when it comes to Maisie. The guy nearly chewed my head off once just for mentioning her name.
“Think she’d go out with me now that she’s single?” Holden, another rookie, adds, earning a few laughs from the guys.
“Yeah, keep dreaming,” Logan says with a scoff. “You wouldn’t last five minutes with her.”
Laughter ripples through the room and I shove my stick onto the floor, stripping off my gear.
Can I get through one day without hearing her name? One goddamn day where Aurora Prescott isn’t dragged into the conversation.
I finish tying my laces, my jaw aching as I chew harder, wishing I could rip the sound of her name out of the air, out of my skull, out of every place she’s managed to wedge herself without permission.
I stand, sling a towel over my shoulder, and head for the showers. I take an empty stall, tossing the towel over the wall before turning on the water.
I tilt my head forward and let the water run down the back of my neck. I brace my hands against the wall and breathe through my nose.
I don’t care.
I don’t care that she walked in on them. I don’t care who he was with. I don’t care that the whole team’s suddenly acting like she’s some tragic victim. Poor Aurora, who loved too hard and trusted the wrong guy.
It’s bullshit.
She’s a snake.
Always has been.
I scrub harder, dragging my nails over my scalp like I can scrape her out of my head if I try hard enough.
By the time I shut off the water and head back into the locker room, most of the guys have already left.
I towel off, pull on black sweatpants and a T-shirt, then yank my hoodie over my head.
I shove my feet into my sneakers, grab my gear bag, and head toward the exit.
As soon as I step outside, I let out a breath, hoping the cold air will clear my head. It doesn’t. Not when I spot her leaning against Isabella’s car, scrolling on her phone with her sunglasses pushed up on top of her head.
She looks up and spots me, her eyes narrowing instantly.
I should keep walking. God knows I want to. Most days I’d rather bite down on glass than give her another second of my time.
But instead I head straight for her, watching as her glare sharpens.
“Heard you finally dumped Westbrook’s golden boy,” I say, chewing my gum.
She tilts her head. “Did you come over here expecting a thank you?”
I drag my tongue along my teeth. “Pretty sure you don’t know how to do that.”
Her arms fold across her chest. “What do you want, Reaper?”
I shrug, rolling my gum between my teeth. “Thought you might finally admit I was right.”
Her mouth twists, a humorless laugh slipping out. “You never miss a chance to be an asshole.”
I shift my weight and let my gaze rake over her for a second before it settles back on her face. Sunglasses perched on her head, that long blonde hair still perfectly in place, her arms folded like she’s bored.
“You don’t even care, do you?” Her brows knit together, but I keep going. “You walk in on the guy you dated for three years screwing someone else,” I say, gesturing vaguely at her, “and you’re out here acting like nothing happened.”
Her eyes snap up to mine, her lips pressing into a thin line. “You want to see me fall apart, is that it? You want to see me sobbing in the parking lot so you can finally say you told me so?” She scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not happening.”
I blow a bubble and let it pop. “Guess snakes really do shed their skin fast.”
She tips her chin up, her blue eyes going cold. “Save the lecture, Reaper. You just like being right. You don’t give a shit about me.”
My fingers tighten around the strap of my bag, my pulse beating hard in my temple. “You’re right. I don’t.”
I turn away and catch sight of Ryan and Isabella by the curb, both of them wide-eyed, not even pretending they didn’t hear a word. My grip tightens on the strap of my bag as I adjust it and head for my car without looking back.
I just need to get the hell away from her. Need her as far out of my life as possible.