Chapter 4 Parker
I was torn between feeling smug and furious as I stalked across the parking lot to my truck. Mackenzie freaking Foster. The hits just kept on coming tonight. She’d been back in my life for two minutes, and I already had a messed-up nose to show for it.
She was the kind of person you only had to see once to remember.
With bright blonde hair and green eyes like shards of broken glass, she was probably seared into the memory of every guy who’d ever looked her way.
I wasn’t going to let her know that, though, and it was strangely satisfying to make her think I’d forgotten her name.
If only that were truly the case.
I’d thought about her far more often than I cared to over the years. The surprise I’d felt when she took off her helmet and I saw her for the first time. Her piercing glares and subtle smiles. Our shootout. The bet. The kiss… and the fallout.
I liked making out with hot girls as much as the next guy, but no kiss was worth risking my hockey career. The thought pissed me off more than the pain in my aching nose.
I picked up my phone from where I’d left it on the dash during practice and saw a stream of notifications, all from my brothers.
Reed: How was practice?
Grayson: Did Coach Ray make you captain?
Reed: Is it finally time to teach you the secret captain’s handshake?
Grayson: Oh God, maybe you don’t want to be captain after all, Parker.
Reed: No need to get jealous, Gray.
They’d clearly grown impatient when I didn’t respond, because they’d started speculating.
Reed: Damn, maybe he didn’t even make varsity.
Grayson: I have always thought he’d be more suited to the junior Devils.
Reed: Don’t worry, little brother, at least you’ll score a lot of goals in JV.
Grayson: I’ll get Paige to bake you some muffins, that’ll cheer you up.
I drew in a breath as I considered how to respond. I didn’t have it in me to explain how things had spiraled from one disaster to another. Easier to keep it vague.
Me: It’s all good, I killed it.
The truth was, tonight had nearly killed me. Still, I hoped it would shut them up.
No such luck.
Reed: Proud of you, man! We’ll talk about the handshake soon.
Grayson: Never doubted you for a second, bro.
Grayson: About this, I mean. Everything else? I still have doubts.
There was a knock on the window, and I jolted. I didn’t need any more surprises tonight, and I wasn’t ready for round two with Mackenzie. Thankfully it was just Seth peering through the glass.
“Forgetting someone?” he asked.
I reached over to unlock the passenger side door. He’d asked for a ride home earlier, but in my rush to escape Coach Foster, I’d left him behind.
“Nope,” I replied. “Just waiting for the varsity team’s new star defenseman to finish primping in the locker room.”
He snorted and got in the truck. “So, you forgot.”
“Maybe. But if it makes you feel any better, a girl punched me in the parking lot, and she might have broken my nose.”
“Huh, that does make me feel better,” he said. “Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Who was the girl?”
“Foster’s daughter,” I grumbled.
“She’s here too? I guess that makes sense.” He paused for a moment. “Wait, she’s not joining our class, is she?” The look on my face was all the answer he needed, and his grin only grew. “Damn, that’s seriously bad news.”
“If it’s such bad news, why are you smiling?”
“Because it’s bad news for you, not me.” He was really enjoying this. “Oh no, you didn’t try to kiss her again, did you?”
“I told you, she kissed me. I was just an innocent victim. And no, there wasn’t any kissing this time. She punched me because she thought I was mugging her.”
“Were you mugging her?”
I started the engine. “I’m seriously considering leaving you here.”
“Okay, okay.” Seth held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry, I just wish I’d been there to see it.”
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“It’s all good. I’m sure you’ll give her another reason to punch you soon. Especially if she’s going to be at school with us.”
That was almost the worst part of all this. Coach Foster had made it clear that if I made one wrong move I’d be off the team. It was going to be hard to obey his order to stay away from his daughter when I’d be seeing her every day at school.
“Nope, I’m avoiding her at all costs,” I said. “If I do anything to piss off Coach Foster, I’m screwed.”
“Guess that means he remembers you.”
“Unfortunately.”
“Guess that also means you’re the last person he wants to name captain.”
I swallowed and nodded.
“Sorry, man. I know how much you wanted it.”
I shrugged. “I’ll just have to show him he’s wrong about me.”
People often misjudged me. They thought I breezed through life, like everything was easy. That I was nothing more than a playboy who only cared about girls and hockey—okay, maybe they were right about some things. But I did deserve to be captain.
“I can worry about that tomorrow,” I continued. “We should be celebrating the fact you made the team.”
“Sure, we can,” Seth said. “But is your nose okay?”
“It’s fine. Just a little bloody.”
“It’s a lot bloody,” he corrected. “Are you sure Foster’s daughter did that? It wasn’t some professional boxer out for an evening jog?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Maybe my dad should take a look…”
Dr. Walker had tended to plenty of my hockey injuries over the years, but I didn’t want to bother him. Then again, if even Seth was concerned, this was probably more serious than I thought.
“You’re getting blood on the seat…” he added.
I grimaced as I realized he was right. Perhaps I did need to get my nose checked out after all.
Thankfully, Seth’s dad didn’t mind taking a look. He told me my nose wasn’t broken, but it might be a little swollen and bruised for the next few days. Luckily, there was no serious damage. Not physically, at least. Mackenzie had given my ego a big hit.
“If anyone asks, I took an elbow to the nose during practice,” I told Seth as I left his house.
He scoffed. “That’s boring. I’m telling everyone you’ve started bull riding.”
“Bull riding on a school night after hockey practice?”
“Okay, what about that underground fight club you supposedly set up?”
“That rumor’s like two years old. I started it to give Gray an alibi when he sprained his wrist.”
“Why, what was he really doing?”
“He tripped while picking daisies with Paige…”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Before they were even dating.”
Seth’s eyes lit up before he shook his head. “Fight club it is. We can’t have people thinking you’ve gone soft without your older brothers around. You’re supposed to be the wild one, not the mild one. And if word gets out you were punched by a girl…”
“Okay, fine, the fight club is open for business.”
“Good. Just don’t forget you’ve got a reputation to live down to.” He grinned before closing the Walkers’ front door on me.
As I drove home, I wondered if Seth might have a point. While our team had certainly been weakened by talented players graduating last year, that wasn’t all we’d lost. The fearsome reputation my brothers and I had developed over the years had given us a distinct advantage on the ice.
Opposition players always seemed to think twice when it came to confronting us, and it often felt like we’d beaten them before the game even started.
So, I’d been more than happy to encourage some of the ridiculous rumors that swirled around town about us, and I’d even added a few of my own when necessary.
With my brothers gone, there was less reason to fear the Ransom Devils.
Maybe it was time to let the rumor mill crank up again.
I was hoping my nose wasn’t too bad to look at, but the moment I walked through the front door of my house, Cammie started to smile.
“You look terrible.” My sister could be brutal sometimes, and I swore she had gotten even worse since starting her junior year. “Did you drop your phone on your face again?”
“That was one time.”
“Stick to the nose at practice?”
“Fight club, if you must know. You should see the other guy.”
“Does he look like he tried to stop a puck with his face too?” Like I said, brutal.
“He wishes.”
“No one in their right mind would wish they looked like you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, and Cammie smirked to herself before heading up the stairs.
“Parker?” my mom called from the kitchen.
I’d been hoping to sneak off to my room without her seeing me, but I hadn’t had much luck so far today, why should it change now? With a sigh, I went to find her.
“Why are you home so—” She jumped from her seat when she saw me. “Your nose! What happened?”
She took hold of my jaw and lightly tilted my head to get a better look. I hated it when my mom fussed, but I didn’t shake her off. I hated worrying her more.
“I’m okay, Mom. Just a little knock at practice. Nothing broken.”
“Why didn’t you call?” She tutted before turning her head toward the living room. “Danny, your son’s injured again.”
“Again?” he replied.
“It’s fine,” I insisted. “I’ve already had Seth’s dad check it out, and he gave me the all clear.”
“You went to see Seth’s dad?” My dad walked into the room. “Don’t tell me I owe him another case of beer.”
“You owe him another case of beer,” I replied. “Sorry.”
My dad winced when he got close enough to see my nose properly. “Catch the wrong end of a stick?”
“Something like that,” I muttered. I didn’t want my dad inspecting it too closely. He might quickly realize this was not a hockey-related injury, but a fist-related one.
“Aren’t you going to ask me about practice?” I said, trying to divert my parents’ attention.
“I’m more concerned about your nose,” Mom said. “You sure it’s okay?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I said, wriggling free of her grasp. “I promise. You can call Dr. Walker if you don’t believe me.”
That seemed to calm her somewhat, but I had no doubt she’d call Seth’s dad as soon as we were done here.
“So, how was it?” Dad asked. “Did Ray name his captain?”
“Nope,” I muttered. “Coach Ray’s gone.”
“He’s gone?” My dad frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Apparently he needs back surgery,” I explained. “He’s out for the season. People are saying he might have to retire.”
Mom drew back with surprise, but my dad looked thoughtful. “I’d heard his back was causing him some issues, but I had no idea it was that bad.”
“How awful,” Mom said. “I hope he’s okay. We should send him something. Maybe I’ll bake cookies.”
“He’s already got a bad back, Mom. I don’t think we should give him a bad stomach to go with it.” I loved my mom, but we all knew she was a terrible cook.
She slapped me on the arm, then instantly apologized with another look at my injured nose.
“This is all very sudden,” my dad said, his brow still creased in thought. “The season starts this week. Are they getting a replacement coach?”
“They’ve got one. And you’ll never guess who it is.” I didn’t wait for suggestions. “Wade Foster.”
My parents instantly shared a concerned look, and I wasn’t surprised.
They weren’t big fans of Coach Foster either.
They’d listened to me rave about the guy for months in the lead-up to his camp three years ago, and then they still had to foot the massive bill after I got kicked out.
I’d spent the rest of that summer working at Dad’s garage to help cover the cost. Unlike my brother Reed, I was more of a liability than anything else when it came to cars, and the whole ordeal wasn’t a happy memory for any of us.
“The coach who kicked you out of his camp?” My mom asked the question like she knew the answer but hoped she was wrong. Like perhaps there was another high school hockey coach named Wade Foster, and this was all just an unfortunate coincidence.
“The very same. And apparently he not only remembers me, but he also holds a grudge. I’ll be lucky to ride the bench this year, let alone make captain.”
My dad rubbed a hand over his head, and I swore I spotted another three gray hairs magically appear. You could probably chart every time I’d stressed my dad out by tracking the grays dotting his hairline.
“I’ll talk to him,” Dad said. “Make sure he gives you a fair shot. I think his son plays at Ryker with Reed and Grayson. I’m sure he’ll take a call from me.”
It was tempting, but I sighed and shook my head. “It’s fine, Dad.”
I knew he just wanted to help, but I didn’t need him fighting my battles for me. Plus, I’d bet a call from Dad would only make Foster hate me more. “Just give me a few weeks. I’ll win him over.”
I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to do that. But I’d have to start by proving myself on the ice. And avoiding his daughter, of course.
“That’s the spirit.” Dad patted me on the shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll come around. He’d be crazy to leave his best player on the bench.”
My mom wasn’t so easily reassured, though. She was staring at me, clearly desperate to spill her thoughts.
I sighed. “What is it?”
“Well, it’s just, you know you’re going to have to stay out of trouble, Parker.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Do you?” She tilted her head. “That means no detentions. No saying whatever comes to mind. No mystery injuries. No rumors. No police.”
“Mom, the police was a one-time thing. A total misunderstanding. I swear.”
“You and Seth were caught on the Sunshine Hills Prep grounds in the middle of the night with sixty-four toy devils and a wheelbarrow full of feathers.”
“I still maintain I was sleepwalking.”
“And I suppose you were also sleepwalking the time you painted a Devils logo on Jeremy Hoffman’s car?” Dad asked.
“I can’t help that I’m artistic when I sleep.”
“What about skinny-dipping in the town pool at midnight this summer?” Mum pitched in.
“Sleep-swimming.”
Dad grunted. “We’re just saying—don’t give Foster an excuse to kick you out again.”
My parents were right. We all knew it. But I could see they needed my word.
“Okay, okay. I’ll be good. I’ll stay out of trouble.”
Mom’s lips twisted to the side. She didn’t believe me. “I hope so. You’ve worked too hard to let it all go to waste in your senior year.”
“I won’t do anything to jeopardize my spot, Mom, I swear.”
“Okay.” Neither of my parents seemed convinced though, and I didn’t really blame them. I wasn’t great at staying out of trouble. And it was going to be even harder to avoid it now that Mackenzie Foster was in town.