Chapter 16 Mackenzie
Five minutes at my first Ransom High party, and already I was counting down the seconds until I could leave.
I wasn’t particularly excited about socializing after the game.
The aches and pains in my muscles had already started to set in, each time I moved my legs a reminder of how badly I’d failed today.
I’d been hoping the party might provide a much-needed distraction.
But so far it had only been a disappointment.
The music was so loud I could barely think, our injured goalie and party host Elliot had taken a break from downing tequila shots to corner me in the hallway and gloat, and I’d lost my friends in the crowd.
I probably should have searched for them, but instead I chose escape.
It was freezing outside tonight, but as I wandered into Elliot’s backyard I found the night’s cold air far more comforting than the throng of bodies inside.
It felt like the entire school was here.
The opportunity to drink and party was clearly enough to make most people forget the Devils had lost today. I wished I could forget so easily.
“You know, the party’s supposed to be inside.”
I spun to see Parker standing behind me. I must have been really lost in thought for him to sneak up on me like that, especially when the air around me seemed to vibrate at his very presence. I was just glad it wasn’t Elliot returning to revel in my failure once more.
“Then what are you doing out here?” I asked. “I saw you inside with Vanessa. Looked like you were having a good time.”
“You say that like it’s a crime.”
I cursed myself for admitting I’d been watching him. Who was I to judge Parker for cuddling up close with girls at parties? Why should I even care?
He stepped closer, leaves crunching underfoot.
He was near enough now that I could smell him.
I kept waiting to be hit by some off-putting aroma, like stale beer or a suffocatingly intense cologne.
Instead, Parker’s scent was subtle, familiar.
It was the smell of fresh laundry and sun-warmed cotton. I decided to breathe through my mouth.
“So, today didn’t go well…” he started.
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Seth and Jansen were trying to do my job for me in the third period, and I know it was because of whatever you said to them. All they did was get in my way.”
“You looked like you needed the help.”
“Well, that didn’t help.”
“What else was I supposed to do?”
“How about you trust me?” I shook my head. “I don’t need protecting. I get enough of that from my dad.”
He straightened his back and a serious look entered his eyes. I knew he must regret asking me to join the team. But I was the one who had been let down—and not just because of what he’d done in the game today.
Parker had convinced me to try out, smuggled me in, gave my dad no choice but to pick me and then, in the middle of our first game, decided I couldn’t hack it. Now he was blaming me. Screw this.
I started moving back toward the house, but when I brushed past him, I felt his hand on my arm.
“I do,” he mumbled.
“What?”
“I trust you.”
There was something so sincere in his expression, it took me a moment to regroup. My voice held a little less edge as I replied, “Then why did you send your little sidekicks to stand guard at my side during the final period?”
Parker paused, a frown crossing his features. He usually spat out the first thing that came to mind, and I couldn’t work out what was different right now.
“I wasn’t thinking,” he said. “Is that what you want to hear?”
He hesitated, and I realized I was holding my breath as I waited for him to continue.
“Before the game, when you told me how scared you were, I didn’t blame you.
” He suddenly realized his hand was still resting gently on my arm and he pulled it back.
“I harassed you into joining the team. And then you only got one practice. I didn’t want you to have such a bad experience that you decided to quit after one game.
” He was looking at the ground, but then his blue eyes darted up and locked with mine. “I need you.”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry.
“We,” he quickly corrected himself, shaking his head. “The team, I mean. You’re good, Mackenzie. Really good. We’ve got no chance without you. I messed up today, and I’m sorry, but we’ve still got two more games.”
His eyes were soft and his expression unguarded. Like he meant every word he said.
“Well, I don’t see the next two games being any better. I’m not getting the coaching I need at practice, and even if I was, I’m never going to succeed when my own teammates are undermining me. Thanks to you, everyone now thinks I need Jansen’s oversized ass to save shots for me.”
He blew out a long breath as he ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, fine.”
“Okay, fine, what?”
“You’ve made your point.” His lips started curving with the return of his famous mischievous smile. “I’ll make it up to you.”
I already didn’t like where this was going. “What? How?”
“I’ll help you.” He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Isn’t that the reason we’re in this mess in the first place?”
“Maybe.” He laughed. “But now I know exactly what needs to be done—I’m going to train you.”
I frowned and my mouth fell open slightly in shock as he continued.
“You know how to stop a puck, but there’s more to being a great goaltender than that.
Your dad’s not giving you the support you need at practice, and the guys are all too worried about pissing him off to shoot against you properly during drills.
Either that, or they’re being nice to try and get in your pants. ”
“Lovely,” I muttered.
“Come on,” he said, holding out his arms. “Let me train you, and we’ll prove everyone wrong.”
I wanted nothing more than to prove my dad wrong. But could I really commit to practicing with Parker? Almost every interaction we’d ever had seemed to end badly for at least one of us.
“We’ve only got a week before the next game,” I said. “You can’t expect a miracle.”
“Now that you’ve got me? Sure, I can.”
I let out a groan, mainly because I knew I didn’t have a choice. Maybe this could work. If we didn’t kill each other before the week was out. “Fine.” I sighed. “But just so we’re clear, I’m not going to enjoy a single second of this.”
“Likewise.” He grinned at me in a way that made my pulse flicker. “Go for a light recovery jog tomorrow. Do some stretching and maybe add in some core work. Then meet me at the rink when it opens on Monday morning for our first session.”
I watched as he turned and headed back toward the house, wondering what the hell I’d just signed myself up for.
“Kenzie!” Jaz and Isaac were waving at me from the deck. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing!”
“Questioning my sanity,” I muttered as I went to join my friends.
Had Parker really just agreed to help me train? And had I really just accepted? It all felt like some cruel joke, though neither of us would be laughing if we lost the next game like we had today’s.
But apparently I was going to find out how serious Parker was when I joined him at the rink bright and early on Monday morning.