Chapter 22 Parker
“You guys lost again?”
I woke to find Reed standing over me. I hadn’t realized he was coming home today, and the disappointment in his eyes was the last thing I wanted to see. Sometimes I wished Ryker was just a little bit further away.
“Nice to see you too, Reed.” I slowly pushed myself up. “What are you doing here so early?”
“Early? It’s eleven a.m.”
I groaned and rubbed a hand down my face.
It had been a rough night. Sleep had eluded me as I replayed the loss repeatedly in my mind.
The final score might have been closer than the previous games, but I was still far from happy with the way we played.
Missed passes, poor line changes, no communication, no intensity.
This wasn’t how the Ransom Devils were supposed to play.
We’d been floundering long before the refs made that terrible call.
But despite all that, I knew I was the one who’d cost the team because I’d left us shorthanded with two minutes to go.
“Why are you so tired? Were you partying last night?” Reed asked.
“Sure.” If by partying, he meant disappearing into my sketchbook until the early hours of the morning.
I’d been inspired to go in a different direction with my comic strip, and I was just a little obsessed with my new idea.
It helped that drawing had provided a small reprieve from thinking about the game.
Three defeats in a row; it had to be some kind of record for Ransom High.
If this continued, we’d be lucky to make the playoffs this year, let alone win another state championship.
And with Coach Foster’s opinion of me probably at an all-time low, I was sure my slim chances of being named captain were now almost non-existent.
Reed, meanwhile, appeared to be doing better than ever. Was it possible he was still growing? He seemed even taller than before. I’d thought I was almost catching him in height. But apparently I’d always be chasing after him.
“Where’s Grayson?”
“Where do you think?” Reed grinned.
It didn’t take long for me to work out the answer. When it came to Gray, there were only three things he really cared about: hockey, food, and his girlfriend. “Paige?” I guessed.
“Yep.” Reed nodded. “She drove back with us, but wanted to drop by her house. They’ll be here later.”
“So, they’re still as loved up as ever?”
“More than ever.”
I laughed at the way Reed rolled his eyes, because I knew he was joking. We couldn’t have been happier when Paige and Grayson finally got together last year. They were perfect for each other, and we all liked Paige. She was like a sister.
“You could have told me you guys were coming back today,” I said, as I grabbed a sweatshirt off my chair and put it on.
“I thought we messaged you.” Reed shrugged. “Although, maybe that was Cammie.”
I grunted. It still annoyed me that my brothers had a group chat with my younger sister, and its main purpose seemed to be so they could gossip about me. I sincerely hoped the group had moved on to other topics by now, and that the monkey profile picture had also been replaced.
“Is Gray feeling okay after that hit he took in your game yesterday?”
“He’ll be fine,” Reed said. “It’s the other guy you should probably be worried about.”
I laughed and nodded. Most people who went head to head with Grayson on the ice ended up regretting it.
“I hear you made a new friend at the end of your game, too,” Reed continued.
“I got two for roughing, no big deal.”
“Sounds like you were lucky to get away with only a two-minute penalty.”
“What do you mean? The only person who got lucky was the Chargers player. He didn’t get punished at all.”
“True, but I heard you weren’t even near the play.”
“I was right there.”
“Parker, you went coast-to-coast to throw down with the guy.”
“Says who?”
“Uh, Cammie, Mom, Dad, our neighbor Jerry, some dude I bumped into at the gas station…”
“Okay, okay. I get it. Everyone saw me fight.”
Reed shook his head. “No, everyone saw you sprint down the ice to defend your new goalie. I hear you’ve been spending a lot of one-on-one time with her…”
I glared at my brother, knowing exactly what he was getting at.
Yes, I’d reacted poorly to seeing Mackenzie get hit and was well aware it had cost us the game.
But what I wasn’t sure about was why I’d reacted that way.
One minute I was watching her make a save from the other end of the rink, the next I was wrestling the guy against the boards, throwing him to the ground and being ordered off the ice.
Something had taken over when I saw Mackenzie get hurt, and while I’d been sitting in the penalty box, I realized I’d been doing more than just defending our goalie. I’d been defending her. And that was what kept me awake last night the most.
“Don’t start,” I grumbled. Eleven a.m. or not, it was way too early for this. I hadn’t even had breakfast yet.
“Why not?” Reed’s grin grew wide. “It’s way more fun giving you shit than receiving it.”
“Yeah, well, let me wake up a little, and we’ll see who’s giving who shit.” I slowly stumbled from my room. My stomach felt like it was eating itself. Reed followed me to the kitchen, so I changed the subject before he could keep asking about the game.
“How’s Violet doing in California?”
“She’s good,” Reed said. “It’s hard being apart from her, but she barely saw her mom last year, so I think she likes being at school close to home. She’s going to try and visit when we’re back for homecoming in a couple of weeks though.”
“Long distance.” I shook my head. “Must be tough.”
“It’s worth it, for the right girl.” His lips twitched, and suddenly the dreamy smile he always wore around Violet was plastered on his face. I found myself wondering if I’d ever look like such an idiot when I thought about a girl.
“Besides, it’s only temporary,” he continued. “I just hope if I ever get drafted, I end up someplace warm. Violet seriously can’t handle the cold.”
“No, really?” I laughed sarcastically. I’d never seen anyone wear as many layers as Violet during winter.
He scowled at me but then slapped me on the back. “I’ve missed you, little bro.”
I had to admit, the house had felt way too empty with Reed and Grayson gone, and I was happy to have my brothers home, too.
“Here I was thinking you’re too busy being a college hockey superstar to miss me,” I said.
“I don’t know about the superstar stuff. But I’ll never be too busy for you.”
This was about as deep as Reed and I ever got, but I knew he meant it. It could be frustrating sometimes to watch Reed so easily achieve everything I wanted, while my own hopes and dreams were currently slipping through my fingers. But I could only ever be happy for him.
Mom was sitting at the kitchen counter reading a book with a half-naked man wearing a kilt on the cover, which she slammed shut when we walked through the door.
Her face was glowing when she looked up at us.
I certainly hoped it was because she was happy to see her sons back together, and not because she’d just discovered what was under that man’s kilt.
“Have you eaten, Reed?” she asked.
“Yeah, I grabbed something on the road.”
“How about you, monkey?”
No matter how many times I told my mom to stop calling me that, she couldn’t let the habit die.
“I’ll just get some cereal.”
“Don’t eat it all,” Mom said. “Save some for your brothers.”
She should have known by now, when it came to our pantry, it was every Darling for themselves.
“How about your friend?” Mom asked.
I turned to look at Reed as he returned her smile. “I’m sure he’s fine; he ate on the road, too.”
“Friend?” I asked, my words muffled by a mouthful of Cheerios.
“Yeah, one of our teammates caught a ride back with us.” Reed’s voice trailed off as a tall guy with blond hair entered the kitchen.
“You guys talking about me?” He was grinning from ear to ear.
I vaguely recognized him and started running through the Raiders’ roster in my head, trying to recall his name.
“I’m Max,” he said, holding out his hand. “Max Foster. You must be Parker.”
I almost choked on a Cheerio. “There’s a Foster in our house?”
I instantly regretted my comment and tried to hide it with a cough, before I quickly shook his hand. “Uh, I mean, it’s great to meet you, man.” The world was way too small.
Either Max hadn’t heard me, or he didn’t mind my awkwardness, because his genuine smile didn’t falter. “Great to officially meet you too. Especially since you’ve got some clothes on this time.”
Reed snorted and Mom shot me a look, but didn’t say anything. Instead, she stood up from the bench and headed for the fridge, muttering to herself. She’d already heard about my naked trek through the ice arena and made her feelings clear. To be honest, I was surprised she’d been surprised.
“You saw that?” I asked.
“Just caught the end of the show.” Somehow, Max was still smiling. This Foster seemed far more friendly than the others.
“And I saw the highlights of your game yesterday,” he added.
I should have been grateful he’d changed the subject, but he’d picked pretty much the only other topic I wanted to avoid right now.
“Thanks for backing up my little sister,” he continued. “You really put that guy in his place. Well worth getting two minutes in the box, if you ask me. But I can’t believe the refs let the other guy off.” He shook his head. “What were they thinking?”
I shrugged, unsure how else to respond. I doubted he’d be thanking me if he knew the way his little sister was currently occupying my brain space. How much I was wrestling with my reasons for leaping to Mackenzie’s defense so urgently. It felt far safer to just keep my trap shut.
“We’d better go,” Reed said.
“Oh, so soon?” Mom asked.
“I need to drive Max home, but I’ll be back for dinner.” Reed then turned to me. “I heard the lake is frozen solid and someone has already set up for pond hockey. Want to go for a skate later?”
“Sure. We can see if you’ve actually learned anything at college.”
Reed chuckled before glancing at Max. “How about you, Foster? Want to help me school my little brother?”
“I could come for a skate.” Max nodded as he looked my way. “But I’m not sure your brother needs schooling. I saw your goals yesterday. That wraparound was a beauty.”
“Ah, I just got lucky.”
“No way, all skill.”
Maybe my plan to win these Fosters over one by one was working. If only Mackenzie and her dad were as simple to please as Max, their stepmom, and the cat.
“Guess we’ll see you later then,” I said.
“Looking forward to it,” Max replied. “Maybe I’ll see if Kenzie’s up for it, too.”
I swallowed as Reed and Max left the room.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face Mackenzie after yesterday.
We hadn’t spoken since the game, so I had no clue how she was feeling about my penalty.
It didn’t take a genius to know she’d be annoyed I’d got stuck in the box and cost the team.
But the way I’d reacted to her getting hit?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what she thought about that.
She was probably just pissed we lost. Especially as she’d been playing a lot better than her first game. No one could blame her for letting in the goal at the end though. That was all on me. Another unfamiliar feeling entered my chest. Oh God, not guilt. This girl was really messing with my head.
“You okay?” Mom asked. I’d kind of forgotten she was still here.
“I’m fine, Mom.”
She smiled. “You just looked a little startled when Max mentioned his sister. Is there something going on there?”
“No.”
“Are you sure? You did fight that player for her yesterday.”
“It wasn’t for her. It’s hockey, Mom. Fights happen.”
“Okay, if you say so,” she said. “It’s probably for the best. You are trying to stay on her dad’s good side, after all.”
It was for the best, and yet a part of me was disappointed Mom was so fast to write Mackenzie off. My mom usually leaped at any potential opportunity to play matchmaker with her kids. She must think it was a truly bad idea to risk getting close to the coach’s daughter.
“Right,” I agreed. “I was worried for a second you were going to pull out your wedding planning folder.”
“Well, I can do that if you want, sweetie.” There was a teasing tint to her voice. “I’d certainly approve. She must be a very special girl if she can put up with you and the rest of the boys on that hockey team.”
“I said no, Mom.”
She was smiling happily as I made a quick exit, still clutching my box of Cheerios.
“Maybe see if Mackenzie and Max want to come for family dinner?” she called after me. She really couldn’t help herself.
“I’m sure they’re busy!” I called back.
“Just ask them when you’re finished at the lake.”
I was hoping Mackenzie wouldn’t show up at the lake at all.
While a part of me wanted to see her, another part was terrified this thing between us was no longer just an itch that needed to be scratched.
She was stubborn, determined, completely maddening.
Yet all those things that had been reasons to stay clear of her, now seemed to be drawing me closer and making me do things I regretted.
And getting closer to Mackenzie wasn’t an option, if I wanted to stay on the team.
If I wanted any chance of convincing Coach Foster I was the player I thought I was. The captain I wanted to be.
Maybe I needed her to punch me again. Though, knowing me, I’d probably end up liking that too.