Chapter Four #2
Caden didn’t let out a sound. He gritted his teeth and tried to gain some momentum in pushing me back.
I stumbled but held fast the next moment, so Caden’s entire body clashed against mine.
We pressed tightly, my left cheek bumping against his nose.
In an instant of carelessness, I allowed Caden’s hand close enough that he grabbed a fistful of my hair.
“You fight like a coward,” I growled.
“Shut the fuck up, asshole,” he spat back.
I managed to press one hand against his face and force him back a little before Jordan got around the soccer table and separated us with the sheer strength he possessed.
The separation was nasty. Jordan didn’t care what he bruised, firmly sticking to the old ‘ends justify the means’ mantra.
It felt as though some of my hair remained in Caden’s fist. I didn’t feel them being pulled, but he shook his hand as if he’d accidentally caught a viper.
“Enough!” Jordan’s voice boomed so loudly that everyone was stilled instantly. “Caden, back the fuck off. Beckett, over there.” He grabbed me by my scruff like an angry mama cat would drag her disgruntled kitten. I wouldn’t say I liked it.
As we moved two paces away from the fateful spot, I pushed Jordan away and freed myself. “I’m alright.”
“You are not,” Jordan snapped. “I’m fucking sick and tired of you two acting like goddamn tomcats. And guess what?” He glared at me, then turned to Caden to extend that question to him, too. “Everyone is.”
Tyler and Sebastian, who’d dropped all pretense, had their arms crossed on their chests and scowls on their faces. “True,” one said. “We are,” the other agreed.
“That’s not my problem,” I said defiantly.
“Yes, it is,” Jordan insisted. “You’re the captain.
Your whole purpose is to keep the team united and all you’ve done is poke the guy every single day.
It’s like you’re asking for a fight.” Jordan shook his head at me in disappointment.
Here was my closest ally and best friend, sick of me.
Thanks to Caden, that was not a plot twist. “And you.” Jordan pointed at my nemesis.
“Enough already with the accusations. That’s some serious shit you’re saying.
You have no proof and sparking gossip has implications you don’t even know.
What about Coach Murray? What about Nate Partridge?
What about the entire Northwood board? You’re playing with fire, Caden. ”
The fucker shrugged like it didn’t matter to him. “He started it.”
“The fuck I did,” I snapped.
Jordan rounded on me. “You know what you did.”
I fell silent. As everyone waited for what would happen next, I avoided all the eyes in the room.
I looked away, my lips pursed, and my eyes narrowed.
Nobody understood the weight of my responsibility.
But the worst was that nobody understood what failing at it felt like.
And I had a perfectly intact reason for my failures standing four paces away, ripe for smashing.
“All he’s done in the last three weeks is go out, get boozed up, and screw around.
I can’t remember the last time we were at a bar and Caden wasn’t making out with some random dude. ”
“What the fuck is your problem?” Caden demanded.
“Jesus, dude,” Jordan said darkly. “I’m not even gonna…”
“Who I kiss is none of your fucking business,” Caden snapped. “I’ve watched you trick girls into falling in love with you for two goddamn years and I never said shit. Leave my private life alone.”
“I would, but it keeps interfering with practice. You’re late, you’re hungover, and you don’t care if we win or lose.
” I bit off the rest of what I wanted to say.
I still needed to reconsider my opinions on taking Caden off the team.
If I made a compelling case, Coach might bend my way.
Today, I felt like it had been a test of my wits.
I had passed it thanks to nothing more than my own indecisiveness on the matter.
“Beckett,” Jordan said firmly, practically telling me to bite my tongue off.
Caden took a calm step toward us, his head held high. “Why should I do any better?” he asked. It wasn’t even rhetorical. “I worked my ass off while you jerked off for two years. And look what it got me.”
“That’s not fair,” Tyler interrupted.
“It’s not totally wrong, either,” Sebastian said.
“You’re all missing the point,” Asher spoke up. All faces turned his way. “I’ve been here for three weeks and regret every decision that led me here. This is hell.” He pointed at Jordan. “I listened to your stories about the team for two years. This isn’t what I imagined.”
“Things weren’t the same for the last two years,” Jordan said defensively, a trace of an apology touched his tone.
“I get that,” Asher said. “And I get why. It’s you two.”
“Back off, newbie,” I grumbled.
“That’s right,” Asher said. “I am a newbie. And if things will be like this until you two graduate, I won’t stick around for long.”
Jordan chewed on his lower lip, then shook his head. “The kid’s right,” he sighed. Somewhere in the back of my consciousness, I was amused at how Jordan said that. It made Asher bristle. “And he’s not alone. You two are going to take away everyone’s love for hockey.”
I crossed my arms on my chest now. Everyone looking my way made me feel too open.
Caden spoke up. “Is this how you all feel?”
Tyler and Sebastian reluctantly nodded while Jordan and Asher voiced their assent.
“That’s just the four of you,” I pointed out coolly.
“We won’t make any team decisions without the whole team weighing in.
If other guys are fine with how things are, you four must accept it and move on.
If not, then…” I shrugged. It might just be the end of my captaincy.
“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. ” I specifically did not look at Caden.
One of us might have to go. And I was determined that it wouldn’t be me.