Jake #2
I don’t remember what we even learned that day, but from that moment on, I knew she would be someone special to me.
We became fast friends, especially when I learned I played on the same hockey team as her brothers.
I spent many of my nights at their place, so it was easy to get to know her better, and outside of the twins, Kailyn became my best friend, the one person I trusted with everything.
Or so I thought, because life has a funny way of working out.
After she broke up with me my senior year of high school, I was distraught, heartbroken, and wanted to forget about her.
I tried to move on with other girls that I met my freshman year of college.
I regretted every moment of that, not only because I was leading these girls on and playing into the rumors that plagued me during high school, but I could never stop comparing every girl I slept with to Kailyn, from the way they smiled, to the color of their eyes and even the distinct laugh that still plays on repeat in my dreams. Eventually, I stopped messing around and came to my senses, putting all of my focus into hockey and my NHL dreams.
“You’re still hung up on this mystery girl, aren’t you?” Brandon asks in a wistful tone. Brandon is the opposite of his twin—softer, more reserved. He jokes around with us, but he’s always the one you turn to for support when you’re having a rough day.
“Something like that.”
If only they knew.
If only I could tell them who she is. Not telling them always felt like a betrayal of trust with them, but I’ve held onto this secret for so long, wanting to respect Kailyn’s wishes of keeping us a secret.
If they ever found out that I fell in love with their little sister, I’m not sure how they would react.
Being popular and on the hockey team meant a lot of attention from the girls in school, and a lot of them hung on my every word.
While I never gave them the impression that I was remotely interested in them, my eyes only focused on Kailyn.
Many of the girls confused my demeanor for flirting, and they were heartbroken when I rejected them.
This led to rumors being spread about me being a player and a heartbreaker.
It hurt, hearing those horrible rumors. It made me even more reluctant to tell the twins about my feelings for Kailyn.
While I knew neither of them believed the rumors, they’ve always been super protective of their sisters and I didn’t want them finding out at the wrong time to impact their judgement of me or make me lose them.
There was also this small voice in the back of my head screaming that she would run away from me, and unfortunately, I was right.
“Listen, I don’t wanna sound insensitive, but it’s been ten years since high school, don’t you think it’s time to move on and live your life?
We just wanna see you happy, Jake.” Brayden walks over and sits next to me, grasping my shoulder and giving it a squeeze.
His words give me comfort and reassurance that he always has my back.
“I know. I never could have imagined that my life would be this amazing and that I’d be part of this team, but I’m just not looking for romance right now. When the time is right, I’ll know. For now, I don’t need one-night stands and countless women to make me happy,” I reassure them.
Brayden gives me a small smile and another squeeze before he gets up and moves to his stall on the other side of the room.
“What about you, Casanova? Are you ever gonna settle down, or just keep up with your playboy ways?” Connor Mathers, our team captain, teases.
He’s older than all of us, having been in the league for fifteen seasons. His dirty blonde hair is a mess, the top falling past his ears and onto his forehead.
Brayden just rolls his eyes and grins as he starts undressing. “You know me, I’m here for a good time and a long time. Just taking life one day at a time. Like Jake said, when the time is right, I’ll know.”
Connor nods and goes back to changing in his stall.
Coach Davenport walks into the locker room and stands in the middle of the room, holding up his hand. “All right, settle down, gentlemen.”
The chatter in the room quiets down and everyone focuses their attention on Coach.
Despite never having won the Stanley Cup with this team, he’s one of the best coaches in the league.
He started his career as a defenseman, and after eight seasons, decided to hang up his skates once he had his daughter and traded them in for an assistant coach position.
Since then, he’s worked his way up to becoming a well respected Coach, always treating his players like family.
When the Blaze was formed, he was poached from Tampa.
There, he was an assistant coach for three years and a head coach for five more seasons.
He also won four Stanley Cups in his career as a player.
Coach Davenport is a great man all around, a fantastic coach, and everyone respects him because he respects his players and fellow staff in return.
He’s one of the reasons I was so excited to come play for the Blaze.
“Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat this: last year did not turn out the way we wanted it to.
” Mumbles of agreement come from the group.
“We had a lot of ups and downs, so it was time for a restructure. With that being said, the energy and dedication I have seen from you all these past few weeks has really just blown me away. You’re gelling like a team should, and if we keep up that energy on the ice, we have a real chance of making it all the way this year.
” He looks at each one of us, making sure that we feel his words and that we know he’s not bullshitting us.
“So, we’re going to finish off the final introductions for our new staff members. I expect you to welcome them and be respectful as you always are.” His expression turns serious, almost like he’s glaring daggers at us.
“The first person I am introducing you to is going to be interning in our Public Relations department, and also happens to be my daughter. I’m not the overprotective, overbearing coach who will threaten this team not to touch her.
I am, however, a father who is telling you that if you hurt my daughter, you will be off this team faster than you can blink.
I trust you all, and many of you are like sons to me, but I will not tolerate any disrespect to her or any of this staff. Are we understood?”
“Yes, Coach!” We all shout in unison.
“Good. Then let me introduce you to our newest member of the PR team, Emilia Davenport.”