Out of Bounds (Southbay U #1)

Chapter 1

ONE

CONNOR

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we do it!”

Matty throws his drink in the air like he just won a championship finale. I watch our newest recruit as he sways precariously on the chair he’s standing on, not having a care in the world that he just spilled half his drink across the bar. He has some serious drunken confidence, I’ll give him that.

We’re at Tipsy’s after our first game of the new year.

The on-campus bar is often the busiest spot in town, but it straight-up transforms to Grand Central Station on game days.

Tonight is no different; a win on home ice draws a crowd like no other, and it’s been a while since any of us have had that.

“All right, will someone get Indiana Jones down before he hurts himself?” someone shouts from one of the booths at the back of the bar where most of our senior players are crammed in.

I look up just in time to see Ethan point at Matty, who’s still playing king of the jungle on the chair behind me, albeit looking a bit more like Bambi on ice than he was a few moments ago.

He staggers, reaching for something to hold him steady.

One hand hits the back of the barstool, and he manages to right himself just in time.

I don’t trust him enough not to keel right over.

Fuck.

“You will never defeat me!” Matty declares from atop his throne as I sidle up beside him. I’m not sure if he’s clued on to the fact that he’s about to get his ass pulled back down to earth, or if he’s still riding the post-game adrenaline high.

“Come on, champ.” I tap his knee to get his attention. “Coach is going to kill us if we let the newest member of his flock get injured.”

Matty scoffs, clearly unfazed by the threat. His scowl would almost be intimidating if his cheeks weren’t tinted red from the alcohol. “I’m not scared of Coach.”

An onslaught of snickers erupts from the players close enough to hear him.

This kid is fearless, both on and off the ice, it would seem.

It’s one of the reasons I vouched for him at tryouts, but I might need to revisit that decision if his stupidity continues.

Coach Reid is what nightmares are made of.

It took me six months to finally work up the courage to look him in the eyes my first year on the team.

Took me another year to tell him I wasn’t registering for the draft.

“Goes to show how green you are, kid. Coach should have you shaking in your boots.” Finn laughs beside me.

“That kid has a death wish.” Tanner adds from where he’s leaning against the bar, watching the show unfold.

“You’re one to talk.” I’m pretty sure Tanner was the one who came up with the idea of sneaking into the rink after-hours last year to see who could belly slide the farthest on the ice.

There may have also been a drinking game involved.

I have never seen Coach so angry as when he found six of his players flopping around on his rink like drunk idiots at three in the morning.

“Touché.” He tips his beer in my direction as I turn back to the drunk defenseman.

“Sorry, buddy, it’s for your own good,” I tell him, wrapping my arms around Matty’s legs in a takedown before he can escape. I wouldn’t put it past him to try climbing onto the bar if he thought that would save him.

“I’m serious,” Matty insists, not noticing that he’s about to get hauled off his high horse by someone twice his size. For a rookie freshman he’s bulked up nicely in the last few months, but he’s still got nothing on my six-foot frame. “I could take Coach in a heartbeat.”

He throws his hands up like he’s getting ready to shadowbox, except he’s still holding his half-empty beer and the sudden jostle has it sloshing over the rim of the glass. I feel the chill of it as it runs down my shoulder, soaking my shirt.

“Okay, kid, that’s it. Save it for the ice,” I grumble, setting him on his feet beside me. He blinks at me with slow eyes and a slack jaw. I try really hard not to notice the way he sways on his feet, like he’s about to double over. Yeah, we should have cut him off sooner.

“You’re just jealous you can’t command the room like I do,” he huffs when he finally comes to.

I bite back the laugh that’s threatening to burst out. “Sure thing.”

Thankfully, his anger is short lived when he spots a group of girls smiling at us from two tables over. “Watch and learn.” He grins as he sets off toward them.

The attention has definitely gone to his head, but I can’t blame him for it. After our losing streak last year, it feels fucking good to start the new year out with a win. It’s only January, but I’m starting to think this year might be okay after all.

“Should we stop him?” I ask Luke, both of us still eyeing the kid who is now taking a bow in front of the girls, like he’s presenting himself to royalty.

“As long as he doesn’t break a leg, we’re good.” He slides a fresh beer my way. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t suggest we do spin drills in the morning.”

“You are evil.”

“Speaking of—how’s your roommate?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “He got kicked out before Christmas.” I’ve tried to push away thoughts of Josh Henderson ever since I walked in on him slipping a bag of little white pills to one of the pledges at the Kappa Delta’s Thanksgiving party.

“Faculty finally pinned him, huh?”

I take a sip of my beer, my smile growing against the rim. “There may have been an anonymous tip or two.” Or five.

“So, who did they stick you with this year?”

“No one. The place was empty when I got back.”

“You know what that means, don’t you?” Tanner grins, elbowing the six-foot-two goalie beside him. Aiden just shakes his head and takes another gulp of his beer.

“House party!” Ollie exclaims, coming up behind him and throwing an arm around Tanner’s shoulder. The look that passes between them has chills running down my spine.

“No way.” I instinctively take a step back. “The place still hasn’t recovered from the last time I let you throw a party.” Worst mistake ever. I spent weeks trying to get the smell of alcohol out of the carpet, and that was just the damage done to the living room.

Ollie pouts. “You’re no fun.”

“You made a battering ram out of a bookshelf and broke down my bathroom door,” I remind him. “The lock is still shot.”

“We were concerned,” Tanner exclaims, drawing out the words like that’ll convince me of their innocence.

“You both watched Jefferson disappear in there with Savannah.”

“Jefferson disappearing with the hottest girl on campus is definitely cause for concern,” Ollie scoffs.

“The answer is no.”

“Fine.” He scowls.

“Connor, you’re up!” Luke interrupts gesturing behind me. I turn just in time to see Finn and Ethan emerge from the makeshift dance floor with Matty wedged between them.

“Did you command the room a little too hard kid?” I joke and he glances up at me, his head jostling from side to side.

Shit… he is drunk drunk.

“Rocked it,” he slurs before his head slumps again.

“He’s going to be sorry in the morning.” Finn snorts as he slides out from under Matty’s arm so I can take his place.

“Good thing he’s not afraid of Coach.”

Ethan steps away too and Matty sags against me. Thankfully the kid still has enough wits about him to stand. It’s awkward as fuck trying to drag someone out of a packed bar when they’re too drunk to stand.

“Called you a cab, it’s out front,” Ethan tells me, proving once again why he’s Captain. He might not be the one getting Matty out of here, but I know for a fact he’s going to be hovering by his phone until I confirm that I got him home in one peace.

“Thanks, man.”

Matty’s got one hand clutching the fabric of my shirt so tight I think he might be trying to rip off a button, but I somehow succeed in guiding him toward the front door.

It’s freezing when we step outside. Winters in Massachusetts are no joke. It was stupid of me not to bring a coat, but it had been the last thing on my mind as we all stormed from the arena, buzzing from the win and pushing each other to see who would make it to the bar first.

The snow crunches under my boots while I tug Matty toward the idling taxi. We’re almost off the pavement when I accidentally steer us across a patch of ice.

“Shit.” I stagger as Matty’s feet slide out from under him. He topples forward, almost sending both of us crashing to the ground. I only just catch him in time before he faceplants. “Are you okay?”

He makes a noise I can’t decipher, and then, “I’m not feeling too good, C.”

That’s the only warning I get before his face goes white as a sheet and he spills his guts. All. Over. Me.

Fuck.