Page 5 of Ruled Out

I smirk. “You don’t say.”

“You know, I’ve shared a dorm with you for four months now, but I still don’t think I know the real you. Don’t you ever just want to let your hair down and go for it?”

“You mean, like, go out and get wrecked?”

She twists her lips to the side in thought. “Yeah, I guess. Skip class, leave an assignment until the night before. I don’t thinkI’ve ever seen you break any rules. The perfect good girl.” She laughs, swishing her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

“I don’t see the point,” I reply in an even tone.

“Why not? The first year of college is for fun, hooking up, and having a wild time. I mean, I get you’re a couple of years older, but don’t you want that?”

Tucking a piece of my dark hair behind my ear, I watch as the second period ends. The players skate off the ice, and Jessie disappears off camera. I keep my eyes glued to the screen and press my lips together.

“It was hard enough getting here and convincing my dad this was the right move for me. I’m not about to put my one chance at studying for this career at risk by getting wasted and hooking up. My dad has successfully kept me out of the spotlight my entire life, and that’s how I like it.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her nod and push away her glass.

“I get that. But there must be something that makes you want to go crazy.”

Yeah, there is—or was. But he disappeared off camera about thirty seconds ago, and every time we’ve tried to reach out to each other, it all goes to shit.

I look at Tara. “I don’t like doing anything where I feel out of control. So, partying and drinking just don’t appeal to me.”

“Because of, um … your mom?” she asks cautiously.

Christ, I wish I’d not come out tonight.

Although she’s right.

My dad has always been protective of me and my identity. But from the moment my mom died on New Year’s Eve at the hands of a drunk driver, he went overboard. Images of the accident reached every news outlet from here to Timbuktu, and at fifteen, it hit me hard.

I miss my mom. I miss her smile and the way I always knew it would be okay when I saw her. But most of all, I miss her hugs.

And whether he says it out loud or not, I know that’s why Dad didn’t approve of Jessie, the guy who has battled addiction. Dad can hide behind his reasons—like a breach of staff-player contracts and Jessie being a “dressing-room disruptor”—all he wants, but I know the truth, and so does Jessie.

He wanted him out of Dallas and as far away from me as possible, and a convenient trade two thousand miles away in Seattle was the perfect solution.

CHAPTER THREE

JESSIE

“Callaghan, shower and then my office.”

As I walk off the ice with Jensen, the hairs on my neck bristle in response to Coach Burrows’s tone.

“There’s hisI’m pissed off, you played like shittonightvoice and then histhis has nothing to do with hockey and everything to do with ripping you a new assholevoice.” Jensen slides his eyes over to Burrows as our coach walks into his office and slams the door behind him.

“No kidding,” I reply, pulling off my helmet. “I played all right tonight.” If sinking two goals and an assist amount to anything.

Jensen pushes through the locker room door with me on his heels. “Exactly. You secured us the win, so I’m saying, prepare for pain.”

As we remove our pads, the boys start heading for the showers, leaving us alone on the benches.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s got nothing to do with Mia. I haven’t heard from her since she turned up in Whistler.”

I think back to that moment only a couple of weeks ago. A whole group of us—Zach, Luna, and Aster, their baby boy; Jon and Felicity; Kate and Jensen and their twins—had all rented this house, which turned out to be more of a mansion near Creekside Village. I tagged along with Jon’s brother, Adam, since my options were going home for the holidays or spending them alone.

It worked out to be one of the best Christmases I’d ever had, but the day before we were due to leave, Mia showed up at a café, where we’d all stopped by on a walk to get hot chocolate. The whole time, I’d been receiving messages from an unknown number, saying they were in town and asking if we could meet up. Turned out, it was Mia, and she wasn’t just in town; she was sitting opposite me in the one open café in the village.