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The season is about to start, and my chill summer of fun is over. I made captain this year, so it's time to knuckle down and get serious with some partying dotted in here and there, of course.

Being on the hockey team always had its perks, but adding Captain to the mix, an insane number of girls hanging around me.

“How long till you ditch us?” Adam throws an arm over my shoulder as he guides us through the crowded foyer toward the kitchen, nodding at people we know here and there.

“I give him ten minutes.” Bear laughs and I throw Adam’s arm offsmirking at them.

“Come on.” Gunnar joins him, laughing. “It’ll be less than that.”

I’ve gotten a bit of a reputation for hooking up in my first two years of college. While I'm not a big fan of being perceived as a player, it does keep girls from getting any ideas that I'm looking for a relationship. So, I like to fuel the fire now and then, allowing me to keep the focus on hockey.

I lean against the counter as I watch my roommates root around in the fridge for beers. Adam nudges Bear out of the way first. Then Bear does it back, and soon enough the two of them end up wedged in the doors together before Gunnar pries them apart and grabs himself a beer before tossing one at me.

Adam and Bear are sophomores, while Gunnar and I are juniors in our third year; all of us play on the Huntington Wolves hockey team.

I had been drafted to play for the Washington Blades after I graduate and while I had tried to convince Gunnar to go pro after college; he had other plans with his longtime girlfriend Sasha from back home in Charleston, who from the looks he just shot his phone was giving him a hard time for being out.

Adam and Bear had wormed their way into our friendship when they were looking for accommodation after the dorm room they were assigned flooded, andcoach had informed them that our apartment had two rooms open.

Gunnar and I were pissed that we hadn’t been able to pick our new roommates, but once Adam turned up with a brand new PS5 bought for him by his rich Mommy and Daddy from California and Bear brought his own blender and air fryer from Canada, informing us he would prefer to cook to stay on his diet, we both got onboard.

Bear is our chilled-out goalie, and Adam’s a defenceman with a serious attitude problem on the ice and a happy-go-lucky one off of it. They argue like siblings stuck in the same room too long, but you can tell they’d go to war for each other if they needed to.

As I go to take my first sip of my beer, my phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out, ignoring the guys chirping at me.

Grace- I feel like I hardly saw you this summer.

Here we go. Grace was my ex-girlfriend in high school; she was a year younger than I, so I knew we wouldn’t last past my senior year. I had made that clear, but she took it hard when it ended.

Every break that I’m back home, we inevitably end up catching up, and like the asshole I am, I give her more false hope and she texts me.

I don’t want to upset her; we were close friends when we were together.

Me-Yeah, it was a busy one for me.

Grace-Winter break, you can make more time.

Me-Sure, Grace.

I put my phone away and join back into the conversation; my phone buzzes again, I don’t check it.

“Thank God!” I hear someone shout as a blonde blur barrels into the kitchen, gripping the island to stop herself. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you guys.”

“Aww, Cami, finally come to your senses,” Adam drawls, walking over to her and opening his arms. “Come here.”

“Ew, no.” She scrunches her face up and hits him in the stomach. We all snort as he doubles over in pain. The best way to describe Cami is hot and mean, but we all agree behind her back that she’s lovable, so we keep her around.

Who am I kidding? More like she keeps us around, no one tells that girl what to do.

She drags her eyes over the rest of us. “Who’s driving?”

Three fingers point toward me, and I groan, knowing I shouldn't have driven and I’m about to have my night ruined.

“I need a favour,” she pleads with her best puppy eyes.

And I can’t say no because Cami Logan scares the absolute shit out of me.

“Where to?” I sigh, shoving my beer at a passing freshman who’s just walked into the kitchen and gladly takes it, and with it, my night.