Page 66 of Like a Power Play (Greenrock University: Icebound #1)

Thirty Four

Peyton

“ E xpecting a call?”

I glance up from my phone to find Harlowe hauling two inflatable sleds behind her, round cheeks flushed, her purple beanie slipping over her snow-dusted brows. Those ocean eyes squint at me as we trudge up the Snoqualmie Summit.

I slip my phone back into my bra, adjusting my grip on the rope of my sled. “No.”

Behind us, Bailey gives an amused huff, dragging her mittens to brush the dark hair out of her eyes as Mr. Bubbles plods beside her. It’s been like this since we were kids. Bailey loves the idea of anything outdoorsy, as long as someone else is doing the work and she doesn’t get dirty.

Picnics? Great, until she has to carry the basket. Paddleboarding? Absolutely, until it’s time to inflate the board. She’s our little royal pain, but she cooks us breakfast every morning so it’s a pretty fair trade.

“That’s like, the thirtieth time you’ve checked your phone since we got here,” she says, hand propped on her hip. She’s wearing these soft pink earmuffs, almost identical to the ones Darcy had on the first night we kissed. It’s ridiculous how something so small can pull her right back into my head.

Not that she ever really leaves.

She has infiltrated every inch of my brain. Every atom in my mind has her name engraved on it.

I’m not normally someone who does the feelings thing. And now, I’m… feeling . Relentlessly.

February’s been a blur of training and her.

With the LNHLs around the corner, my focus should be locked on the Sabertooths. On getting us to the finals. On securing a shot at the NCAAs.

For most of the season, that’s been the only thing that mattered.

It’s just, lately, nothing feels more important than her.

I don’t know when that shifted. Maybe it was Pineview, when I kissed her.

Maybe it was when I opened up about my dad and Avery.

I didn’t fully realize it until we were dancing in that diner, but now I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been falling since the beginning, and now I'm scraping my knees for just a shred of her attention, because hers is the only kind that ever made me feel like I deserved it.

“Just checking the time,” I lie, focusing on the soft crunch of snow beneath my boots.

Seattle doesn’t get snow like this, which is why we have to drive to the mountain.

I’ve used that fact to try and lure Avery out for a visit, but he insists he won’t leave town unless it’s for somewhere perpetually warm.

Which is his personal motivation behind me being recruited to the Sabertooths. He'd thrive in San Diego.

I don’t see it, but I swear I can feel Bailey and Harlowe exchange a glance behind my back. My brows knit as I glance over my shoulder at them.

“What?” I ask, already sighing.

Harlowe hitches a shoulder. “Nothing.”

Bailey mutters something under her breath. The snow kicks up under my boots as I spin around, arms crossed.

“Okay, you’re both being weird. What’s going on?”

Bailey just looks at Harlowe with a shit-eating grin, hand outstretched, palm facing the sky. “Pay up, Yersie.”

Harlowe shoots her an icy glare. “Not a chance. Nothing’s been confirmed or denied.”

Bailey scoffs. “Oh, come on. We both know that’s BS.”

“Is not.”

“Is too. And Mister chewed through my earbuds, so I need that hundred.”

“Okay!” I raise both hands, my head whipping back and forth between them like a ping-pong ball. Snowflakes settle on my lashes, but I blink them away. “Can someone tell me what the hell you’re talking about?”

Harlowe finally stops, tugging at the stuck zipper on her plum downy coat with her free hand. “Will you please tell Bailey you and Darcy aren’t a thing so she’ll let it go?”

I open my mouth to shut it down, to roll my eyes and say how ridiculous that is, because just a few months ago, I could barely stop myself from strangling Darcy.

But nothing comes out. The words catch in my throat, the only think to escape a pathetic, "eh?"

“Ha!” Bailey crows, pointing an accusing finger at me. “You are!”

Instinctively, I toss my hands up in defense. “What? I didn’t even say anything!”

“Exactly.” Harlowe sighs defeatedly, crossing her arms.

“You always have something to say,” Bailey adds.

I shake my head and pat my thigh, beckoning Mr. Bubbles to my side. He lumbers through the snow, lifting his feet like a baby giraffe in his new boots.

“We are not a thing,” I say, rolling my eyes as I start walking ahead of them.

But the words taste weird in my mouth. My chest tightens.

Because as true as it might be, part of me wishes it wasn’t.

Part of me wishes I had a reason to anticipate her texts. A reason to have her constantly on my mind. A reason that isn’t one-sided.

I hear the shuffle of boots and the soft drag of their sleds catching up.

“Then why have you been spending so much time with her?" Bailey asks breathlessly, vapor clouding in the cold.

I hitch a shoulder. "She's been helping me prep. Giving me tips on leading the team."

What I don't say is that for the past few weeks since Darcy has started physical therapy, I've been squeezing her into my never-ending schedule.

Every Monday, I've been taking her to and from the PT on campus so she doesn't have to take the bus.

More often than not, we've ended up spending time together after.

"Is that why you stayed behind with her after the Warhogs game?"

“She was drunk.”

“And after the Hornets game?” she presses, flicking a sculpted brow at me. “You weren’t in your room.”

I glance over. Her cheeks are pink from the wind, black hair whipping across her face, and suddenly, it hits me.

“Shit,” I mutter. My stomach folds in on itself, over and over until it becomes tungsten and sinks to the bottom of my body. “I forgot you wanted snacks.”

“And you promised to walk with me to the store,” she finishes for me.

My feet slow to a stop, snow piling over the tops of my boots as I blow out a breath. “I’m really sorry, Bails.”

“It’s fine,” she replies with a little smirk. “Harlowe took me.”

But it’s not fine. Not to me.

This is exactly why I don’t do this. Between practice, games, and school, my time’s already sliced to pieces.

Whatever’s left, I owe it to my people. To the ones who don’t have a family like mine.

Bailey, whose parents treat her hockey career like a cute little detour on the way to something “real”.

Harlowe, whose moms split their attention so thin, she sometimes vanishes right under their noses.

Indie, whose family is stuck in Buttfuck, Oregon, and my brother, who, no matter how many times he ignores my texts, is my best friend.

But Darcy has become my people too.

I shake my head and rub the heels of my hands over my eyes. “No, seriously, I’m really fucking sorry.” I look up at Bailey, my voice dropping. “I promised I’d take you. I always keep my promises.”

Her smirk falls. She steps forward and puts a mittened hand on my shoulder. “Hey. It’s okay. It was just a trip to the store. I could’ve taken the bus if I had to.”

“Still.” I shake my head again, sucking in a slightly shuddered breath. But before I can spiral into a mental disaster, Harlowe reaches out, tugging my beanie teasingly over my eyes.

“Chill, Pey. Nobody’s perfect,” she cuts in, flicking me on the nose. I scowl, rubbing it to soothe the sting as I pull the hat back up, but when I catch sight of her, I can’t help but smile. “Not even you.”

I give her a light shove, positioning my tube at the top of the hill. She huffs as she drops the other two.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” I sigh. “I just hate that.”

“I don’t know,” Bailey chimes lightly, tipping her head to the side. “I feel like I’m pretty close to perfect.”

Her wide brown eyes flick between us, and we all break into laughter, clouds forming from our amused breath.

“Such a princess,” Harlowe tuts, brushing the snow off Bailey’s tube. She beams.

“My gallant knight.” She pauses, turning to me, popping a hand on her hip. “So, you never answered my question,” she presses, the corners of her glossy lips quirking.

My brows furrow. “What question?”

She rolls her eyes. “Where were you?”

“I was… busy, ” I deflect, waving her off. I crouch to adjust the velcro on Mr. Bubbles’ boot, mostly so I don’t have to meet their eyes.

“Busy doing what?”

“Darcy,” Harlowe chimes, grinning.

I shoot her a pointed look, but again, when my lips part to argue, nothing comes out. My heart begins palpitating as my mouth snaps shut.

Bailey’s brows shoot beneath her bangs. “Oh my God.”

“Don’t—”

“You did!” she gasps, pointing at me with her mouth stretched wide. I can see every single one of her perfect white teeth.

“No!” I lie, my tone betraying me. “I—We—”

“Oh my God,” Harlowe echoes, her face blank with shock, pouty lips parted as she stares at me.

I shake my head furiously, a nervous laugh slipping out. “It—I—” I stammer, blowing out a breath. Why am I such a bad liar? My shoulders sink. “Okay, fine,” I say, holding my hands up, then lifting one finger. “But it was only one—”

A piercing shriek cuts into my eardrums as Bailey squeals so loudly, birds in the distance begin to flee for their lives.

She bounces around like there’s springs in her joints, clutching Harlowe’s shoulders and dancing in circles.

Harlowe joins in, an amused grin sewn into her cheeks as an equally loud, but lower squeal erupts from her lungs.

I just watch them, unamused and slightly puzzled, tucking my arms over my chest.

“Okay,” I say slowly, narrowing my eyes at them. “Not exactly the reaction I was expecting.”

They freeze mid-bounce and swivel toward me in perfect unison.

“Are you kidding?” Bailey exclaims. “I’ve been rooting for this since day one!”

Harlowe smirks, pressing her lips into a smug half-smile. “She has,” she confirms, jamming her hands into her jacket pockets. “You should’ve seen your face when I let her borrow my hoodie.”

My jaw drops. “You did that on purpose?”