Page 30 of Offside Attraction

He smiles, and it’s easy—unforced. I turn my attention back to the ice, watching the blue team finish their drill.

“You a senior?” he asks.

I glance back at him, brow lifting. “What?”

“I mean—are you a senior?” he clarifies quickly.

“Oh.” I nod. “Yeah. You?”

“Junior.”

I nod. “Cool.”

He watches me for a second. “You’re a winger, right?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Center.”

That explains the confidence. Zach’s smile widens, almost infectious.

Coach Rivera’s whistle cuts through the rink, and the blue team comes to a stop. A few guys bend over, catching their breath. Hayes skates slowly along the line, shaking his head, his gaze sharp and assessing.

“Good work,” Coach Rivera says. “Although some of you are clearly struggling.”

He tilts his head toward Hayes.

Hayes pushes off and glides to center ice. “Alright, listen up,” he calls. “We’re moving on to the next skating drill. Most of you should know this one.”

His eyes flick briefly to me before sliding away.

“Trucks and Trailers. You’ll need a partner. One of you is the truck, the other the trailer. The trailer mirrors the truck’s movements—tight turns, speed changes, direction shifts. Who leads will change, so stay sharp.” He pauses. “Team red, you’re up first. Pair up.”

“You wanna partner up?” Zach asks, hopeful but casual.

“Sure,” I shrug.

“Blue team, take a seat,” Coach Rivera adds. “We’re using the neutral zone. Don’t cross the blue line. Show us controlled movement—we want to see skill, not chaos.”

The blue team settles onto the bench as the red team skates toward the neutral zone.

I’ve done this drill countless times.

Even with Hayes.

Back in Dalton, he’d been my partner more than once during warmups. That’s probably why he looked my way when he mentioned it.

The thought irritates me more than it should.

“You wanna be the truck?” Zach asks, pulling me back to the present.

“Sure.”

He grins. “Great.”

At the sound of Coach Rivera’s whistle, we start navigating the neutral zone. I force myself to focus, shoving every unwanted memory to the back of my mind as I skate. The sound of blades cutting into the ice steadies me, calming my nerves as I throw in clean, controlled movements.

I can feel Hayes’s dark gaze burning into my back, scrutinizing every step. I resist the urge to turn around just to tell him to fuck off.