Page 44 of Offside Attraction

“Well,” Lance says brightly, clapping his hands together, “let me introduce you to everyone. This is Finn, that’s Ezra—”

I lock eyes with Ezra. He looks uncomfortable. I glare anyway.

“—That’s Hayes, our team captain,” Lance continues, oblivious, “and you already know Zach. This is Pete, and this guy here is Ian.”

“Hey,” I grunt, not aiming it at anyone in particular.

“Sup, man?” everyone replies—except Hayes and Ezra.

“I heard you used to play with Hayes and Ezra back in middle school,” Finn says. His voice is deep, curious. He looks a lot like his twin sister, Peach—sharp cheekbones, dark hair, freckles dusted across his nose. He’s good-looking, but not—

Nothing compared to Hayes Griffin.

“Yeah,” I answer shortly.

“Cool,” Finn says, clearly not sure what else to add.

“So you guys were friends back then?” Lance asks, slinging an arm around Hayes’s shoulders.

Hayes stiffens immediately.

“Not really,” Ezra answers after a beat of silence.

Good. I wasn’t going to.

“Wow,” Zach mutters under his breath. “So much hostility.”

Hayes hears him. He scoffs and shrugs Lance’s arm off like it irritates him.

The tension between Hayes and me still hums from earlier, sharp and unresolved. Judging by the glances passing between the others, they feel it too. Maybe I didn’t think this through when I joined the team just to get under his skin.

“Alright, team!” Coach Rivera’s voice booms across the rink. “Let’s get started!”

I inhale deeply, pushing everything else aside. Whatever’s coming between Hayes and me—it can wait.

For now, it’s just ice, blades, and the game.

“Alright! Gather round, everyone,” Coach Rivera calls out, and we skate in, forming a loose circle around him.

“First, I want to welcome the new guys to the team.” His gaze sweeps over us before he continues. “As you all know, I’m your coach—Coach Rivera—and this—” he places a firm hand on Hayes’s shoulder, “—is your team captain, Hayes Griffin.”

A few nods. A few murmurs.

“We’re in hockey season now, which means you train twice as hard as you think you should. We’ve taken the championship title home four years in a row, and this year will be no different.” His tone sharpens. “No drinking on weekends. That’s not a suggestion—that’s an order. You wanna party, fine. Drinking is off the table.”

Some of the guys shift uncomfortably.

“This team is a family,” Coach continues. “You treat each other with respect. No competitionwithinthe team. The goal is unity. You work together, you win together.” His eyes linger meaningfully on a few faces—including mine. “And your captain?” He squeezes Hayes’s shoulder once. “You show him respect. No fighting. No bullying. You’re a family now, so act like it. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Coach!” we shout in unison.

“Good. Let’s practice.”

We break into warm-up laps, skates slicing cleanly through the ice. Lance ends up beside me, gliding like it’s second nature.

“Just remember, keep your head up,” he says lightly, flashing a grin. “Hayes isn’t all that bad, you know?”

“Easy for you to say,” I reply, forcing a smile.