Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Trent

I t feels good to be on the ice with my team. Preston has possession of the puck, sweeping it back and forth with his stick. He moves like a dancer on the ice, perfectly coordinated as his opponent attempts to steal the puck.

When Preston gets into a jam, he glances up for help. I skate to his side, giving him enough room to pass the puck. We have less than a minute left in the third period, on the verge of winning another game.

I move to the right and sail past my opponent. He attempts to steal the puck that I switch to my weak side. From a distance, my teammates sitting on the bench bang their sticks. Dark jerseys block the net, forcing me to pass the puck to Tucker, who has an open shot.

Tucker pulls back his stick, the goal horn sounding throughout the arena as the puck glides past the goaltender’s skate. The game ends. And the Strickland Senators are one step closer to becoming the NCAA ice hockey champions.

I skate over to my teammates to celebrate another victory. We hug and slap each other on the back, taking in this moment as a team. This is my last year with the Senators. Most of us are moving on at the end of the season and need another championship before we start our professional careers.

Tucker smiles, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his glove. “Good game, bro.”

“You, too. That was a nice shot.”

He rolls his shoulders. “Part luck, part skill.”

Preston congratulates Tucker on the game-winning shot. He says he’s happy we’re back on the ice, even though it’s been weeks since the dean lifted our suspension.

I skate over to the bench and look into the stands, where Jemma waits for me.

My coach’s daughter sits on Jemma’s right, chatting with her roommate, who has a thing for Drake.

Preston tried to hide his secret relationship with Bex until his secrets spilled out over Thanksgiving dinner.

I like seeing Jemma in the stands with the girls.

She looks happy, part of the girl squad that comes to our home games.

Jemma raises her hand, a smile playing on her plump, red lips. I skate toward her, motioning for her to meet me at the rink’s edge.

“Trent,” Preston yells. “Get in line.”

I hold up my hand to indicate I will only be a minute. My teammates line up at center ice to slap hands with the opposing team, but they can wait a few seconds.

I stop in front of Jemma and lean over the divider. “Hey, beautiful. Did you catch the goal I made?”

Jemma throws her arms around my sweaty neck and smacks a kiss on my cheek. “I wasn’t sure what was happening for most of the game, but Bex filled me in. You were unbelievable, Trent.”

I strip the gloves from my hands and drop them onto the ice. “That’s because my good luck charm sent me positive vibes.”

She wiggles her eyebrows. “Watching you does dirty things to me.”

I smirk. “Wait until later. I plan to fulfill every fantasy you’ve ever had.”

“Trent,” my brother groans from behind me. “Let’s go.”

“You should go,” Jemma suggests. “We can talk about dirty things later.”

This girl kills me.”

J emma sits beside me on my bed, her eyes wide as she stares at The Queen’s latest slam post about our team.

Dethroned: December Edition

Ahh, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. And yet, at Strickland University, it’s the most scandalous. While everyone is out shopping for the holidays, the spoiled brats of Strick U are up to their usual debauchery.

From the looks of the dick pics Drake Donovan has been sharing with a certain someone, he has plenty of lovin’ for his mystery woman to unwrap. But who’s the lucky girl? Or should we say girls, you nasty dick-pic-sending-creep?

XO,

The Queen

Relieved, I blow out a deep breath. Tucker has been the focus of The Queen’s antics in the past. This month, she ripped Drake a new one. Every month, I cringe when I get a Dethroned app notification that The Queen has posted more gossip about one of us on her blog.

I drop my phone onto the bed and groan. “When is this going to end? I’m so sick of her bullshit.”

Jemma closes out of the Dethroned app, and her eyes meet mine. “Why is she obsessed with your team?

I roll my shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. She’s been stalking us since the start of the season.”

“She hasn’t targeted any other sports team. It doesn’t make sense.”

“She’s a past hookup. Why else would she go to these lengths to humiliate us?”

“Isn’t Jamie a hacker?”

“Not exactly,” I confess. “Killian’s better at it. But don’t let him hear that. Jamie has a reputation to uphold.”

Killian Kade lives in the room next to the one I share with Trent.

He’s a local boy who does illegal things to pay his tuition.

Most of us know the truth, even though Killian thinks Jamie is the only one who knows his secret.

Not like any of us care. If we want to find The Queen, we need Jamie and Killian to take her down.

Jemma chuckles. “Are Jamie and Killian close to finding her?”

I shake my head. “She’s better than them. Every time they get close, The Queen finds a way to knock them off her trail.”

“Speaking of Christmas,” she says. “What are you doing for the break?”

“The usual. We eat Christmas dinner at Preston’s parents’ house and take bets on the NBA games. Nothing special. What are you doing?”

“My dad invites everyone to the farm for dinner and a massive New Year’s Eve party.”

I cup the side of her face in my hand and smile. “Any chance I can see you over the break? Two weeks is a long time to go without seeing you.”

“Do you want to come to the party? Driving to Lancaster from New Jersey is a bit of a hike, but…”

“I’d love to come.”

“You’d have to meet my parents and three older brothers.”

I flash a grin. “Parents love me.”

“My brothers are kinda crazy.”

“I can handle them.”

“Okay,” she coos. “But you’ve been warned.”

I hook my arm around her and kiss her cheek. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Corey will be there,” she admits. “I haven’t told him about you yet.”

“I thought you were done with him.”

“I am. But he works for my dad and has never missed a holiday party at my house.” Her eyebrows rise. “Are you cool with meeting him?”

I bob my head. “I can deal with meeting an ex.”

She sighs, her eyes downcast. “I don’t know how he’ll react to you. We were together for a long time.”

“If you don’t want me to come…”

She brushes her fingers down my arm. “No, I want to see you. I want everyone to meet you. I feel like shit about Corey… and how we left things.”

Hugging her against my chest, I dip my head down to speak against the shell of her ear. “You’re with me now. He’ll get over it eventually.”

She tilts her head to the side. “I didn’t think I could care about anyone this quickly after a breakup.”

“I’ve never felt like this before,” I confess. “You set my world on fire, Jem.”

She slips her fingers through my hair, pulling my mouth to hers. And then she kisses me.