Page 5

Chapter Five

Trent

M y dad stands tall, his hands on his hips, his jaw so tight it could snap in half.

He glares at Tucker, and then his gaze falls on me.

He hasn’t spoken a word in five minutes, the anger scrolling his face.

We look like the younger, better-looking versions of our father.

That’s what we tell him when we want to get a rise out of him.

But neither of us will ever be like him. We’ll never be as good as him at hockey or perfect as him in every other aspect of life. At least, that’s how it feels sometimes—like we can never measure up to the legendary Tyler Kane. He’s untouchable, so hard to surpass.

Tucker shoves his hands into his pockets, keeping his head down, ready for punishment. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to get Trent in trouble. Blame it on me. It’s all my fault.”

Dad sucks in deep breaths. He clenches his hands at his sides, and his eyes find mine.

“I have enough on my plate,” he growls. “I don’t need this shit right now.”

“Go easy on them, Tyler.”

My mom wraps her fingers around his wrist, and his shoulders relax. No one can calm my dad down faster than our mom. She’s always there to defend us whenever we get into trouble. Maybe that’s the problem. We know we can fuck up, and my father will handle it.

“When will the two of you learn your lesson?” Dad moves his hands to his waist, flexing his jaw.

“How many times do I have to smooth things over? You still don’t understand the consequences of your actions.

I sent you to college to get an education and some life experience before you hopefully enter the NHL alone.

But at the rate you two are going, you will ruin your shot before you even get one.

Do you know how much I sacrificed to get where I am today?

” He grinds his teeth together, more pissed off than I’ve seen him in a long time. “Huh? Do you?”

“Yes,” I say in unison with Tucker.

We know exactly what he gave up because he’s never let us forget.

It’s hard to ignore that we have a half-brother, who now knows my dad gave him up for adoption in high school.

Our grandfather had convinced our dad it was the right decision if he wanted to play in the NHL.

However, he regretted it the second he signed the adoption papers.

“We won’t trade places again,” I promise.

“We’re sorry,” Tucker adds.

“You’re not sorry.” Dad steps forward, his face inches from Tucker’s. “You’re only sorry you got caught.” He cups the side of his face. “Why do you keep doing this to me, Tucker? Have I not given you everything you’ve ever wanted? Everything you ever needed?”

“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I’ll make this right.”

“How?” Dad releases his grip on his face, dropping his hand to his side. “Sitting out for two games is not enough to make you stop. You keep conning Trent into trading places with you, and for some moronic reason, your brother agrees.”

He shoots daggers at me. “I expect more from you, Trent. You know better than to go along with Tuck’s hare-brained schemes, and yet you do it, anyway.”

“I was only trying to help Tuck out. I didn’t want him to fail the class. If his grade-point average drops, he’ll get kicked off the team, and I couldn’t allow that to happen, not when I knew I could ace the test for him.”

“But your plan failed,” Dad booms, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling in the living room.

“You keep coming up with these ridiculous ideas, and none work. When will it sink in that you can’t do whatever you want?

Have I spoiled both of you so much that you have no respect for anyone or anything?

You’re not special just because you’re my sons. ”

“Dad,” I say. “That’s harsh. Don’t you think?”

He shakes his head. “No, not at all. You both think you can pass my name around like it’s a ‘get out of jail free’ card.

No, not this time. Not anymore. The next time you get into trouble, I will not come to the rescue.

Your actions have consequences. I don’t care if you have to learn this the hard way.

If you mess up your chance with the NHL, I’m not sticking my neck out for you.

You’ll do it like I did through hard work and dedication. ”

I pull him into a hug. “We’re sorry, Dad. We get it. We understand what we did was wrong. I won’t take any more tests for Tuck. He can either get a tutor or fail out of school.”

“I won’t even ask Trent,” Tucker says. “I’ll get a tutor. Promise.”

My dad peeks over my shoulder at Tucker and welcomes him into his arms. “My boys,” he whispers. “You know I love you, but please stop testing my patience.”

“Love you, too, Dad,” we echo in unison.

The front door slams, followed by wheels rolling and heels clacking on the entryway floor. My older sister is home. Ava enters the living room, a suitcase in one hand and a purse in the other.

She smiles so wide it illuminates her face. “I’m home,” she coos, dropping her bags to rush over to my parents, who are moving toward her.

They say their hellos, my parents asking Ava about her trip to Milan and Paris, wondering how long she’ll be home before returning to Europe.

Ava’s five years older than Trent and me and now has a successful career as a high-end fashion model.

She works for French houses like Dior and Chanel, which takes her worldwide.

Ava glances over at Trent and me, confusion scrolling across her face. “Dumb and Dumber, what are you guys doing here? I thought you were at school.”

“We came to see you,” I say with a smirk.

She slides her hands to her hips. “Aww, you’re adorable. And such a filthy liar. You guys have the same looks on your faces from when you were kids like you just got busted stealing from Dad’s candy bar stash.”

Tucker shrugs. “Yeah, something like that.”

Ava hugs Tucker first and then me. “What did you guys do this time?”

Tucker gives her the short version of what happened at school, and when he’s finished, Ava raises her hand to her mouth and laughs. “Serves you right for getting turned in by that girl. You can’t treat women as disposable and think they will let you walk all over them.”

I hold out my hand. “Save the lecture, sis. We know we messed up. Dad already yelled at us.”

“All right.” Ava lets out a groan and slaps me on the back. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving. Plane food sucks. I need something good to eat.”

“I made your favorite, honey,” Mom says to Ava.

The yelling wasn’t as bad as Tucker and I had expected, allowing me to relax.

We might as well enjoy our night off because we have to work off our punishment at the Kappa Delta house three days from now.

Except this time, it doesn’t feel like a punishment.

It feels more like a reward. Jemma with a J is a pledge, and maybe, if my luck hasn’t run out, she will be there.