Page 16 of The Game She Hates

I let out a frustrated huff. “That’s what I thought. I won’t be bullied by you, okay?”

Suddenly, Tyler steps in and puts his hand on my shoulder as he turns me away from Trent’s imposing figure. “Ortiz, you’ve gotta stop letting people like Trent get under your skin, man,” he whispers. “The team believes in you. We all saw what happened on the ice. You could have chosen not to go after that guy, but he was trying to put you in a headlock because he knew you wouldn’t give up. None of us fault you tonight. And Trent knows it too. He’s just worked up by the fact that you’ll be captain once I hang up my skates.”

My anger begins to simmer. Coach hasn’t said anything definitive to me about being captain. “You think I’ll get to be the team’s captain?” I ask, cautiously optimistic.

“I think you could be. Coach and management are still deciding among all the alternates, but my vote goes to you. And I know they’ll see it too. But you also have to do your part in bringing the team together, not apart.”

I sigh. He’s right—I need to step up and be a leader on and off the ice. But ignoring Trent’s constant bullying is easier said than done.

Once again, I plan to wait here until the sweet Pearl graces me with her presence. Despite my hopeful outlook, the crowd of people inside Randy’s café is making me nervous. I’ve been lucky to go unnoticed twice before, but today may look different.

I’ve taken Pearl’s advice to heart and dressed in gray sweats, hoping to blend in and avoid her labeling me a robber—unless, of course, it’s her heart that I’m stealing.

I approach Randy with sunglasses and the hoodie pulled low, partially covering my face.

He greets me with a wide smile. “Good game yesterday. I loved every minute until they wronged you.”

“Don’t even remind me. I’m still salty about that call,” I reply, feeling the frustration all over again.

“Ahh, don’t worry about it. It always happens to the best players.” He rubs his chin thoughtfully. “So, it seems you’ve changed your usual time here, Tizer.” That’s his quirky nickname for me to keep my identity incognito.

I return his smile. “I figured there’s no harm in coming here during your peak hours if I disguise myself properly.”

He shakes his head. Of course, Randy sees through my feeble excuse for changing my hours; his narrowed eyes say it all. “I know the therapist is why you changed your hours.” He leans in and adds in a hushed tone, “I can’t promise you won’t be spotted, though. Lunchtime can get pretty hectic around here. You’ve got to hope everyone’s too focused on their phones to notice you.”

I cringe inwardly, and probably outwardly too. I’m at a loss for a comeback.

I was naive to think he wouldn’t read between the lines when I casually asked if Pearl was also a regular.

Such a backfired attempt!

I can only hope that everyone is too buried in their phones to notice me.

“Well, hope it works out for you,” Randy continues with a low hum. “Good to see a young, popular man like you still chasing after love, just like we did back in the day.”

“Ha ha, so you thought we were just skating by without any effort?”

“You know how it is, your fans are always raving about you guys, so I figured you just picked the prettiest one and called it a day,” Randy says, his tone wistful. “Which would explain why marriage looks different now compared to our time.”

“How is marriage different now?”

“People want a good marriage without any of the work.”

“So, marriage is quite the challenge, huh?” I’ve never really pondered marriage before, but I can definitely see how tough it must be to constantly share your life with someone and never have your own space. I’m genuinely baffled by how people navigate it all.

“It’s not that it’s hard. Marriage isn’t complicated, but in order to be happily married, two people have to put in the effort to understand each other, communicate openly, and grow together.”

Randy’s words sink in. I wonder if I’ll ever find that special someone I’d be willing to spend the rest of my life with.

With that thought lingering, a bell rings, and when I turn my head, I see her—the one person who’s unknowingly turned me into a stalker. Yet, all I want is a simple, normal conversation with her. She’s wearing a dark brown floral dress, a cardigan draped over her shoulders, and her golden hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes seem even brighter today, matching the gold necklace and earrings she has on.

Her eyes land on me and there’s a flicker of panic in her expression before she swiftly averts her gaze and heads toward the door again. I hurriedly make my way over to her. “Hey, hey. You just got in?”

“What do you want, Zane? Why are you here again today?” Her tone is curt and her guard is up.

“Same as you. I told you Randy’s coffee is the best. And, well, I was also hoping to run into you since you didn’t give me your number.”

“You have my work number. Call me during office hours or leave a message. Otherwise, this feels like harassment.” Her words take the wind out of my sails.

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