Page 127 of The Trophy

“Let’s go to the Zeta house, that’s the only place she could be, right?” Luca sounds as desperate as I feel.

“Bay is her best friend, if she misheard what we were talking about, she must have gone to see her. Let’s go get her.”

Cash looks way less hopeful. “Yeah, let’s also be careful that Bay doesn’t have the Zetas ready to beat us with hockey sticks, if she thinks we hurt her sister.”

He has a point, we might find a hostile welcome at the sorority house.

“I deserve it.” Luca grinds out, his jaw ticking with tension and guilt. “How could I even entertain the thought that she’d do anything like that. Even if that thought crossed my mind just for a second and I didn’t really believe it, I deserve it.”

I wish I could do something to help get him out of his misery, but turns out misery is a real bitch and she loves company.

Luca, Blaze and Cash, Misery party of three.

I finally find my words. “You’ve been burned before, dude. You didn’t really think Lake would sell you out but I understand why your mind went there. You’ll have all the time in the world to make it up to her once we find her and apologize and explain. Let’s go.”

We get to the Zeta house faster than when we’re on a breakaway, headed for the opposing team’s goal.

Tami opens the door, she looks surprised to see us. “Oh, hey guys. What’s up?”

There’s embarrassment in her tone and I’m not surprised since everyone on campus must have seen that post; the hashtags the poster used are very popular with the student population.

I don’t mess around and go straight to the point. “We’re looking for Lakyn.”

“Lakyn?” she looks confused. “Why would she be here?”

Cash practically body checks me out of the way. “Never mind. Is Bay here?”

Tami shakes her head. “No, sorry. She came home from the… uhm, press conference and she went straight out. She was going to see Topher. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you wanna leave her a message?”

We thank Tami and walk away from the Zeta house, feeling defeated and at a loss for where to look next.

“Where else could she be?” I wonder, racking my brain for ideas.

“Do you think she would go to the library?” Luca asks. “It’s closed at this time, but Lake has a set of keys.”

“What about the Gamma house?” I suggest. “She might have gone there looking for us.”

Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but no idea is a bad idea at this point.

Cash takes control of the situation, he would have been a great team captain if he’d had the chance. “I think we should split up to cover more ground. Like this, we’re just wasting time. Luca, why don’t you go to the library? Blaze, check all the popular places on campus. I doubt Lakyn would go to a bar or the student center after that post, but we can’t leave any option unexplored. I’m gonna call my mom to see if by any chance she’s seen or heard anything; she knows everyone in town. In the meantime, I’ll check the ice rink, just to cover all our bases. Meet you at the Gamma house? We need to check that she isn’t there anyway, but might as well use it as our home base to regroup if every other place is a dud.”

We go our separate ways and the thought hits me that I hope this isn’t a bad omen that we’ll all end up apart.

We have a championship final to play tomorrow and our head should be in the game, but I can’t even think about hockey if I don’t have my girl by my side.

A thought hits me as I walk by the main dining hall that stays open pretty much twenty-four-seven, offering snacks and cold options, especially during finals. I think we should do some damage control with the Bridgeport Warriors and call our agents. Chances are they’ve read that post too; it has been shared by all the media outlets and has gone viral in the few hours since the press conference came to an abrupt end.

If our relationship with Lakyn is a deal breaker for the Warriors, we might as well know now and either look for a team who won’t impose a morality clause or make a different plan. I don’t care what I do or where I go, as long as Lakyn is part of the picture.

CASH

It was a long shot, but the ice rink reveals itself a dead end. Mom hasn’t seen her or heard from Lake either.

I turn up at the Gamma house with my tail between my legs and head to my room, relieved that the house looks quiet and I don’t bump into any of my teammates and frat brothers.

A part of me is also thankful that everyone seems to have listened to Coach Harrison’s orders and had an early night before our last morning skate tomorrow in preparation for the Frozen Four final game.

I pace my room, stress making it hard to sit in one place.

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