Page 4 of Wicked Serve

“Brooklyn is a senior. She won’t be here next season, and by then I’ll be a junior. You don’t have to put me there right away. Just give me some sets. I’ll show you I can handle it for next season.”

“I don’t—”

“Please, Coach. I love this sport. I’m serious about it. I want to help us win, and I know I can do that best as a setter.”

She twists her wedding ring around her finger as she looks at me. I don’t dare say another word. After the longest minute of my life, in which I suppress the urge to say at least ten more things, something shifts in her expression.

Maybe it’s sympathy. Even if it is, I don’t care. I’ll take anything at this point. Just half a chance, and I’ll run with it.

“Fine. I can tell you’re serious about this.”

“I am.”

“You want my attention, you have it. But you need to focus, Callahan. Work on your grades as much as your technique. Put in extra time in the weight room and in practice. Show me that you have what it takes, and that I can trust you.”

I nod. My parents told me as much before I arrived on campus a few days ago. “No distractions.”

Especially not when they’re wickedly handsome, talented hockey players named Nikolai Abney-Volkov.

Chapter 2

Izzy

When I get to the off-campus house I share with Cooper and our brother Sebastian, I chuck my sneakers into the closet and plop on the couch. I undo my ponytail with a groan. Cooper’s in the armchair, reading, and judging by the rock music and delicious smells coming from the kitchen, Sebastian’s working on dinner.

I glance at the television. “James’s last preseason game?”

Our oldest brother, James, plays quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Of the four of us, he’s the only one who followed directly in Dad’s footsteps. He’s an honest-to-God celebrity, the sort of NFL quarterback that inspires thirst-trap Instagram posts and screaming fans and people wanting his autograph, his picture, his time and attention. Dad was the same way, and once Cooper graduates and starts playing hockey professionally, he won’t be far behind. Sebastian could have had it the same way as his father—Mom and Dad adopted him after his parents died in a car accident, years ago—but he decided to quit baseball at the end of last season to focus on cooking. Something tells me that even as a chef, he’s going to garner a lot of attention.

Despite knowing all of this, I still think of them as just my brothers. My ridiculous, freakishly athletic, amazing older brothers. James always buys me a new stuffed animal on my birthday. Cooper has jumped into fights to defend my honor. Sebastian slept on the floor of my room for a week when I watched Poltergeist way too young and couldn’t stop having clown-themed nightmares.

“Yeah,” Cooper says, setting his book aside. “He played for a bit in the beginning, he looks good. Did you get to talk to your coach?”

“She’s giving me a shot to prove I can handle playing setter.”

He smiles warmly. “That’s great, Iz.”

I beam at his approval.

Sebastian pokes his head out of the kitchen, dishrag in hand. “Dinner in five.”

“Ooh, yay.” I slide off the couch. “Want me to set the table? We can use my new pink place mats.”

He gives me a quizzical look, but before he can reply, the front door opens.

“Someone remind me how illegal murder is,” Sebastian’s girlfriend, Mia, says as she walks in with Penny, Cooper’s girlfriend. “Give me the downsides before I do something I regret.”

Penny sighs long-sufferingly as she slips out of her jean jacket. Cooper glances her way, looking as lovestruck as ever as he checks her out. She’s definitely about to end up in his lap. I roll my eyes fondly before joining Sebastian and Mia in the kitchen.

Sure enough, I hear her shriek. “Cooper!”

“Super illegal,” Sebastian says, his green eyes dancing with amusement. “Pretty sure you can’t eat your boyfriend’s home-cooked meals if you’re in the can.”

It sucks to be the fifth wheel when all of us have dinner together, but I love not being the only girl in the house. My brothers just shrugged when I showed them the adorable place mats I picked up at Target earlier this week, and apparently Sebastian already forgot they exist, but I know Penny and Mia will appreciate them.

Well, at least Penny will. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mia wear anything pink. Not even a scrunchie. Sometimes I can’t believe that they’re best friends, totally independent of their boyfriends. I also can’t believe that both Cooper and Sebastian are in relationships, but last fall, Cooper fell for Penny—who happens to be his coach’s daughter—and then earlier this year, Sebastian and Mia finally stopped dancing around each other and got serious. James also fell in love at McKee; when he transferred here for his senior year, he met Bex, and now they’re engaged with a baby on the way.

Then there’s me, fresh off a secret summer fling with Cooper’s biggest hockey rival.

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