Page 61 of Rinkmates

I quickly change the subject, my heart racing as if I’ve just dodged a bullet. “Do you need anything? Meds?”

The medical staff offers him various meds the second I ask him, but he shakes his head.

“No thanks, I’m fine. Just tell me, is my nose still the prettiest you’ve ever seen?” And that stupid smile of his makes me forget the worry I just felt because of him.

“Yes.”

“Then I’m okay.”

The doctor gives him an ice pack, and he holds it against his cheek.

“Shit, is this how you get all those ladies in bed?” Jayce throws his head back and lets out a loud, hearty laugh, and Colton joins in.

I want to laugh, too, but then Riley winces and shifts uncomfortably on the exam table, adjusting the ice pack on his bruised cheek. Jayce and Colton had rushed him to the team doctor after Derek’s punch landed square on his eye. The sight of Riley crumpled on the ground had been enough to send a chill through me.

“Derek was just being his usual asshole self, trying to get under my skin,” Riley explains with a pained expression.

The doctor takes a look at Riley’s eye. “It’s definitely going to swell.”

“What did Derek say to you?” I ask, feeling an unexpected surge of protectiveness rushing through my core.

“It’s okay,” Riley tries, but the pain etched in his features tells a different story.

No, Derek said something that cut deeper than any punch ever could. When I entered the arena, I saw them immediately. At first, I thought they were just talking, but then I noticed the yelling and the look on Riley’s face. It was as if something inside him shattered. I couldn’t stand it, and before I knew it, my feet were moving toward the ice in overdrive.

“No, it’s not,” I insist.

The doctor interrupts us with a bottle of ointment. “I’ll give you this for now. It should reduce the swelling, and you’ll be fine by next week for the play-offs.”

Frustration boils in my chest and I let out an exasperated sigh. “This is ridiculous. Who would sabotage their chances of winning by purposely injuring you? What an idiot!”

There’s a flicker of amusement in his face. “This isn’t funny, Riley. What exactly did he say to you?”

“Baby, it’s fine,” Riley repeats, wincing as the doctor applies surgical glue to the cut under his eye. “I charged at him first. It was my fault—ouch.”

The doctor apologizes but keeps working.

My hand involuntarily grips Riley’s arm. “What—”

“He said his dad bought him a spot on the team,” Jayce chimes in, glancing at my hand on Riley. The way I hold him.

I quickly let go of him, forcing myself to remain calm. “Anything else?”

“Yeah,” Jayce says, standing up straighter. “He said Ri’s copying skills from other athletes and that his parents bought his career and, well, you.”

“That asshole,” I mutter through gritted teeth, earning a surprised look from Jay.

I notice Colton stifling a laugh, and anger flares hot in my chest. How dare Derek treat Riley this way!

I bend down to Riley, our eyes locking with a depth of emotion. “Listen to me. He’s wrong. Your father may have helped you, but it’s you making those shots. Do you hear me?”

Riley hesitates, then nods slowly.

“I saw countless rich girls trying to match me. But who won the gold? I did. And I didn’t have a penny. It’s about skill. You can’t buy success in sports. Sure, money can help, but in the end, it’s you and your team out there. It’s you making those decisions. It’s you calling the shots out there. Not your father or his money.Don’t ever believe a guy like Derek. Believe inyourself, because people will always try to be like you and hate on you at the same time.”

His eyes soften, a flicker of gratitude breaking through the pain. “Thanks,” he whispers, voice shaky.

“Now, excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

---