Page 11 of Rule Breaker

“Happy now, Cap?”

“You don’t have to like us, and we don’t have to like you. But you do need to have respect. That includes road trips and any group event where we represent the school—on or off the ice,” Dane continued. “Unless, of course, you prefer to find another team to play with.”

Maddox shoved his ear pods back in and closed his eyes. Was he agreeing with Dane or being a brat? At this point, who knew? Who cared?

“Come on,” Dane encouraged me with a pat on my shoulder. “We’re about to make a pit spot.”

“Thank fuck,” I muttered as I turned around, and we headed back to our seats. “Can we leave him there?”

Dane stared at me. “Really, Kay? That’s so not you.”

I would never. But…

“He’s pushing my nice limit,” I admitted.

When we got back to our seats, Coach was talking on his phone. Once he was done with his call, he turned to us. “Is there a fire I should know about?”

Dane and I both shook our heads.

“It’s taken care of,” Dane confirmed.

I didn’t say anything, but I was half tempted to ask Coach to let me switch rooms. Again. But the stressed look on his face told me not to push my luck.

When the bus finally came to a stop, there was practically a stampede to get off. Every damn time. There’s nothing hockey players hate more than sitting still for any length of time.

The service center was busier than I’d expected, with lineups at the burger place and the sub shop. After using the restroom, I got in line with Dane. Thankfully, I was familiar with the sub chain and their menu. Otherwise, I’d have to pull out my phone to read what was on display. Only a few of my teammates knew about my learning disability. Not sure why, but if it didn’t come up, I didn’t bother saying anything. It didn’t affect my ability on the ice, so most guys probably wouldn’t give a shit about it. I worried, though, that they’d see me differently. And treat me the same. I’d had enough of that in high school.

After I paid for my sub, I sat down with Jace, Dane, and Sean, and scarfed down my meal. Silas, Axel, and Ethan were sitting at the table beside us, with the rest of the guys beside them. Everyone was eating as fast as they could so we could get back on the road.

I spotted Maddox sitting alone at the very end, an unwrapped burger and a pile of fries in front of him. He’d barely eaten any of his meal. Instead, he sipped on a soda and was looking at his phone.

It hit me all at once. I flashed back to myself at age fourteen, sitting in the cafeteria. By myself.

My turkey sub sat like a rock in my stomach as I remembered how shitty that feeling was. Not fitting in. Everyone around me laughing, caught up in their conversations.

This is different. He wants to be alone.

It still didn’t sit right.

Maddox had a prickly outer layer. But acting the way he did, the anger, the snarky vibe, I was pretty sure his attitude was all about defense. He was protecting himself. From what, I had noidea. And given that he didn’t want anyone near him, it’d be hard as hell to suss out what the issue was.

On the ice, it was my job to protect him. But off the ice? I had a feeling I’d need more than my pads to protectmyselffrom him.

CHAPTER 6

MADDOX

Fuck this.

I wrapped what was left of my meal and shoved it in my bag, then headed out of the service center for another smoke. My nerves were ratcheting higher the closer we got to our destination.

You should’ve told Coach why you didn’t want to share a room.

Yeah, no fucking way. Bad enough I had to send a confidential note to the school about my dorm arrangements. No way in hell I wanted the whole hockey team knowing my business. Not that I thought Coach Banning would narc or anything. But teams were the same, whether it was high school, college, or beyond. Secrets had a way of getting out. And I didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing my reasons for wanting to be alone. The last thing I needed was pity.

I could do this. I’d had plenty of therapy for the past four years, so it wasn’t like I hadn’t dealt with my issues. But still, sharing the same room with anyone, especially someone I didn’t know, made me edgy.

I lit up, taking a deep drag, letting the heat fill my lungs. Pot would be even better, but I didn’t want to do that the nightbefore a game. It made me fuzzy, and I needed to stay sharp. Speaking of that, would I even sleep tonight? I had emergency sleeping pills, but again, I didn’t like the way they made me feel the next day. Groggy as fuck. And, I didn’t like taking anything that might leave me vulnerable.

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