Page 21 of Rule Breaker

“Obvi.”

I stared at Mad until he rolled his eyes and sighed.

“I like grunge music from the ‘90s, okay?” he muttered.

“That figures.”

That got me a choice finger in response. I’d take it.

“I like pop,” I admitted. “Taylor, Sabrina?—”

Maddox scoffed. “Don’t you dare give me a fucking bracelet.”

“Oh man, what a great idea! I could make them for the entire team. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? We should’ve done that for Welcome Week.”

I looked down the table and motioned to Dane, who was talking with Jace, Colin, and Julian.

“What’s up, Kay?” Dane shouted over the din.

“Friendship bracelets for the entire team, D! I’m on it!”

Dane chuckled and shrugged. “Why not?”

I turned to Mad again. “See, the captain thinks it’s a great idea.”

“He said ‘why not?’ not ‘do it.’ That’s not a ringing endorsement.”

I waved Maddox off. “It’s gonna be so much fun. You want to help me?”

“Do I look like I want to make fucking bracelets?”

“Don’t be so rigid. Guys like making jewelry too.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Maddox hissed. “I’m not into arts and crafts, alright? I left that behind in kindergarten, along with face painting and puppet shows.”

I laughed at his comment.

“College is all about new experiences. Come on, don’t be so freaking uptight,” I urged him. I was pushing my luck for sure, but I was already all in. “Make bracelets with me, Mad.”

Of course, our server returned at that exact moment and started snickering. Until Maddox turned his glare from me to the waitstaff. Then there was total silence. Well, except for the sound of our plates hitting the table.

“No,” Maddox replied when the server walked away. “But if you’re going to insist on making them, I get a say in the message I want on mine. Any message. Got it?”

“I’ll hand out warning bracelets first.”

CHAPTER 10

MADDOX

Thank fuck we were driving back tonight and not staying over. I didn’t know how much more of Kayden I could take. His constant chatter was frying my patience and my brain cells.

So, why then did I keep talking to him at the restaurant? Maybe it was the shock of the loss. The fact I’d let not one, but two goals in net. Disappointment reverberated in my head like the worst kind of regret. And I wanted something, anything else, to take the place of those memories. I was so fucking pissed at myself. Disappointed didn’t even come close.

But I couldn’t let it fester. Strong goalies don’t give up and they don’t give in.

And I was sure that with practice, with more time on the ice, our team would find a way. If we got our synchronicity right. It might require an attitude adjustment on my part. And, you know, me actually talking to my teammates.

Admittedly, I hadn’t made a friend in years. Didn’t want to. Didn’t need to. So, I was out of practice for sure. Not that Kayden and I would be friends. But it was entertaining to listen to him. And to meet someone who, despite repeated warnings tostay away, kept popping up like an eager groundhog. Or, like an addiction you couldn’t quit.

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