Page 44 of Rule Breaker

“Are you gonna leave as soon as I go in there, or will you wait for me?”

“I think you can manage to walk back to the dorm by yourself,” he snarked.

I reached for the door and called out over my shoulder. “Admit you like me.”

“Admit you’re a pain in the ass.”

It wasn’t a statement of friendship, but I’d take it.

CHAPTER 17

KAYDEN

THE NEXT DAY. FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER

Dane and I walked to the rink together, game day nerves riding high, as well as our expectations. Students were filing into the venue along with us. The anticipation of playing for a home crowd pumped my adrenaline fast and wicked hot.

“Is Jackson on his way?” I asked him.

Dane chuckled. “He’s already here. He wanted to get the best seat.”

“How’re things going with you two? I mean, you look happy as fuck.”

Dane’s wide grin said it all. “We are. I’m starting to feel like I’m ready to tell more people, but I’ve still got concerns. You and Jace support me, but what about the rest of the guys? And what does it mean for my future in hockey? There are a lot of unknowns.”

I thought about my own recent revelation that I might not be straight, so I couldn’t blame Dane at all. There were a ton of what-ifs. Every new question brought about more of the same.

“What about you?” Dane whispered. “Any more thoughts on, you know, what we talked about the other day?”

I bit my lower lip and looked around. If only Dane knew. After parting ways with Maddox, I’d raced back to my dorm, determined to jerk my intense feelings away. Only, it was the night before a game, so I took a cold shower instead. Gotta save the energy for the ice.

“I can’t stop thinking about…that person. Or staring at them. Or wondering what it would be like to, you know, be with them. Not just kiss them, but more. A lot more. I mean, what the hell is this? A stupid crush?”

“So, you think you might be?—”

“Bi? I really don’t know,” I sighed. “I’m saying that a lot lately.”

“I’m all for exploration, but be careful. He’s a teammate. That’s asking for a shitload of trouble.”

“It’s pointless to talk about it. Why would he even look at me that way?” I scoffed. “He’s gorgeous and smart.”

“Hey, you are too.”

“Come on, Dane.”

“I mean it. Don’t talk yourself down. Anyone would be lucky to be with you.”

Dane gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.

“Thanks, bud.”

We were the last players to arrive on-site, which surprised me. I looked around for my study buddy and spotted Maddox getting his gear on, head down, ear pods in, ignoring everyone as usual. Silas was next to him. Same damn thing. I was about to go over and talk to them when I glanced at my stall and noticed a black drawstring bag sitting in front of it. A bag I didn’t recognize, but one that had my name on it.

“What’s this?” I asked, pointing at the bag and looking around. “Who put this here?”

My teammates shrugged and shook their heads.

“No idea,” Jace called out. “The bag was here when we arrived. We figured you were expecting it.”

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