Page 101 of The Roommate Remodel

He points at me with his glove. “You’re the one who started it. Searching Jaz out in the crowd. Which was a lot easier when this place wasn’t so packed.”

I stop at the door to the locker room as Vale heads inside.

Between keeping my mind on the game and watching Felipe, I hadn’t even noticed the full crowd. Things are finally going right for once, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Suddenly Alex rounds the corner, a scowl lining her features.

“Dawson, I can’t believe you let that shot get through,” she barks.

I turn around and see Dawson stopping in the hall, his face heated. “Sorry, ma’am,” he mutters, his shoulders slumping.

“Anyone could have blocked that final shot,” she grumbles. “Maybe you’re not cut out for the Crushers after all.”

I frown. He couldn’t have blocked that last shot. Nobody could. How dare she say that when she’s thinking of shutting down the team?

Anger rises in my chest. “Dawson’s blocked eighteen of their shots. Did you notice? The guy’s been on fire tonight.”

She glares at me, like she’s annoyed I’m standing up for Dawson. “But he let two slip through. That’s all that matters. Hartford is known for their third-period goals, which means you need to step up your playing tonight. I noticed you haven’t scored once.”

Apparently she didn’t notice my two assists that led to successful goals. Maybe she doesn’t care since she’s thinking of closing the team anyway.

I step closer to her. “I thought you wanted us to lose so you could have an excuse to shut the team down and build your sports complex.”

Her face drains as she stares at me, dumbfounded.

“What sports complex?” Dawson asks, looking from her to me.

I’m sorry Dawson had to find out this way. But I won’t let her tear him down when he’s the one keeping us from losing.

“Why would you shut down our team?” Dawson asks, still processing this news. “We’re finally winning.”

Alex doesn’t respond. She doesn’t even ask how I found out.

I step closer to her, not wanting anyone else to overhear. “Everyone deserves to know, Alex. It’s not fair to the team.”

“It’s not like the players won’t find other teams,” she says, defensively. “We’re waiting to announce it until the end of the season, for obvious reasons.”

“I’m telling them sooner.” I shake my head, refusing to meet her demands. If she wants to wait to announce it to the press, that’s fine, but I refuse to keep this from Jaz or my teammates any longer.

Alex locks eyes with me. “If you tell, Jaz will lose her job. Do you really want to risk her future?”

My grip tightens around my stick. “You can’t fire her for no reason.”

She narrows her eyes, daring me to challenge her. “She used my credit card to purchase merchandise, even though I didn’t approve it.”

“You’d given her permission to buy those things.” I can’t believe she’s doing this after everything Jaz has done for the team.

She folds her arms across her chest. “It’s still a legitimate reason to fire someone.”

I clench my teeth. “She deserves to know.”

Alex tilts her head, and a flicker of understanding crosses her face. “She already knows. She’s known before the season even began.”

I hesitate, trying to figure out if she’s bluffing. “Why would she put everything into this fundraiser?”

“If you don’t believe me...” Her eyes flick over my shoulder. “Then why don’t you ask her yourself?”

I wheel around and see Jaz in the hallway, her brown eyes wide, her mouth open like she wants to say something but can’t.

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