Page 4 of The Friend Zone

I jump again when Cole’s fist hits the table. “That’s fucking awesome. Dude, why not? You know I’m headed to Hartford after graduation. The only thing that would make the NHL better, is having you there too.”

I take a long drink from my beer, letting the cold, crisp liquid soothe the lump of disappointment lodged in my throat. “You know I can’t. My family expects me to work alongside my dad and my grandpa, ready to take over the entire company one day.”

Cole looks at me for a long moment, reading right through me. “But is that what you want?”

My laugh has no mirth in it. “What I want doesn’t matter. It’s the way things have been for generations. Way before we went from railway to tech. The first son of the first son of the fucking first son is groomed to be the next company president.”

He doesn’t look convinced. “I understand tradition, but traditions are meant to be broken sometimes. Have you tried talking to your parents about your dreams? Your dad isn’t an asshole.”

I tear a piece off the bottle’s label, making confetti out of it. “That’s the problem. I can’t disappoint him. Besides, I tried talking to him and grandpa about going pro before college and it didn’t go well.”

Cole’s tone is sympathetic. “Were they upset?”

I shake my head, as another bitter chuckle escapes my lips. “Worse. They laughed. They thought I was joking. Dad called it a fun little hobby.”

Cole doesn’t give up, it’s one of the things that make him such a great D-man on the ice. “That might have been true when you were in high school, but at the collegiate level things are different. Professional hockey players are paid millions. And you were approached by a NHL scout wanting to offer you an actual contract. It isn’t a joke or a hobby.”

I’m not surprised that he doesn’t understand.

For as long as I’ve known him, Cole’s goal was to go pro. “At the risk of sounding like an asshole, that’s pocket change to my family. Connelly Tech is a Fortune 500 company. We’re talking hundreds of billions. My family would never understand me throwing away my legacy to go play a game.”

If he feels insulted, he doesn’t show it. But he keeps arguing his point, like the stubborn motherfucker that he is. “A game that plays millions. Besides, a hockey career isn’t forever. It’s a tough game with so much potential for injuries. Some players play longer but a lot of times people retire by thirty. Why don’t you talk to your parents and see if they’d give you a few years to get it out of your system?”

I sigh. “Yeah, they would never go for that, trust me. I’ve made peace with my destiny years ago. It just sucks even more that it’s the Heroes who want to sign me. It would have been awesome to keep playing with you and Ryker.”

Cole nods. “It would have. I better go shower,” he says, rising from his chair.

“You haven’t even broken a sweat,” I tease him. “You’ve been doing a lot of extra running lately.”

He doesn’t look me in the eye. “I gotta stay in shape. I have a signed contract but I still need to impress the Heroes to make sure I get the starting spot they promised me next season.”

Yeah, I don’t buy that. “Is that the only reason though? All these extra running sessions started last week.”

I don’t need to say what we both know.

Cole started running at every hour of the day and night since Topher called that emergency meeting and invoked that stupid bro-code.

CHAPTER 2

STUCK

COLE

Istare at my half-empty beer bottle as if it was the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen.

Anything not to face the elephant in the room.

“Cole,” Jagger insists. “You don’t look alright.”

That’s because I’m not. “It is what it is.” I grumble, my skin prickling with the awareness of my best friend’s eyes boring into me. “Bay isn’t stupid. She’s seen what Topher is really like with her own eyes. She isn’t going to let him crawl his way back into her life, no matter what.”

Jagger nods. “I know Bay isn’t stupid. That wasn’t my point. I think we both know that we’ve been avoiding her since that meeting.”

That’s news to me. “You’ve been avoiding her?” I snap, feeling all my self-control slipping away with every passing second. “Why would you do that?”

Two red spots appear on his face, his hand going to the back of his neck. “Because I don’t know what to say to her. We can’t tell her what Topher did. If he knew we told on him, he’d react as if we’d broken the code. If I tell her that I don’t want to hookup with her anymore, she’s going to be hurt. I’m kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place here.”

Fuck. He’s right.

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