Page 14 of The Game

“Please. You’d really be helping me out.”

“Ok. Friends. I can do that.” Decision made, she smiles at me and there’s genuine pleasure there, as if she’s excited to do this thing with me and she only needed me to provide her with an excuse. A reason to say yes.

“Awesome. If you don’t mind hanging around here until I’m finished with the rest of these sign-ups, we can head out from here.” Now that I know I’ve got something to look forward to, I don’t even mind facing my ex. Even though she seems determined to ruin my senior year of college like she ruined the last two.

Charlene steps up, running long fingers through her blonde hair. Her nails are filed in perfect ovals and painted a shiny pale pink color as if she just came from a manicure. I hand her the tablet and take a step back, folding my arms.

“Listen, Cole. I need to talk to you.” She makes no move to enter her information on the tablet, but there’s nobody behind her now. Not that making people wait would stop her.

“I told you I don’t want to talk to you. Now, are you signing up or not?” I nod at the tablet in her hands.

“I will but listen. You need to give me another chance. You have to understand why I did what I did.”

“And by that, you mean my best friend?” I drop my voice to a whisper, glancing up to spot Jazz waiting by the open door. She doesn’t need to overhear this conversation.

Her lower lip quivers. “Yes, but you don’t understand. It wasn’t all on me. You were pushing me away. You were barely talking to me, but Jeremy. He listened to me. He talked to me, so it kind of happened. You were halfway out the door, and he was there for me.”

Is that how she saw it? I rub the back of my neck. “You can’t put that on me. I was busy. So much pressure with hockey. That doesn’t excuse what you did. I would never have done anything like that to you.”

“I know, but you know how things went down with my dad. He walked away from all of us. As if we didn’t matter. It felt like you were doing the same thing.”

I shake my head. “I’m sorry your dad left. You know that, but I was always there for you, and you betrayed me. You did the exact thing you were expecting me to do. Why are you really here, Charlene? Why aren’t you back in Tampa with him?”

Her shiny teeth close on her lower lip, eyes darting down to stare at her feet. “Jeremy left. He signed with Colorado.”

It hits me like a dirty elbow to the jaw, rocking me onto my heels. He got signed. That could have been me. I could have snagged my spot if it weren’t for her and him. How did I not hear about this?

“He’s in the NHL?”

She shakes her head. “He signed a two-way contract, and they assigned him to the Golden Bears, but he’s convinced he’ll move up before the season is over.”

The AHL team. Well, at least he hasn’t beaten me to the pros, but the knowledge still leaves a burning ache in my throat. But it only leaves me more determined to prove myself this year to earn my own spot. Then next year I can face him on the ice.

At least it explains why she’s back in my life. He must have tossed her aside when he moved on. I don’t feel sorry for her. Not this current version of her, but she wasn’t always like this. Things were different when we were younger. I don’t know how I missed the gradual changes that turned her into the person she is now, but it’s not a good look on her.

I hold out my hand for the tablet that she’s still clutching, as if it can tie us together somehow as long as she has it in her hands.

“Good for him.” There’s not a single ounce of sincerity in the sentiment. “Look, I’ve got somewhere to be, and I’ve got to lock this place up.”

I turn my back on her.

“Please, Cole. Don’t do this to us.”

“I didn’t do anything to us. That was all on you. We’ve got to get out of here. This room is booked for some other club.”

She’s still lingering by the door after I lock up the tablet. But I brush past her, holding out my hand for Jazz, hoping she gets the hint. She does, slipping her small warm hand into my palm. Charlene’s big blue eyes widen, darting down to our joinedhands, but she hustles out the door, sending a caustic glare at the other girl after I lock up.

I lean in close to Jazz’s ear. “Thanks.”

Chapter 7

Spilling The Beans

Jazz

The fern overhanging ourtable in the university center food court casts an interesting shadow of stripes over the sharp lines of Cole’s face. I’ve almost convinced myself this wasn’t a terrible idea. Yeah right. A quiver of doubt has been fluttering around my stomach since we left the little conference room upstairs.

The gorgeous blond girl hung around until the rest of the students had filed out, and her glare was almost enough to send me scurrying from the room. Which was probably her goal. I didn’t, and the relief on his face was palpable when he told her he had plans. She sent me eye daggers designed to carve my heart right out of my chest as she brushed past me while she was leaving.

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