Page 24 of Ice Cold Rival

We all staked out sections of the rink to warm up. Coach would be out in a minute to get practice started, but all of us knew he expected a full stretch routine, static and dynamic, before he’d let us skate. Warm muscles meant less injuries.

With Gavin gone, the seniors usually alternated running warmup, but Kane never bothered. If it was his turn, he’d do a couple of laps and call it good—another reason to believe he’d be a horrible captain. He didn’t give a shit about his team.

Today’s leader was Vanhauten, and though he never said as much, we all knew how much he hated every command he gave. At least his routine was sound, if abrupt.

Sellers waited a whopping four minutes after Vanhauten barked at us before scooting across the ice to stretch next to me. “What the hell, man? You steal Kane’s girl out from under him and you don’t tell me?”

“It’s not like that.”

When I didn’t elaborate, he made dramatic hand circles. “What was it like then?”

“I’ll tell you after practice.”

“Why not now?”

“Because then you’ll spend the whole time blabbering instead of working on your skills.”

Vanhauten skated up next to us, glaring at Sellers. “Are you two going to talk or warm up?”

Sellers grinned at him. “Can’t we do both?”

Vanhauten scowled back. “You could if you were working any muscles except your mouth. At least Tanner is taking this seriously.”

It was possibly the nicest thing he’d ever said to me. Granted, the bar was pretty low, but I’d take what I could get. When I took a real look at Sellers, I realized Vanhauten was right. My good buddy was half-assing the warmup, and he should know better.

I shook my head as Vanhauten went back to his spot. “You’re going to get hurt.”

“Nah, I stretched before we changed. This is just a top up.”

“Why?”

“I stretch all the time. Gotta keep limber for the ladies.”

Before I could tell him he was an idiot, Coach came out of the tunnel. I didn’t want to be caught messing around, so I jerked my chin at the ice where Sellers had been previously. He immediately moved back. Sellers might be an idiot, but he was a good friend.

Kane joined us right as Coach blew his whistle to start practice. I pushed myself to forget all his bullshit and focus on the hockey. Vanhauten, Cole, and I lined up to take shots at Mase, and I slipped into the place that only existed on the ice. The focus quieted all the voices shouting at me from the outside until the only thing I could hear was my breathing, the snick of my blades, and the crack of the puck flying off my stick.

Nothing Kane or anyone else did could affect me there.

Coach watched us both with sharp eyes, which made me think he might have heard our conversation in the locker room. I was notorious for letting my mouth get me in trouble, but in this case, I didn’t regret a second. The locker room was a neutral zone. We talked shit all the time. Besides, Coach had to know what kind of guy Kane was after what he’d pulled with Avery last year.

The peace lasted until the end of practice, when Kane ended up on the bench next to me. Coach was busy running final drills with the other lines, after kicking our asses as an example. He released the first couple of lines back to the locker room, but I wanted to stay and watch what he did with the freshmen and sophomores.

When everyone else trudged down the tunnel, Kane sat as if he planned to observe too. Asshole. He didn’t care about our younger teammates, but I couldn’t figure out his move. I leaned my shoulder against the glass, absently watching the action in the rink, but my attention was on Kane. Waiting.

One of the new recruits, a sophomore from Massachusetts, sat next to him on the bench.

The poor kid tried to act cool, but he kept sneaking glances at our resident asshole until Kane sighed and snapped, “What?”

“I heard your girlfr—ex-girlfriend tossed your clothes out a window then set them on fire. Why would you have lunch with her?”

He laughed, and the derogatory sound raised all my hackles. “When a girl comes crawling back, you have to give her a shot. The thing about Kenzie is she loves attention. Anything to make a scene. Like her stunt with Tanner. She’s just trying to make me jealous.”

My hands clenched into fists, but I kept them tucked away. I’d never be able to convince Coach I could lead if I started punching my teammates. No matter how much they deserved it.

The sophomore glanced in my direction, most likely aware I could hear every word. I didn’t react. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something else, but Coach shouted at him to get his ass back over with the others.

After scrambling through the half door, he paused and glanced back. “Sounds like you’re better off without her.”

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