Page 1 of Defensive Zone

Prologue

December - nine years ago

Zach

“Come on, Reid!”

A heavy sigh escapes my lips, but it’s quickly followed by a smile. I’m unable to take my eyes off my best friend as he attempts to do the Cha Cha Slide in the middle of the living room.Attemptbeing the key word here, because while everyone goes left, Carter goes right. When they go back, he goes forward. It’s a good thing he can read plays on the field; otherwise, his football career would be a disaster.

He lifts his hand, waving me over to join in, but I shake my head. I’m happy watching from the sidelines, where I have a quick escape route if it becomes too crowded. Don’t get me wrong, I like parties. I’m in college, it’s kinda mandatory to attend a frat party or ten, especially because I’m on the hockey team at one of the best Division I universities in the NCAA. Apparently, having your name on a roster makes you asomebodyand gives you an open invitation to every party.The part I don’t like is the sheer amount of people that attend these things. Throw in the fact Carter is on the football team too, and once you combine both the hockey and football teams, you have fifty plus dudes being testosterone-filled hounds.

And that’s not even accounting for the other sports teams that come along and everyone who wants to be in attendance.

So, unlike Carter, who likes to be in the midst of it, I like to hover around the door or stay outside if it’s fairer weather. Tonight, however, I have no escape except for my room, but I’ve already been told the host disappearing before midnight is frowned upon.

Yep, that’s right. Tonight’s New Year’s Eve party is at our house.

Great.

When my roommates brought up the idea of hosting a party here, I should have nipped it in the bud there and then. Maybe I should have suggested they went for it while I got a hotel room somewhere and ate a pizza in bed in my underwear. But one look at the excitement on my best friend’s face, and I crumbled like a house of cards in a light breeze.

I’ll do anything for Carter Lockwood, even if it means breaking our ten-year-old New Year’s ritual of watchingReturn of the Jediat two minutes past ten so the Death Star explodes exactly as the clock strikes midnight.

If that isn’t friendship, I don’t know what is.

The song ends, and Carter makes his way over to me, his smile bright and warm. There’s a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead, and my fingers twitch with the urge to wipe it from his brow.

“I think I nailed that.” He thumbs over his shoulder to where people are now dancing to some R&B track.

I arch a brow. “You did something all right. I wouldn’t quite put it down asnailed,but a solid C for effort,” I reply and give him a thumbs-up.

“Jeez, thanks.” He laughs, batting my thumb away, then jerking his head toward the kitchen. “Come on, let’s go get a drink before it all disappears.”

It’s still early into the night, but no doubt we’ll see another wave of people turn up within the next hour. I follow him through the bodies toward where we’ve created a makeshift bar. The invite said to bring your own beer, but we did set up a keg and some homemade fruit punch that has more than the recommended amount of rum in it. I took one sniff of it earlier and nearly hurled from the smell.

I won’t be drinking any of that, that’s for sure.

Picking up two Solo cups from the stack, I fill one up with beer, and as I turn back to hand it over to Carter, Paisley sidles up to him, a sweet smile on her lips.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” she coos with a flutter of her lashes.

“Well, I kinda live here.” Carter’s tone is teasing, but he still flashes her his signature flirty smile.

Paisley is a nice girl. She’s in my economics class, but I can’t help but glare at her over the lip of my cup as her tiny hand slides over Carter’s forearm and gives it a slight squeeze. All the girls like Carter. He’s a super nice guy, funny, incredibly attractive too. I don’t blame them for wanting to be the lucky one who gets to spend the night with him and kiss him at midnight.

Unlucky for me, though, is the fact I want that too.

I’ve never told him how I feel. How I was ten years old when I first felt something different for him. That fuzzy feeling in my chest. Something that went beyond the normal measures of friendship.

My gut twists as Paisley giggles and takes a step closer to Carter, running her hand up the center of his expansive chest. She lifts herself up on her toes and motions with her fingers for him to bend down. He wraps an arm around her waist, his thumb brushing over her hip. Dark spots cloud my vision as she whispers something in his ear. I tighten my hold on the plastic cup in my hands as anger burns my chest and squeezes my ribs tight.

He’s mine!I want to snarl.

But I don’t. Because friends don’t do that.

Instead, I try to compose myself, taking in coarse breaths through my nose.

“I would love to, Paise, but I’m spending the night with my boy here.” Carter’s voice snaps me out of my envied daze as he nudges my shoulder with his fist. “Did you know we’ve spent every New Year’s together since we were six? But maybe we can hang out another time.”

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