Page 144 of Runaway Bride and Prejudice

Might be an improvement to my game.

“They’re supposed to be here,” I mutter. Meaning my sisters.

Not Amelia.

I told myself not to hope she’d come. Even if I carry a secrethopeshe does.

It’s hard to keep even the smallest flicker of hope alive when you lay it all on the line like an idiot and get basically no response.

But with my sisters MIA, I’m starting to grow concerned. Did something happen to them? To Amelia? They wouldn’t come allthe way to Harvest Hollow only to not be here for the first playoff game.

Maybe leaving the four of them in the house alone was a bad idea.

“If something was wrong, Parker would tell you.”

I know Alec’s right. Parker knows everything, and she’d find a way to tell me if there were a serious issue.

“I’m sure they’ll show up soon,” Alec says through clenched teeth as we push into the locker room. “But until then—how aboutyoube here. Because it’s obvious you’re not.”

It’s obvious to Coach too, who plays bad cop to Alec’s good cop, leaving little flesh on my bones after his scathing review of my performance so far.

Not usually a yeller, tonight he makes an exception. I’m pretty sure I saw his tonsils, and I definitely learned a phrase or two I’d never heard. I think he invented them.

Oh, and I’m also sure a lot of his rage, directed mostly at me though we’reallplaying like a peewee team, stems from personal reasons.

So, I just sit with my head down and take it. Deserved on all counts.

Yeah, yeah—Van sucks.

Yeah, yeah—I shouldn’t have married your daughter when I know you can’t stand me.

Once he’s done tearing me apart, Coach turns on the team. I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault. Sure, we’re all playing like trash, but we’ve had bad periods before. Bad games. Coach always has a way of bringing us back out of our slump in the intermissions.

Today, though, he’s just unloading.

When he finally stomps out of the locker room, red-faced and muttering under his breath, the room is silent for about three seconds. This is by far the worst we’ve played allseason, collectively. Missed passes, missed shots, penalties. It’s definitely possible to turn a series around, but it’s hard to come back mentally from a game like this.

Thankfully, Felix doesn’t seem to have off nights, and our goaltender is the only reason we’re down three nothing and not losing by more. But he doesn’t look happy about it.

Alec finally stands, looking slowly around the room, intentionally meeting every eye. He holds my gaze a beat longer. Then winks before he speaks to the whole team.

“What are we?” he asks. Quietly. But firmly and with a barely contained intensity. It’s the kind of voice that makes you sit up and pay attention.

“Family,” Logan says. He stands too.

“And how do we play?” Alec asks, just as quietly. With just as much restrained intensity.

“Together.” Dominik is the one who answers him this time.

It’s such a shock Dumbo actually chokes and Tucker has to smack him on the back.

Dominik meets my gaze, but I can’t read his expression. He stands too.

“Together,” Alec repeats, glancing from player to player again. “Family. That’s more than how we play. It’s who weare.”

One by one, the rest of the team gets to their feet. Standing in solidarity. Except me. I’m still worried about my sisters and wondering if all of this is my fault. Like playing poorly is a virus, and they all caught it from me.

Stupid, but it’s hard not to shoulder some of the blame. If for nothing else, then for Coach’s mood.

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