Page 91 of Our Secret to Keep

I’m as good as people say and know it.

My stats don’t lie.

Staring down the goalie, I switch the puck from my left to right to fake him out and then quickly change at the last minute, smacking the puck to the right side of his skate. He attempts to stop it, but the puck sails over the crease and hits the back of the net.

The goal horn sounds.

Another victory.

The packed rink erupts into chaos. Everyone rises from their seats, dressed in a sea of black and gold jerseys and hoodies, screaming my name.

I love the admiration.

At a time when I’m feeling low and shitty, I need all the praise I can get from strangers.

My teammates rush over to me. Gloves slam into my back, on my shoulders, and a few land on my helmet.

“Because of this guy,” Parker says to my teammates, “we’re winning another Frozen Four this year.” He taps my back with his glove. “Good game, Rousseau.”

I spit out my mouthguard and nod. “Thanks, Hale.”

Other players congratulate me and skate away. Most of the crowd still stands, cheering my name. This never gets old. I grew up watching people do the same for my father. Hockey is all I have ever known, and I don’t want to lose this feeling.

When I reach the bench, Nate grabs my arm. “Killer game, Riv.”

I nod as his breath warms my cheek. “Thanks.”

“We need to talk,” he says in a hushed tone.

He holds my gaze, his long eyelashes framing golden-brown eyes, and while his words say one thing, his eyes say another. Something has shifted. I can’t put my finger on what is different about Nate. There’s so much subtext hidden in our interactions.

He tips his head at the crazed puck bunny in the front row, her big tits mashed on the Plexiglass. Samantha is wearing a replica of my jersey, the number twenty-three splayed across her chest.

I follow my teammates toward the locker room.

Nate walks beside me and whispers, “Do you want to find another girl?”

“Nope.”

“What the fuck is your problem?”

You, I want to yell.My obsession with you is the fucking problem!

But as usual, I hold my tongue, locking up my feelings like a traitorous prisoner consuming space in my heart.

“Neither of us will ever have a normal life if we keep this up,” I say as we strip off our gloves at our lockers. “It’s for the best, Nate.”

“I don’t get you anymore,” he hisses, tossing his gear on the floor. “We’ve been sharing women for a long time. I thought…” He sits on the bench and unties his skate. “I’ll find someone better for us. She wasn’t right anyway.”

He sounds like the lawyer he will one day become, negotiating his way through a deal. But he can’t settle matters of the heart with a new girl or even the right words.

“I mean it, Nate. I’m done. If you want to fuck Samantha, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”

He storms toward the showers, keeping his distance. After I shower, Nate is gone when I return to my locker with a towel wrapped around my waist.

That fucker left without me.

CHAPTER30

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