Page 153 of Treacherous
“No. Jayden wishes he could be my boyfriend. I’m too cool for him.”
Behind me, Jayden scoffs, but all the girls laugh.
“I heard Willow was teaching you to skate, can I join you girls too?” He asks.
Maddie pauses, bringing her hand to stroke her chin. I bite back a laugh. This kid is fucking funny. She will keep Jayden on his toes, that’s for sure.
“Usually, I would say it’s girls only, but I suppose I can make an exception for you.”
A smile lights up Jayden’s face, showcasing his dimples. My stomach flips at the sight. I’m in trouble.
“Thank you. What are your names?”
“I’m Maddie, the captain of the team, and these are my sisters Zara and Ebony. The rest of the girls should be here soon.”
“Well, Captain Maddie, I’m Jayden. I also happen to be the captain of my team.”
Maddie giggles. Of course, she does. Jayden seems to have that effect on women. More girls pile into the arena, sitting on the grandstands to put their skates on. I guide Maddie, Ebony, and Zara over to join their team.
“Welcome, girls, I’m super excited to offer you some tips to improve your hockey skills. My assistant will be joining us as well, his name is Jayden.”
I smirk, spinning in time to see Jayden roll his eyes. He is lucky there are kids here, otherwise, I would be flipping him off. I sit down, tying the laces on my skates.
On the other end of the stands, I spy a girl sitting alone, her brunette hair tied into a messy plait, while she tightens her laces.Jayden approaches her before kneeling in front of her. He asks if she is okay, all the girl does is nod.
“I’m Jay. What is your name?”
Jayden’s voice carries over to me, and like the nosy person I am, I continue to eavesdrop.
“Valerie,”
Her answer is short, getting up from the metal stand to follow the rest of the girls onto the ice. We share a look.“Is she okay?”I mouth.
He shrugs his shoulders, mouthing back to me.“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
I sort the girls into forwards, defence, and goalies. I explain the first drill, using Jayden as an extra set of hands. “The aim of this is to practice gaining possession of the puck and supporting your teammates.”
All the girls nod, giving me their complete attention. After providing them with an example, I let them get started. Butterflies swarm in my stomach, a smile curling on my lips.
The girls have talent, no doubt about it. Valerie caught my attention the entire session. The others are great, but she is leaps and bounds above the rest.
Jayden and I both jump when she slams the puck into the goal. For an eleven-year-old girl, she has control and power. Yet, she seems to be allergic to smiling.
The session continues until I can tell many of the girls are becoming restless. We are close to finishing the final set of passing drills when my ears prick.
“No way you’re faster than Willow,” Maddie says, tilting her head.
“I could beat Willow any day,” he says, arrogance shining through his tone.
I scoff, skating toward Jayden and Maddie. “No way,”
The entire girls' team appears behind me, gasping in disbelief. Then, the chanting begins. “Race. Race. Race.”
Jayden smirks, and I narrow my eyes at him. That asshole goaded me into this shit. Now, I like any self-respecting woman who can never let a man win anything, so I have to race him.
“Fine. Girls, skate to the other end of the ice and you can be the judges.” They race off to the other side of the ice, not questioning a word I say.
“I can’t believe you got us into this mess,” I mutter, beginning to skate in the opposite direction to the girls.
