Page 3 of Treacherous
“You know Jaz?”
“She’s been my best friend since we were five.”
“Oh, cool.” Sam’s eyes flick to my car and back. “Maybe we can move your things into the entryway, close to the stairs, so everything is inside and easy to move later on,”
I would prefer him to point me to my room, but this will have to do. “Sure,”
I open the trunk, pointing out which boxes are delicate and need to be handled with care. There are only two of these, but both are vital.
One box includes all my jewellery, the other my collection of vibrators. They will be necessities for this year as I plan to abstain from sex. Men are distractions and if my track record is anything to go by, I seem to choose men who are covered in red flags.
By the time Sam and I moved five boxes inside, only an hour had passed. Curse these heavy fucking boxes. I grip the cupboard box harder, lowering it to the floor.
A groan escapes me when I am back at my car. Nine boxes remain, taunting me from their spot in my trunk. I grunt, carrying what must be the heaviest thing I’ve carried since I started.
“Hey, let me take that for you.” A guy says before I reach the front door.
Usually, I would tell him to fuck off and I could carry my own stuff, but I force myself to swallow my pride.
“Thank you,” I say, dropping the box into his arms.
“I’m Cooper by the way,” he says, a blinding smile on his face.
“Willow,”
Cooper’s eyes widened. “As in Willow Rogers?”
I nod.
“No way. Are you on the team?”
His tone is excited and…pleased. I’ve never had that experience before. My heart swells, hope consuming my chest. Maybe this team is what I need after years of traumatic experiences.
I always thought I fucked over the universe and it served me with bad karma for years. God, I pray my luck is turning, I don’t know how much more shit I can take.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, I am. Just transferred from the University of Nevada,”
The smile never leaves Cooper’s face even as he carried one of my heaviest boxes. He places it with all my other things and turns back to me.
“We are so winning the Frozen Four this year,”
I laugh. “That’s the plan. I’d like to go out a winner,”
Cooper’s eyebrows scrunch together. “Are you not playing after this year?”
Oh, this sweet naive boy is going to be my new best friend, I can already tell.
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll remain in the sport but instead of on the ice, I’ll be on the sidelines. I study nutrition and dietetics, so the plan is to work for an NHL team.”
I keep my voice steady, hiding the misery that consumes me every time the future is on my mind.
Losing my love for hockey is the worst thing that has happened to me, but I try to mask it and my pain with confidence, hoping no one will notice the cracks in my façade.
Cooper scoffs. “But you’re an amazing player,”
A soft smile pulls on my lips, as I mutter. “Sometimes that isn’t enough when you’re a woman.”
Cooper tries to talk but is cut off by loud voices. Three other guys enter the house, my boxes in their hands. I chuckle. Sam must have put them to work, which I’m not mad about.
