Page 51 of Jesse and the Ice Princess
Roman skated up beside him while they stood in line waiting for their turn at a passing drill. "Something wrong with Coach?"
Jesse shrugged. "How would I know?" His friend said something else, but all he saw was Damien preparing to skate forward.
Rage tore through Jesse, a feeling unfamiliar to him. All he could hear was Charlotte agreeing to the date. Coffee, how lame was that? Or normal, okay, it was normal.
Before he knew what he was doing, he'd crossed the ice, looking for his line mate. Damien lifted his gaze at the last moment before Jesse crushed him into the boards with a thundering hit that shook the glass.
Damien fell to the ice as the play stopped around them.
Jesse came back to his senses before crouching down. "Are you okay?"
"No thanks to you." Damien sat up, the fog clearing from his eyes.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"Carrigan," Coach yelled, pushing his way through. "What is wrong with you? This is no way for a captain to behave." He looked down at Damien and extended a hand. "You okay, kid? Didn't hit the old noggin?"
Damien shook his head. "I know how to take a hit." He glared at Jesse. "Not like I should need to in practice."
Coach released Damien and turned blazing eyes on Jesse once more. "My office. Now. You're done for the day. You can wait there for practice to finish."
Jesse couldn't look the rest of the team in the eyes as he left for the locker room. He didn't bother showering after stowing his gear. Instead, he strode into Coach's office in his sweaty workout clothes and sat in an empty chair.
He checked his phone, finding only texts from his brothers and sister. Nothing from his dad or Charlotte.
Just like he should have expected.
Not like it mattered. It had been a long time since his dad was anything more than the man putting a roof over his head.
And Charlotte... that had been an impossible situation since it started.
After what seemed like hours, Coach strolled in, his face pensive.
"Jesse." He sat behind his desk and rubbed his eyes. "Is something bothering you, son?"
"No."
"It's not like you to be reckless in practice."
"It's not like you to be a jerk in practice." He'd never spoken to Coach that way, but maybe being the best captain he could be meant being brutally honest.
Coach stared at him for a long moment. "Talk to me, Jesse. What's going on? Did something happen at home?"
Jesse’s lips pressed together, studying his coach, before letting the words slip through. "Do you ever ask Charlotte those questions?"
His eyebrows drew together. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing." He glanced toward the door. "May I go?"
"No."
"Fine." He crossed his arms. "Let me ask a question then. Why did you let Damien break the rule and ask Charlotte out?"
A glint of humor appeared in his eyes. "Because... she won't say yes."
Was the man really that sure of himself? "She already did."
His gaze locked with Jesse's. "What?"
