Coach is going to fire me. I worked my whole life to play hockey, to have this chance at the NHL. And then I failed. Utterly. I let Coach down. I let my teammates down. I let everyone whoever helped me, whoever believed in me down.
Finn jumps up from the bench. He glowers at Coach, his face pink, his shirt off, revealing his taut muscles. “It wasn’t his fault.”
Everyone’s gazes roll to Finn, me included.
“Stay out of this,” Coach says.
“No,” Finn’s voice is firm, and he shakes his head, even though he’s contradicting Coach right in front of everyone. “Noah hadonecocktail last night. I made it. It was way toostrong. I don’t normally make cocktails, and I guess everything I put in the glass was strong and even when you make a cocktail you’re supposed to use orange juice instead of orange tequila...”
“God.” Coach glares. “You two are adults. Do you know what social media looks like now?”
I shrivel.
“Hell, Sport Sphere Network is going crazy.”
Finn’s face is ashen.
“I am furious.” Coach’s hands clench.
Coach sighs. “Okay, Fitzpatrick. You can come to Vegas with us. But if I hear anything about more parties, more careless behavior, I will remove you from the team. And if you do not play the best hockey of your life...”
“I’m out.”
Coach gives a curt nod, then exits. Everyone avoids looking at me, and my insides squish together.
I have one more chance.
CHAPTER NINE
One day earlier
Finn
Vegas shimmers in its usual dazzling way as the bus crawls to the arena. The sun hits the glossy hotels on the strip, and the fountains sparkle under the bright sun. I’m fucking relieved to be out of Boston, and I fucking love that city.
But God, I needed a change. My apartment felt heavy with the mistakes I made at the party.
Noah is slumped in his seat, his face pale, his freckles standing out, and I force my gaze away. I shouldn’t be thinking about Noah. I should have been inviting Madison over on my first quiet night in a while and moved from flirtation to base development.
I didn’t even make a vlog last night.
The bright casino lights are garish, and my mother shudders when I say I’m going here. Vegas and its big fake sphinx and big fake Eiffel Tower and big fake Venetian canals are everything my refined mother abhors. The last vacation she and my dad took was to the Azores... small enough for few people to find it, and so unvisited that most people just blink at her confused when she mentions the archipelago.
The bus finally stops at the arena, and we pile out. Everyone still avoids Noah, who takes a bench in the far corner. He strips off his shirt, and his muscles glint under the locker room lights. Approaching the glowering man seems absurd.
I don’t care. I topple beside him, even though there’s room beside Troy and Luke.
“Hey.” I keep my voice soft.
“You don’t have to sit beside me.”
“Are you tossing me out, Fitzpatrick?” I tease.
Well, I intended to tease. Instead, his forehead wrinkles, as if he’s considering it.
I sigh. “You can’t deprive me of this view.”
His eyes widen, and heat blazes over the back of my neck, prickling it. That was a weird thing to say.
