“King!”

Karson’s head snapped up and toward the direction from which Coach Baxter was yelling his name. Coach stood in all his seven-foot glory with his bushy eyebrows touching and his lips in a straight line. Everyone looked back at Karson before smirking like a bunch of assholes.

“My office, now!”

When he turned to enter his office, Karson’s stomach sank. Had he done something wrong? Had he been playing shitty and not realizing it because his head was flooded with thoughts of Lacey calling and saying she was staying in Chicago for good? He knew that he was overreacting and probably being a dumbass, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she would, no matter how many times she promised she’d be home before him. It worried him, but he needed to leave his personal shit at the door. When his skates hit the ice, that’s all that mattered—his game.

But even knowing that, all he could think about was how happy she sounded on the phone when he spoke to her that morning. She was all chipper and excited to get out. They were going shopping, she and Rachel, and even though Rachel was all happy-go-lucky, saying hi to him on the phone, he didn’t trust her. Something just wasn’t right. You don’t go from wanting to throw your friendship away with someone because of their choices in life to accepting everything and acting as if things weren’t rough for a month.

It just didn’t work that way, but Rachel was the bestest friend in the world now and was spoiling Lacey with a trip to Michigan Ave. Was Karson jealous? More than he would ever admit, but it was deeper than that. He was scared too. In his head, he kept hearing the words:

“I’ve decided to stay in Chicago.”

Yeah, it was pathetic, and even his mom said he was being an idiot, but he couldn’t help it. He even talked to JT about it, but he wouldn’t even listen to Karson. He called him a dumbass and walked away. It was so frustrating because he felt like shit, and he didn’t want to feel like that. He wanted to trust that Lacey would leave and come back. He didn’t want to have the need to piss on her, marking his territory so that no one would want her. He wanted to just know, and he knew it was pitiful to feel that way, but he did. And obviously, it was affecting his game.

Kicking off his skates, he stood, his stomach dropping to the ground as JT called out, “Ha, King’s in trouble again.”

“He’s always in trouble,” Titov teased.

“That’s why we call the laps King’s Dozen,” Shea laughed, but Karson didn’t find any of it funny.

“Fuck off, guys,” he muttered as he pulled his sweatpants up before walking toward the office.

“Aw, someone’s emotional,” Brooks called out, getting a good round of laughs.

“He always is,” JT laughed. “Biggest puss I know.”

“Fucking assholes,” Karson said before entering Coach’s office. Coach looked up and then said, “Call Adler in here too.”

Oh, fucking hell, Karson thought as he popped his head out. “Adler, Coach wants to see you too.”

Unlike they had with Karson, the room went silent as Shea stood and came toward the office in only his boxers. He really didn’t care for clothes—it was kind of disturbing, but no one ever said anything to him. Passing by Karson, he entered with an ease that only the captain of the team would have before lowering himself into the chair beside Karson’s.

“What’s up, Coach?”

Karson sat down in the chair as Coach said, “Meet your new linemate.”

“What?” Karson asked, shocked, but Shea wore a look of ease as he nodded.

“Sounds good to me,” he said, but Karson wasn’t sure he’d heard him right.

He had sucked lately. Too consumed in Lacey to care about anything else, but Coach was putting him on the first line with Shea fucking Adler? What the hell?

“Me? His linemate?”

Coach looked at him like he was stupid. “That’s what I said. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No,” Karson said, shaking his head. “But haven’t I been sucking?”

Adler chuckled as Coach looked at him, deadpan. “If I thought you sucked, why would I put you on my first line with my best defensemen? Obviously I think you are up to playing with Adler, or I wouldn’t have put you there. Now I’m not going to sit here and suck your dick with praises. You’re playing with Adler tonight, and if you mess up, I’m dropping you to the fourth line. Now get the hell out of my office,” he snapped before turning to his computer, dismissing them.

Standing up, Karson said, “Thanks, Coach.”

But he ignored him as they left the office, and Karson knew he should feel on top of the world and a part of him did, but the pressure was palpable.

“Hope you’re ready,” Shea called as he walked past him.

“No pressure at all,” Karson muttered as Adler laughed before reaching for his jeans to put them on.

Karson walked by him and dropped himself down on the bench, still really not getting what just happened. While he knew that Jakob Titov was out and he knew the spot was open, he never thought he would be the one to move up. He wanted it. More than anything, but he really didn’t think it was his position to take.

Apparently, he was wrong.

“What happened? You grounded?” JT asked as he dried his balls.

Redirecting his gaze with a grunt of annoyance, Karson said, “I’m playing with Adler tonight.”

“No shit!” JT hollered, smacking Karson on the shoulder. “Moving on up, to the east side,” he started to sing, but it was cut off when someone threw a roll of tape at him.