End Game_Bellevue Bullies Series Read online

  “He says we’re dating, so does that mean we’re boyfriend/girlfriend?”

  She shakes her head, and I’m glad she isn’t judging me too much. I know I sound stupid. “No, when things are really good and you want to be exclusive, then y’all will discuss it and be only with each other.”

  I look down at my phone. “So he could be with someone else?”

  “He isn’t,” she insists quickly. “But yes.”

  The thought of anyone else seeing those strong legs and the way he holds his shoulders back in such a sexy, confident way has me in knots. I want to be the only one to ogle him and to smell that mix of cologne and his own scent. This is all so much to take in.

  “Don’t worry, Sofia, he isn’t seeing anyone else. I can promise you that.”

  I nod. “I know, but it just…” I press my lips together, unsure what I feel.

  “Makes you crazy to think of him with someone else? Welcome to dating.”

  When she laughs, I send her a fast grin. “So it doesn’t get better?”

  “Nope, not even kinda. Wait until you two are together.”

  I cover my face. “This is all so confusing.”

  “But sometimes, it’s worth it. Drew was worth it.”

  I peek through my fingers at her. “You miss him?”

  She shrugs, recrossing her legs. “Yeah, but he’s too far away, and then there’s Moon.”

  Letting my hands slide down my face, I ask, “Do you not want to try long-distance?”

  She shakes her head. “Nope. No point. We’ll never be in the same place again. But I do miss him.”

  “Do you still love him?”

  She thinks that over for a moment and then glances back at me. “I don’t think you ever stop loving your first love or remembering your first time.”

  Her words hit me right in the chest. That will be me after Ryan, if I do what I want to do. Amelia doesn’t look miserable, but I know she misses Drew. That scares me. I don’t want to dwell on some guy, not when I have so much to do, but Ryan wouldn’t be so bad to dwell on. We are on two different paths, so I don’t know why I’m worried about this now. We haven’t even gone on a first date, and I’m already missing the guy.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  A month ago, all I cared about was getting my education and kicking ass on the mat. Now, I want more. I want Ryan, and I want to experience all the things I missed as a teenager. But the fear of the unknown freaks me out. It isn’t controllable, and that has me on edge. I can control my education and how to move my body to meet the skills I need to get points, but I can’t control what I feel for someone or even what they feel for me.

  Is that why I’ve never put myself out there before?

  I don’t know, but before I can stress anymore over my inner struggles, the announcer is on the PA, introducing the Bullies to the ice. The place loses its mind, and when Amelia shoots out of her seat, screaming her butt off, I’m left wide-eyed.

  And I stay like that through the whole first period.

  I have never in my life been to something so extreme. I thought gymnastics was intense, but the fans are nothing like these people. They’re loud, they’re rambunctious, and apparently, at every turn, the referees are complete idiots. I have never been around spectators who hate another team or a group of refs as much as these people do. Don’t get me wrong, my mom has silently cursed a judge before, but she’d never scream the way Amelia does in between trying to explain the game to me.

  “That’s a hold! Are you blind? Get your head out of your ass, ref!”

  Leaning toward her, I ask, “Can he hear you?”

  She shrugs quickly. “I don’t care. He needs to know.”

  “Oh, of course,” I mutter as I sit back, still wide-eyed.

  Even in my state of complete shock, I can’t keep my eyes off Ryan. He’s the largest guy out there. So tall and so big. His shoulders look wider than usual, and I’m told it’s from his pads. When he slams some dude into the wall, I’m thankful for those pads. I’m sure he is too. His blue eyes shine through the cage that covers his face, and even from my seat, I can see how quickly they move, assessing the situation before he passes the puck to his teammates.

  He’s absolutely fascinating.

  Even though I have no clue what is going on, despite Amelia’s attempts to explain, I’m too caught up in everything Ryan. The way he moves. His speed, his readiness… I am in awe. If I thought I was digging him off the ice, seeing him knock grown men on their asses and swinging a stick so hard before sending a puck flying toward a goal have me more than a little infatuated with him. I am completely blown away. As I watch him move, his voice carrying over the ice as he yells around his mouthguard, I realize all this game is doing is making me want to spend more time with him.

  So much more.

  “Oh my God, my brother is kicking ass!” Amelia yells then as Ryan shoves some guy into the boards.

  “So that’s good?”

  She nods quickly. “So damn good! He is killing it tonight!” I smile proudly as she asks, “Are you having fun?”

  “Yeah, just wish I knew more.”

  She grins. “You’ll learn. It’s fascinating though, right?”

  “Oh yeah!” I yell right as I look up to see that Ryan has the puck. His eyes dart from side to side as he moves the puck with ease. He must not have seen anything problematic because, within seconds, he lines up and lets his stick go. The puck goes flying toward the net, leaving me to hold my breath as I try to watch it move, but I lose it the moment it’s off his stick.

  When the crowd loses its ever-loving mind, I realize he has scored.

  Amelia is on her feet, screaming and tapping the glass. I do the same since I don’t want Ryan to think I’m not impressed. I am. I just wish I knew what was going on. I wonder if there is a book, Hockey for Dummies or something, because I am pretty sure I am a complete idiot when it comes to this sport. I don’t like that. I want to be involved in this, and I want to know more.

  I want Ryan to know I care.

  I wait for the freak-out. The something that will hold me back. But when he meets my gaze before bending down for what I think Amelia said is the face-off, his lips curve and my heart kicks up into my throat.

  Oh. I’m in more trouble than I could ever fathom.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ryan

  I scored.

  I scored in a game that not only matters to my career but also a game Sofia attended.

  I fucking murdered that game.

  I was awesome, I was confident, and I was loud. All the things Coach wants. All the things I want. Man, I feel good. I feel really good, and part of it, I think, is because of Sofia. Seeing her up behind the glass, her brow furrowed and looking crazy confused, I wanted nothing more than to impress her. Amelia is loud and knows when to cheer, but Sofia was reserved. She didn’t follow suit; she observed. I don’t know why that turns me on, but it does. I love it. I loved watching her face. I was so worried she’d be a distraction, especially since I’ve been dying for her to text me for the last couple days, but she didn’t. She fueled me. I wanted to be the best, like her.

  I can’t wait to see her.

  As I sit in my locker, I lean on my legs as Coach goes on and on about how great we played. We lost to Lipsome last season, so beating them this time is badass. They have a lot of skill on their team, but ours is over and above theirs. We are going to go all the way; I can feel it. In the end, that will look great as I try to go into the draft. For the first time in a while, I feel good. I’m ready.

  “As everyone knows, we lost Ackerman,” Coach starts. A few of my teammates nod their heads, but my heart stops. Is he about to announce who the captain is? “Playing a game like this without a captain could have taken down a team. I wanted to talk more with Baylor and discuss who we should replace Ackerman with. After tonight’s game, though, I know who should be captain.”

  A hush falls over the locker room as I scoot to the edge of