Juno:Good. It's about time.
I turned the phone off and finished packing, humming something under my breath that might've been "Puck Life."
A week to figure out what came next.
I was looking forward to finding out.
Chapter twenty
Evan
Twenty-three times.
I'd checked my phone twenty-three times since practice ended, and the only new notifications were a spam call about my car's extended warranty and a reminder that my library books were due Thursday—nothing from Jake.
My Earl Grey had gone cold on the counter, forgotten between obsessive phone checks and aggressive cabinet reorganizing. I'd already alphabetized the spice rack twice—once because it needed doing, and once because my hands needed something to do that wasn't hitting redial.
Jake had promised to explain "tomorrow," and tomorrow was today. Practice in Rockford would've wrapped up an hour ago. Long enough for a shower, a team meeting, maybe even a post-practice interview if he'd played well.
Long enough to send a fucking text.
The phone rang, cutting through my internal spiral. I grabbed it so fast I nearly fumbled it into the sink.
"About time—"
"It's Juno."
I froze. "Oh. Hi."
"Evan, listen. There was a fight yesterday. In Rockford. Jake threw punches in the locker room."
I gripped the phone tighter. "What?"
"Some asshole on his team was running his mouth about you. Making jokes. Jake snapped." Her voice was matter-of-fact, but I heard concern underneath. "He's benched for the rest of his stint. Flying back tomorrow."
That explained Jake's warning about social media. My vision narrowed to a single point of focus—the yellow Post-it note on the fridge that still readDon't forget who you arein my neat handwriting.
"Is he hurt?"
"Black eye. Split knuckles. I think his pride was damaged the worst."
"And you know this how?"
"X. Team chat. The usual minor league gossip mill." Juno paused. "You didn't know?"
"No." I didn't want to admit I was in the dark, but there was no creative workaround. I'd trusted Jake and avoided the online circus until I could talk to him.
Juno continued. "He will. He's probably trying to figure out how to explain that he threw away his shot at the AHL for the sake of your honor."
I bit my lip. "He did what?"
"Chose you over hockey, Evan. You should know."
The line went dead.
I held onto the phone, trying to process what I'd heard. Jake got into a fight, about me. He threw away his opportunity in Rockford because someone said something about his neurotic roommate.
My phone buzzed with a text.
