“You good, buddy?” Nathan smirks down at me.
I groan, turning toward the locker room. “Not fucking good at all.”
I push open the door, spotting the guys already inside gearing up and I put on my playlist, ready to get hyped for practice.
“What’s wrong?” Nathan follows, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t tell me you got someone pregnant.”
“What?” I scoff. “Hell no. I wrap my shit up.”
Ryan snorts from his locker. “Glad to hear it.”
“So, what’s the problem?” Nathan asks.
I drop onto the bench, kicking off my shoes and pulling on my pads. “Failed Anatomy.”
The room goes dead silent.
I glance up. Every single one of them is staring at me like I just admitted to murder.
“You’re fucking with us, right?” Ryan asks. “Please tell me this is one of your weird jokes I don’t get.”
“He’s not kidding,” Cole chimes in, popping his gum. “Look at his face.”
I sigh. “Wish I was.”
Nathan frowns. “Then why the hell are you getting into gear? No way Coach lets you play if he finds out.”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t put that bad energy out there.” I wave my hands through the air, physically shooing away his negativity. “I passed the rest of my classes.”Barely. “It’s just one. One stupid class. All I need is a tutor, and Coach will never know.”
They shake their heads, glancing away as they finish gearing up.
I drop onto the bench, pull on my skates, and lace them up tight.
“Alright you guys, I’m counting on you.”
I kiss my fingers, then press them against my skates. The guys don’t even blink. We’re all superstitious as hell, and the first time I got a hat trick, I was nervous as fuck and randomly did this before the game. So yeah, now it’s stuck.
If only it worked for school. Speaking of which?—
I glance up, scanning the room. “Hey, anyone here know a Maisie Wilson?”
“Never heard of her,” Nathan says, shaking his head.
“Me either,” Ryan adds.
I groan, dragging a hand down my face, shutting my music off. “How the hell am I supposed to find this girl when no one knows who she is?”
Cole arches his brow as he steps past me, already fully geared up. “Better find her, or you’re a dead man.”
Logan sighs. “Hate to agree with him, but yeah, you’re screwed, bud.”
I turn to Nathan and Ryan, but their matching expressions don’t exactly fill me with confidence.
I tip my head back, squeezing my eyes shut. “Fuck,” I grit out.
Ryan stands, his helmet tucked under his arm. “See you out there.”
“If he plays,” Nathan adds as Ryan walks out.
