Chapter 34: Game 3
Kayden
Finally, tonight was Game 3, and I was going to prove to everyone how good I was on that Ice. I was going to show them that I wasn’t a liability or an attention seeker.
I sat hunched over in my stall and rolled my eyes at the loud noise coming from the boys. They were all shouting out of excitement as if they had already won the game. I ignored them, even when they tried to make me join in, and focused entirely on the laces of my skates.
After what had happened in Game 2, I had expected that everyone would hate me or try to isolate me, but none of them seemed to care about losing except for Luca and Rhys.
Luca was expected, since he had hated me since the beginning, but as for Rhys, his words hurt deeper than any scowl I received from Luca. That was what had put such a distance between us.
I had completely ignored him during practice yesterday. Even though we exchanged pucks, I didn’t respond to any of his words. I didn’t even act as if we were on the ice together. He seemed to understand how I felt and didn’t bother to come back to the room, making it two nights since he had last stayed there.
My phone beeped beside me, bringing me out of my thoughts, and I glanced down to look at the screen. The name on the screen made me smile widely.
LEO
He had sent a message. I dropped what I was doing and picked up my phone to stare at the screen, scrolling through the text.
Leo: I’ll be watching your game tonight at the arena. Give ’em hell, Kay.
My thumbs flew across the screen as I responded immediately.
Kayden: Wow, amazing. You didn’t tell me you were coming to Lake City!
The reply was almost instant, and I could practically hear his teasing tone.
Leo: It was a surprise! And keep your head up—more surprises are coming.
I let out a short, quiet laugh, the first one that had touched my lips since the disaster in the hotel room. For a second, the heavy weight on my chest lifted. I knew Leo coming to the ice was exactly the support that I needed.
But the moment was short-lived when I felt a shadow loom in front of me. A pair of skating shoes appeared in my field of vision, stopping directly in front of me. Before I even smelled the familiar sharp scent of pine and winter air, I knew who it was, and the laughter inside of me died instantly.
Slowly, I let my gaze travel up. I didn’t hide the scowl deepening on my face as my eyes settled on Rhys Calder. He was standing there fully geared up, but it was his expression that caught me off guard. He was smiling. It wasn’t a smirk or a mockery of a smile, but a genuine one, and I couldn’t help but deepen my frown.
What the hell is he smiling for? I thought, my grip tightening on my phone until the edges dug into my palms. After everything he had said—after calling me a liability and a mistake—did he really think a smile was going to fix the crater he’d blasted in my chest?
"You seem like you’re in a better mood," Rhys said, grinning widely at me.
I stood up abruptly, but even with my skates on, I still had to crane my neck to look him in the eye. I felt small against his tall frame, but I made sure my gaze was pure steel. I didn’t care how much he towered over me; he wasn’t going to look down on me ever again.
"What does the Ice Captain want from me now?" I demanded, folding my arms across my chest. "Have you come to tell me what to do again? Or did you just come over to remind me that I am a liability? Maybe you wanted to get one last look at the person who’s going to ’bring down the team’ before we hit the ice?"
Rhys flinched, his smile faltering. He reached out a hand, then pulled it back as if he were afraid I’d bite.
"I... I just wanted to ask how your stomach is feeling," he murmured, his voice cracking slightly.
I gave him no response. I just stared at him, waiting to see if he had something else to say.
"Please," Rhys whispered, stepping closer until I could smell that damn pine scent again. "Can I just talk to you? I need to let you know that whatever I said that night, it was—"
"I don’t care," I snapped, cutting him off before he could get the apology out. My heart was thundering hard in my chest, but it wasn’t from nerves—it was from pure, unadulterated spite. "Do you really think an apology could stop what you said? Do you think a few ’I’m sorrys’ can erase the fact that you think I’m a mistake?"
I took a step into his space, forcing him to see the coldness in my eyes.
"It doesn’t. And that is why you should stay away from me, Rhys. You made it clear that night how you see me, and that is why you shouldn’t bother me. Because tonight..." I leaned in, my voice dropping to a dangerous hiss. "Tonight, I am going to prove it to you. I am going to let you know exactly how wrong you are for looking down on people. I am going to win this game tonight, with or without your ’care.’"
I didn’t wait for him to respond. I grabbed my stick and marched toward the tunnel. I didn’t bother to turn back to see his reaction, but I knew for sure he wasn’t expecting me to respond that way.
"So guys, you should give your best tonight!" Coach Reddick shouted. "Are you sure you are fine to be on the ice, Kayden?"
I nodded. "Yes, Coach. I am going to make up for last time," I assured him.
"Good," he said, giving his usual courage speech before we all skated out of the tunnel toward the ice.
Thousands of fans who had come to watch screamed at the sight of us. There were a few boos, but at least it was better than last time. There were also supportive banners of Rhys and me together held up by fan girls. I waved at them, and in return, they shouted my name in excitement.
"And here comes the Northern Avalanche!" the lead commentator’s voice boomed over the PA system, echoing through the rafters. "Leading the charge is Captain Rhys Calder, looking to redeem himself after a shaky performance in Game 2. But all eyes are on the newbie sensation, Kayden Vale."
"That’s right, Jim," the second commentator chimed in, his voice energized. "There have been rumors swirling all morning about tension within the locker room. Vale had that health scare just 48 hours ago, and many wondered whether he was fit to play tonight. But looking at the way he’s stepping onto that ice... he doesn’t look like a sick man. He looks like a man on a mission."
"He’ll need to be," the first one added. "If the Avalanche wants to take the lead in this series, the defensive pairing of Calder and Vale has to be a brick wall. They were out of sync last time—let’s see if they’ve found their chemistry tonight. Will they be able to beat the Wolves tonight?"
I felt a bitter smirk tug at my lips as I glided around the ice, the freezing air biting at my skin. Chemistry? There was no chemistry left. Rhys already ruined whatever was between us, but I wouldn’t let that affect the game.
Tonight, I was going to prove to him that I was stronger than he perceived me to be.