 by Nicole Casey.jpg)
Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Can I find a way to reconcile the fierce rivalry and the undeniable chemistry that exists between us?
Step onto the ice and brace yourself for an unforgettable journey with six daring hockey players and a relentless captain, where rivalries, secrets, and passion collide in a game that leaves you breathless.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter 1
Leah
The sound of my heartbeat thudded loudly between my ears as I walked down the hallway toward my new dorm room at Yale University.
Sheer determination gripped me as my eyes swept the busy hall as other students hurried to move all of their things in or meet their new roommates. This was the beginning of a new chapter of our lives, and everything was about to change.
I was going to prove that I belonged here.
“Wow, this place is fancy.”
My sister Madison’s voice drew me out of my head, prompting me to nod as we both admired the grey tile flooring and sleek, black doors to the dorm rooms. This place was the real deal, packed full of super smart people and overachievers. My grades were good in high school, but the main reason I was here was for athletics.
Specifically, ice hockey.
I scored a scholarship that I couldn’t refuse, and I saw being the goaltender of Yale’s women’s ice hockey team as a way to shut up every single person who doubted me or a woman’s place in the sport of ice hockey.
I couldn’t count how many times men had turned their noses up at the thought of women playing the sport, claiming that it was for men or that women couldn’t handle the intensity and physicality.
I strove to prove all of them wrong while playing the sport I loved so dearly.
“I just can’t believe I’m finally here,” I told her as we dragged my bags to the dorm room at the end of the hallway on the left. It looked like the door was already open, strained huffs sounding from inside.
“You worked hard for it!” Madison reminded me as she flashed me an encouraging smile. “Honor roll. Captain of your high school hockey team. Scholarship winner. Now, you’re going to be Yale’s best ice hockey captain and politics major. Or I’m going to kick your ass over it.”
A grateful smile crossed my face as I nodded. She was right. I did work hard.
Madison and I were raised by a single mom after our father left early on, which meant money was tight. I knew that there was no way that my mom could afford to send me to college and keep us fed, housed, and clothed at the same time, so I pushed myself to get a scholarship so that I could further my hockey career.
It was either that or be stuck in our small town full of small minds.
When I walked into my dorm room, I spotted another girl struggling to put together a simple display bookshelf, screws and parts littering the floor near her knees as she sat on the wooden floor.
“Do you need help?” I asked her as I dropped my things off near the bed that wasn’t made yet. It seemed like the left side was going to be my side of the room.
The girl looked behind her shoulder and immediately smiled in a friendly manner as she rose to her feet. She stuck her hand out to me, a few strands of her hair falling against her forehead.
“Hey, I’m Jourdanne,” she introduced herself.
“Leah. This is my sister Madison,” I said as I shook her hand.
Madison smiled at my new roommate and shook her hand. She was effortlessly sweet and certainly the favorite sister when people in town compared us.
With long, brown hair and a curvy figure, all eyes shot to her, leaving me on the sidelines.
Hockey was the only instance where I felt like I was a big part of the game.
For everything else, Madison was the star, but we were still close. She couldn’t help the fact that she was more likable and beautiful, while I was rougher around the edges and certainly more athletically built.
Jourdanne placed her hands on her hips as she eyed my sports bag.
“Are you an athlete?” she asked me.
I nodded.
“I’m on the women’s ice hockey team,” I told her, bracing myself, expecting her to be surprised or skeptical like so many other people.
Instead, Jourdanne beamed at me.
“That’s so cool!” she said before laughing. “I have no athletic ability whatsoever, but at least one of us is in shape. This shelf is kicking my ass.”
I cracked a smile, already liking her optimistic attitude. I had a feeling that we would meld just fine, and I just hoped that I got along with the girls on the team too. I would be the captain of the team, so I not only had to get along with them, but I had to lead them as well.
The pressure of leading weighed on me slightly like it did for any person, but something about these other girls relying on me to rally them and lead them to victory inspired me more than anything else. And I didn’t harp on some fancy trophy we would get or even bragging rights. I told them to focus on the self-fulfillment that they would feel. The people they would prove wrong.