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)
She pointed at the athletic building.
“I have to meet up with Coach Clinton,” she replied before looking up at the cloudy sky. “I should probably get out of the rain.”
The name of her coach sounded so familiar. My own curiosity got the best of me, and I placed my hand on her back and ushered her under the awning of the athletic building.
“What does she coach again? I swear I’ve heard that name before,” I asked.
“The women’s ice hockey team,” she replied with a proud look on her face. “I’m the new goaltender and captain.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise as I took a step back. I never would’ve guessed that.
“I don’t hear much about the women’s team,” I told her. “I’m the goaltender for the men’s team. Hugo Reid. You’ve probably heard my name around the rink.”
Her face seemed to twitch slightly, but she hummed under her breath in a thoughtful manner before shaking her head.
“No, I haven’t heard of you. But since you introduced yourself, I’m Leah,” she said as she stuck her hand out to me.
I looked down at her hand, feeling something spark inside of me. She just challenged me.
“Well, good luck with your team, captain. The women’s hockey team hasn't made many waves, so you might need it,” I told her with a light chuckle. Honestly, they were more like a background team. Not many people watched them, so the university didn’t fund them all that much or advertise them all that well either.
On the flip side, the men’s hockey team continuously broke records and won games. We drew crowds at our games and got to travel as well, so it was obvious which ice hockey team made the biggest impact. Not that the women’s team was bad or anything, but I didn’t want her to have expectations that were too high and then have them crushed.
Leah’s eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“It’s not about luck, Hugo. If you rely on luck, there’s no point in you being overly confident about your team,” she said, piercing me with her sharp tongue.
My jaw tightened slightly, but damn it, she charged me up. I was used to people going toe-to-toe with me over sports, but she was quick and a little ruthless. I stepped closer to her, making her eyes widen a hint.
“I’m confident in my team because we’re damn good at what we do,” I told her as I leaned toward her, our faces lingering a few inches apart. “And I’m a damn good captain.”
Leah held my gaze as she swallowed hard.
“Hate to break it to you, but we’re stealing your spotlight this season. I’m leading my team to victory,” she stated with full confidence.
Her dedication to her team was admirable because I could also relate to it. She obviously cared about playing her best, but I couldn’t risk the women’s team taking much-needed funding and attention away from my team. We needed everything we could get so that we could travel and have the equipment and resources that helped us play our best.
“Whatever you say, sweetheart, but you’re starting ten paces behind us,” I reminded her. The women’s team had a lot of catching up to do to gain the attention they needed to overpass us, and I just didn’t see that happening within a season, whether she was any good or not. I brushed my fingers down her arm as I moved past her to leave. “Good luck catching up.”
Leah huffed and spun around to face me as I started walking off.
“I don’t need luck, jackass,” she called out to me.
I turned and watched her storm into the athletic building, leaving me there with an amused grin on my face. She was quite the firecracker, which meant I should probably keep my distance from her, but all I wanted to do was run into her again.
Chapter 3
Jed
“Come on, guys! Let’s hustle!”
I sucked in a breath as I stood at one end of the rink, donned in full hockey gear. Another day, another hockey practice.
Coach Jacobson was intent on breaking us in every single practice, making sure we were whipped into shape for our first game. All of this was second nature at this point, though. We all lived and breathed the sport.
“I want my defensemen on the line. Ready?” Coach Jacobson called out as Colm, Graeme, and I lined up.
I was the right defenseman, while Colm was the left defenseman. Graeme was back-up. I glanced over to the left at Colm, spotting his grin behind his mask. The corner of my mouth turned up slightly, but I faced back forward just as Coach Jacobson blew his whistle.
With a huff, I pushed off and skated down the ice quickly, matching pace with the others. At the halfway mark, I spun around, skating backward in a defensive motion as if the enemy team was charging toward our goal. Before I reached the other end of the rink, I slowed down to a stop.