Page 6 of The Heart Breaker

3

COLE

Some days it feels like the universe is just looking for ways to piss me off.

I push into the locker room and get hit with loud, shitty music. Rhodes. Of course. The guy loves blasting music in here, almost as much as he loves the sound of his own voice.

I keep my head down as I head for my cubby, running my fingers over the tape peeling off the blade of my stick, making a mental note to retape it.

Most of the rooks are already heading for the showers. Gives me time to strip my gear off, and maybe they’ll all be gone by the time I head in.

Some rookie’s hovering around my cubby. I stop, don’t say a word, just lift a brow. His eyes widen and he shifts out of my way immediately. Smart kid.

I drop my stick, pull off my helmet, and toss my gloves into my open bag. Reaching into my cubby, I grab my gum and shove a piece between my teeth, grinding down on it until the burn settles somewhere in my jaw as I tug off the old tape.

“Here.”

I glance up to see Nathan, our goalie, holding out a roll of tape.

“Thanks,” I mutter, taking it from him. He nods once and heads for the showers.

Austin lobs a sock at Ryan, who doesn’t even bother glancing up as the sock hits the floor. “Yo, Cap, you alive over there?”

Ryan grunts, still staring down at whatever he’s doing.

Austin snorts as he yanks his jersey over his head. “What’s up with you? You’ve been moping all practice, man.”

Logan laughs, dragging his sweatshirt off. “His face’s been like that since Monday. Only reason a guy mopes that hard is girl problems.”

He lifts his head slightly, wiping the sweat off with a towel. “I haven’t seen Isabella in over a week.”

I rip a strip of tape with my teeth and pick up my stick, starting to retape the blade.

Austin lets out a low whistle. “Uh-oh. What’d you do to piss her off?”

Ryan shoots him a look and flips him off. “Nothing. She’s just… been staying with Aurora all week.”

“Ah. Chase stuff?” Austin says.

The second I hear his name, everything in me tightens. I tug at the tape, biting down harder on my gum.

“Yeah,” Ryan says with a sigh.

“I mean, I get it,” Logan says with a shrug. “She just found out her boyfriend cheated on her.” He shakes his head. “She’s gonna need a little support from her best friend.”

My brow lifts, my hand pausing on the stick. That’s news to me. I don’t live with the guys, and most days I keep my distance, especially since Aurora is constantly hanging around them.

Still, I can’t say I’m surprised. I warned her. Told her Chase was bad news, that he wasn’t who she thought he was. Not my fault it took her three years to figure it out.

“Yeah, but still. If I didn’t see Maisie for a week, I’d be on my knees at her door.”

Logan scoffs. “You’re such a sap.”

“And proud of it,” Austin says, shooting him an unapologetic wink. “Aurora deserves better than that prick anyway.”

“I heard she walked in on him fucking some other girl,” Miles, one of the rookies, pipes up. “Someone said she smashed a bottle and chucked it at them.” He lets out a laugh. “That’s crazy.”

“That’s bullshit,” Ryan says, rolling his eyes. “She didn’t throw the bottle at him.”