Rival Darling: A Young Adult Hockey Romance (The Darling Devils Series)

“WHY ARE YOU SO NERVOUS?”

“I’m not.” I didn’t look at Parker as I answered, keeping my eyes locked firmly on the road ahead.

“You look more nervous than a beauty queen who’s waiting for the judges to announce the winner of the pageant.”

I rolled my eyes. Mom had been watching some Miss World-style pageant on TV last night, and although Parker had complained about it, he’d clearly been paying attention.

“I must not look nervous at all then,” I replied. “Those beauty queens are masters of composure.”

“I never said you were a good beauty queen.” Parker smirked in response.

I cursed Grayson for deciding to drive Paige to the bonfire party tonight, leaving me stuck with the world’s most annoying sibling. Luckily, we’d just arrived at the Doyles’ property, so I wouldn’t be trapped for much longer. I turned off the engine and eagerly jumped from the vehicle. It was a cloudless night, so the air was crisp and cold. I welcomed the chill though; at least I was no longer cooped up with Parker.

“You’re nervous because your girlfriend might be here tonight, right?” It seemed there was no escaping Parker as he walked around the front of the truck to join me. He’d been badgering me about Violet the entire way here, and I seriously wished he’d never found out about her.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I growled.

“But you want her to be. I bet she is coming tonight. Bonfire parties are the one and only time Sunshine Prep kids slum it with us.”

I leaned against my truck, trying to ignore Parker as I waited for Grayson to arrive. He’d left just after us, so I knew he couldn’t be too far behind. But apparently, he’d decided to drive like a grandma tonight because his headlights were nowhere in sight.

“Can’t you bother your own friends with this crap?” I asked.

“Probably,” Parker replied. “Getting under your skin is much more fun though.”

“Fun for you maybe.”

I turned to look across the large snowy field to where the party was already in full swing. My gaze was drawn to the large bonfire in the distance and the dancing flames that illuminated the woods beyond in an amber glow. In the summer, we usually parked much closer to the fire, often drinking on the back of our trucks. But the snow was starting to pile up, so everyone had to park by the road and trudge across the white, icy field.

There were already a lot of cars here. It was lucky this place was in the middle of nowhere or some nosy parent probably would have put an end to these parties a long time ago. There wasn’t a whole lot to do around Ransom or Sunshine Hills, especially in the middle of winter, which was probably why kids at both schools were so keen to keep the peace here. We were onto a good thing, and no one wanted to ruin it.

I released a sigh as Grayson finally pulled up in front of my truck. He usually hated parties, so I was impressed he’d agreed to come tonight. It was lucky Paige was at our place this afternoon. The way her face lit up as soon as the bonfire was mentioned pretty much left Grayson with no choice. He always did whatever he could to make Paige happy.

She was smiling brightly as she emerged from his car, her short, dark hair hidden under a massive pair of fluffy earmuffs. She was wearing leather boots with a smart woolen coat and a scarf draped around her neck. Paige was always trying new things, and her most recent mini-obsession was knitting. The scarf was clearly one of her latest creations. It was a wild mishmash of multiple different colors and was so long she was almost tripping over it. I might have told her it looked ridiculous, but Grayson probably would have taken the damn thing off her neck and strangled me with it.

He was struggling to keep his eyes off her, and it was a miracle he’d been able to drive here without getting in an accident. She was completely oblivious to his attention as she linked her arm through his and the two of them walked over to meet us. I would have told Grayson to make a move on her a long time ago except I’d never been able to figure out what Paige felt for him in return. She didn’t really seem interested in guys or dating and had always appeared content with their friendship.

“You guys didn’t kill each other!” Paige clapped her hands together to congratulate Parker and me. Her cheeks were already pink from the cold, but she seemed even more bubbly than normal. Probably because she’d managed to convince Grayson to come out for once.

“I do have some self-restraint,” I replied.

“Oh, I know.” Paige’s eyes twinkled as she laughed. “That didn’t stop me from betting Gray five bucks you’d thump Parker on the drive out here though.” She looked hopefully between the two of us as if waiting for confirmation.

Parker let out a sad sigh. “Alas, I was not thumped. Sorry to disappoint you, Paige. I did try my best to piss him off.”

“I’m sure you did.” She giggled. “But the night’s not over yet.” She turned to Grayson. “Double or nothing; Reed thumps Parker before the night is through.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you realize how annoying Parker will be if he knows there’s money on the line?”

Paige continued to smile at Grayson. “What do you think, Gray? Does Reed have enough restraint?”

“I think the real question is whether Parker is that annoying,” Grayson replied. “And he most definitely is. So, odds are, I’m going to lose this bet.”

“Yep,” Paige chirped. She kept staring at him as she waited for him to agree.

“Fine,” Grayson grumbled. “But you better take me for ice cream with your winnings.”

“Done.” She held out her hand to shake on their bet, and Grayson begrudgingly took it. “I swear, Gray. Only you could be thinking about ice cream when we’re standing in the middle of a blizzard.”

“This is hardly a blizzard. There’s not a cloud in the sky, and it’s barely cold,” he grunted. “Besides, I like ice cream.”

“I know.” She laughed and nudged Grayson’s shoulder, but as she did, she slipped on a patch of ice and nearly lost her footing. Grayson instantly reached out and grabbed her around the waist, stopping her from falling, and supported her until she righted herself.

“Whoops.” Paige giggled before turning to us. “Now, are we heading over to the bonfire, or are we going to stay in the parking lot and freeze?”

She didn’t need to say any more than that to get us moving. Grayson may have worshipped the ground Paige walked on, but I would have done almost anything for her too. She’d spent a lot of time at our place over the years, and I sometimes had to remind myself she wasn’t actually a part of our family. Even Parker was sweet to her and spared her the crap he constantly dished out to everyone else.

I was tense as we approached the bonfire. I wasn’t sure if Violet was coming, but I’d spent the whole day hoping she would. So far, I couldn’t see any sign of her, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t here.

Parker didn’t stay with us for long, and as soon as we reached the fire, he made a beeline for a group of girls sitting on one of the benches surrounding the blaze. When Paige spotted a couple of her friends, she waved and hurried toward them, turning back to us as she did.

“You coming, Gray?” she called out.

Grayson let out a pained sigh as he watched her join her friends. “Remind me why we came again?”

‘Because bonfire nights are fun,” I replied, trying my best to sound convincing.

He grunted, like he knew I was full of shit. Despite what I’d told Violet, I didn’t enjoy these things. Mostly because we had to mix with Sunshine Prep students, and I pretty much hated everything to do with Sunshine Hills. I’d had a change of heart this past week. There was at least one thing I liked about that place now. Violet. I was doing a terrible job at keeping those feelings hidden though, and I was sure Grayson could see right through me.

“You better go find your girl,” he said. “And I guess I better go have some fun,” he added before following after Paige. I suspected it would be about five minutes before he ended up standing on the edge of the crowd, scowling at everyone.

“You’re here.” Matt appeared at my side, holding two bottles of beer. He wasn’t even trying to cover the surprise in his eyes. “You haven’t come to one of these in ages. I thought they might have finally banned you.”

“No, I’m not banned. But it’s probably only a matter of time…” There might have been a sketchy truce between Ransom and Sunshine Prep on bonfire nights, but that tenuous agreement always felt a little too close to breaking whenever I made an appearance. The Saints players harbored a deep and burning hatred for me. And sure, I hated them too, but despite what most people thought about me, I didn’t purposefully seek out confrontations. It was hard to enjoy a party when you spent the entire time waiting for the tension in the air to finally snap.

Matt offered me one of his beers, but I waved it away. “Can’t, I’m driving.”

“Ah, more for me then.” He grinned. “So…what prompted you to grace us with your presence tonight?”

Even though Matt was my best friend, I didn’t exactly feel like telling him I’d come for one reason only. Because I wanted to catch a glimpse of a girl who literally had a rule against spending time with me. Well, not me specifically, but guys like me. Either way, Matt would think I was pathetic. It was hard enough for me to think about the fact that Violet would never be interested in me let alone say those words out loud.

“Parker wanted to come,” I answered. “You know he’ll only start trouble if someone doesn’t keep an eye on him.”

“True.” Matt nodded. “He’s never been particularly good at steering clear of trouble. Then again, neither have you.”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

Matt smirked as he took a swig of his beer. “Sure, of course, you don’t.”

We walked closer to the bonfire as we talked. It was built up high tonight, and the heat radiating off it was intense. Benches, chairs, and thick logs surrounded the fire as they always did, but no one was really sitting on them as most people hung back to avoid the heat.

“I see Parker’s wasted no time…” Matt said, tilting his head toward my brother. Parker had his arms wrapped around the shoulders of two Sunshine Prep girls. It was almost like he wanted to start shit with the Saints. I spotted a few guys from their team watching my brother and they didn’t look happy.

I swore under my breath. Parker was going to get us booted in record time. There was a cocky curve to his mouth as well, like he knew just how much he was pissing off the enemy. Luckily, a few moments later, one of the girls slapped Parker across the face, and the other shrugged off his arm. He watched them walk away, not the least bit bothered by their rebuff.

Matt snorted at my side. “And here I thought your brother was a player.”

“He wishes.” I considered leaving Parker to his own devices, but I knew I couldn’t trust him to behave. I’d only end up regretting it when I eventually had to clear up whatever mess he was certain to create. “I better go talk to him.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Matt said with a sympathetic laugh before he headed over to a group of our teammates who were hanging out nearby.

I wished I could do the same. With a groan, I walked in the opposite direction toward Parker. “Tell me you’re not trying to start a fight tonight,” I said as I came up beside him.

“I’m not trying to start a fight tonight.”

“Seriously, Parker.”

“What?” He faked a yawn. “This bonfire’s so boring.”

“You’ve been here five minutes. And you’re the one who wanted to come.”

“Actually, I think you were the one who was extra eager tonight, stalker Joe.”

“I’m not a stalker,” I growled. “Just quit trying to start shit. You know I’ll end up being the one who has to finish it…”

“You worry too much,” he scoffed. “The Saints won’t start anything. I heard they really had to fight for their win today, and they all look pretty broken.” Parker slowly started to smile. “Besides, I figured you wouldn’t mind if I distracted them a little, especially Hoffman. I noticed a certain redhead is here, and I thought you might want to chat with her without being interrupted…”

He nodded to the other side of the bonfire, and as I followed his gaze, I caught a flash of the blue eyes and red hair I’d been longing to see. Violet was smiling brightly as she talked with another girl, and when my eyes settled on her, my heart rate skyrocketed, and my hands went clammy like I was standing too close to the flames.

She looked beautiful tonight, especially with the soft glow of the firelight dancing across her features. Her hair flowed in loose waves down her back, and her cheeks were rosy from the heat of the fire. She was dressed like she was ready for an expedition to the Arctic, rather than a night out in Ransom, but I thought she looked cute bundled under all those clothes. Even with her ridiculously large puffer jacket, she kept holding her hands out toward the fire and inching closer to it. I got the feeling this girl could be in the middle of a scorching desert and still feel the cold.

Parker had been right when he’d taunted me in the car earlier. I was nervous about seeing Violet again. But the anxiety was mixed with excitement. She might have sworn off hockey players, but that didn’t seem to matter to me as I watched her through the fire. I only needed her to like one hockey player: me.

“Like I said, I make an excellent distraction…” I could practically hear the smirk on Parker’s face, and I dragged my gaze away from Violet to scowl at him. “So, are you going to get your girl?” he added.

“Just stay out of trouble.”

“I’m afraid I can’t promise that. Can you?”

As I looked back at Violet, I wasn’t sure I could.