SWNOVELS The Faceoff: Chapter 2
What the hell was that?
I stand in the hallway near the tunnel, still staring off to where I saw Eden disappear with her friend. How the hell could I have been so stupid? She said my name that night and I didn’t bother to question her on how she knew it. Of course, she knew me. It all makes complete sense now and I feel like a complete idiot.
There’s always been a weird disconnect between the hockey players and figure skaters. It’s hard to explain and I don’t know where it even originated from. It’s not like we’re competing against each other in any sense at all, but yet it’s like we’re enemies just by association.
I’ll admit, the figure skaters here definitely get the shorter end of the stick. Our school takes a lot of pride in the hockey team, so the figure skaters don’t get much recognition. And they don’t even have their own locker room or anything like that. They have to share what is already ours, which none of us are particularly happy about.
I don’t know if it boils down to jealousy or what it is exactly, but the girls that figure skate have always come off as if they think they’re better than us. And the same goes for the hockey players. I mean, if we’re being real here, the school does treat us like royalty, so it’s hard to not have that complex. I wouldn’t say the hockey players look down on the figure skaters… but those girls give off the vibe that their noses are so high in the fucking air, that we’re beneath them.
Either way… I definitely fucked with the enemy and I should not have done that.
It’s not like she has anything on me or can do anything to retaliate. She was the one who propositioned me, and fuck me if that wasn’t one of the best nights of my life. And I would most definitely be lying if I were to say I wouldn’t do it again. Because if she wanted me in her bed again, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Figure skater or not—there was something about Eden Finley that I can’t seem to shake.
“Dude,” Simon skates over to me as soon as I’m on the ice. “What did I miss? I heard Logan and August talking about you and one of the figure skaters getting into it.”
An exasperated sigh leaves my lips as I slide my hands into my gloves and lazily hold on to my stick as I skate a circle around him. “You remember that party that Derrick had at the lake?”
Simon nods. “Wait, you slept with some chick and couldn’t figure out who it was that night.” He pauses, his eyes widening. “Tell me it wasn’t Eden fucking Finley.”
Sucking my lips between my teeth, I nod back at him. “Yep,” I admit. “I had no idea who she was. I mean, I heard her name, but I didn’t recognize her face.”
“Damn, bro,” Simon shakes his head, a chuckle vibrating from his chest. “I know you came in the middle of the season last year, but I thought you would have known better than to fuck with the figure skaters—especially her. Eden doesn’t like anyone, except for Winter and, like, one other chick. Other than that, she’s not known for being the nicest person. Especially to the hockey team.”
“What’s her deal? I know there’s always that underlying animosity, but has someone done something to her personally?”
Simon shrugs. “I don’t know. I know she dated Chance Orion her freshman year. They were pretty serious, but he was a senior and was drafted into the NHL after that.” He pauses for a second, waving Logan over. “I think things ended between them after that.”
“What’s up?” Logan asks the two of us, glancing back and forth between us as he skates over.
“Orion and Eden Finley. She was cool before they broke up, right?”
Logan nods. “Yeah. I mean, she always had that weird chip on her shoulder, being a figure skater, but she was cool with everyone when they were together. After he dropped her like it was nothing, she wrote us all off, like we all broke her heart.”
I stare back and forth between the two of them as they talk about the breakup from an outsider’s perspective. So, not only is there the underlying animosity, but Eden Finley is a scorned woman. And one who was fucked over by a hockey player, no less.
“Orion talked a big game to her about their future, but we all knew he was blowing smoke up her ass. The minute he got his offer and accepted it, she was discarded and he moved on without looking back.”
“That explains a lot,” I murmur, thinking aloud as I grab a puck with my stick and slide it across the ice.
“Word of advice?” Logan offers as he steals the puck from me. “Keep your distance from Eden. Your little dispute in the hallway was nothing. You’re better off not getting involved with her.”
“I mean, it’s not like I was trying to make her my wife or anything. We just had a good time, one that I wouldn’t mind repeating.”
Logan shakes his head before he skates off, leaving Simon and I standing there for a moment. “I’m not telling you what to do, but Logan’s right. Eden only cares about herself and isn’t going to let anyone slow her down again.”
A smirk forms on my lips. “Well, it’s a good thing that I’m just as selfish.”
Simon rolls his eyes. “It’s your funeral, bro.”
I watch him as he skates off after the other guys, and I’m left behind with my thoughts. Personally, I’ve never done anything to Eden Finley, but if she wants to treat me like I’m the enemy, then two can play this game. The last thing I’m going to do is let a girl like her derail my plans and cloud my mind.
After the shit I pulled at my last school with the coach’s daughter, I don’t have time for the drama or the bullshit. And if Eden wants to give me the cold shoulder, then I need to take that as a sign and move on.
If only that were how I really felt…
She intrigues me and she’s awoken something inside me that I’ve never felt before. She wants to play this little game and push me away, then she better believe that I’m going to push back. I’m going to break down every goddamn wall she has built up and shatter the ice around her.
Eden Finley has no idea what is coming for her.
And it’s the one person she views as her personal enemy.
Me.