Page 100

Ava walks backward, wiggling her fingers at me. “Iknow you’ll make the right decision, Piper. Break up with him or the world finds out the truth.”

I have no claim on Duncan. I never felt a fraction for him of what I feel for Cash. I didn’t know I could have feelings this big until Cash came along.

And now?

Now I have to break both our hearts in order to protect him.

Cash has done a one-eighty in the press. They are eating out of the palm of his hand. Anytime the two of us show up on social media, they’re talking about what a well-balanced player he is. How his presence has helped the entire team and how it’ll carry them through a playoff run.

I don’t see any other way out of this.

Tears well in my eyes as I sink into the corner.

I can’t even focus on the game now.

I can delete our text conversation, but with one anonymous source, it’ll be spewed all over the tabloids and Cassie would have a nightmare of a time trying to clean it up.

How could I have been so careless to be flipping through our messages where anyone could see?

There’s still one period left to play. I have no idea how I’m going to pull myself together to make it through tonight.

Better yet, I don’t know how I’m going to make a decision on what to do.

We were going to break up regardless, so why not end it and make a clean break of it?

What a conniving bitch she is. It’s not enough that she’s ruined my life once already, but now she has to ruin it again.

God, what am I going to do?

Sucking in a deep breath, I try to push every thoughtout of my head to make it through the rest of the game. Rainbows and unicorns and princesses.

Princess.

I hear it in Cash’s low rumble and it makes my heart crack. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to manage this.

I peek my head inside the suite, making sure Ava isn’t in there before grabbing another drink at the bar.

“Make it a double, please.”

The bartender doesn’t think twice as she passes over my drink. I take a healthy swallow before heading back to the suite.

"Piper, are you okay?" Angie asks, as I drop into the seat next to her. The score is tied, with the second period almost over.

“I…”

I don’t know how to answer. I’m so far from okay, I’m not even in the same realm. It’s the truth.

My heart is slowly breaking as I stare out at the ice. Cash is out there, skating with ease, not a care in the world.

I don’t know what’s going to happen with Cash and me, but a decision needs to be made.

If I have to break up with him to protect him, I will.

Fucking Duncan. I never should have dated him to start with.

He’s done nothing but ruin my life since the moment I met him.

“Piper, you’re worrying me.”