Page 8 of Scoring Chance

“Well, I’m not a mind reader so you’re going to have to give me something.”

I looked down at my hands. My right hand was already bruising. Angry red marks glared at me.

“I’ve been on the team for a year and a half now. I made sure we made it to the finals last season. I played just as well if not better than Olli while he was injured, but I’m still just some dumb kid to them.” Abrams nodded but didn’t cut in. “I’m not even the youngest on the team. I’ve been in the NHL for three years now. Haven’t I paid my dues?” I rubbed my uninjured hand over my face.

“Are you friends with any of them? I know it’s a close team, and several of them are pretty tight.”

I shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know if they consider me a friend. They invite me to dinners and some parties, but when I’m there all they do is take jabs at me.”

“They might think of you like the little brother. Someone they can tease,” he said with a frown.

“I could handle the teasing if I felt like it was in good fun, but it’s constant. I can’t seem to do or say anything right. They just tear me apart.”

He rubbed his neck looking down before meeting my eyes. “I’m not condoning them or what they’ve been doing, but I’ve found that sometimes there’s something we’re doing to gain this sort of behavior.”

“You’re saying I deserve this?” I almost stood and walked out, but he held up his hand.

“No, I’m not. I would expect better of the team, but you can’t control what they do. You can—”

“Only control my reaction?” I interrupted. Yeah, I’d heard that a million times, and for the most part I remained calm and unaffected. Until today.

“No, I was going to say you can only control yourself. Take a second to think about what you’re doing and saying. Is there anything you can change?”

I know I didn’t do anything to deserve the hit I took in practice. I hadn’t even spoken to anyone today. At dinner the other night I’d kept quiet. I didn’t see how this could be something I brought on myself.

“I’m not saying it’s all on you. I just think you should try to be more self-aware for the next week or so. See if you’re doing or saying anything to bring this on.”

I nodded. I might not agree but I could give it a shot, if only to prove I wasn’t in the wrong.

“I want to meet with you again next week, okay?”

“Sure.” I stood up and walked to the door. “Thanks, Coach.”

He smiled at me. “Anytime.”

I expected to get in trouble when I walked into his office. Getting a chance to vent and have someone actually listen was a welcome relief even if it did come with a bit of homework.

4

Amelia

I leaned the small moving box against the wall and held it up with my hip while I knocked on the door with one hand. In the other I clutched the purple orchid I bought at the general store I stopped at in Moab down in southern Utah. It was a tiny thank you for Elena agreeing to let me live with her for the undetermined future.

The definition of tall, dark, and handsome opened the door. His scowl did little to scare me off.

“Nikolay!” I beamed up at the man I’d only met through video chats, and pushed past him into the apartment. It was fully furnished now and looked so cozy, yet modern. The gray walls and white furniture looked homey, although this was nothing like the home we’d grown up in. This building screamed luxury. Good for Elena.

I set the plant and box down on the enormous kitchen island while Nikolay shut the door and called out for her. “Honey, I’m home!”

“Amelia?” I heard her voice coming from the hall. She emerged and ran toward me with her arms open wide. “Why didn’t you tell me you were close? We would have met you downstairs.”

I squeezed her back, relishing the moment. The last time we saw each other was Christmas, two years ago. Her previous job in Los Angeles kept her from returning home for the holidays. “I wanted to surprise you.”

She pulled back and looked me over, just as our mother often did when she hadn’t seen one of us in a while. “You’re so beautiful!”

I backed away from her, glancing at the brute who was still watching me with cautious eyes. “Are you going to call off your guard dog?”

Elena laughed. “Nikolay, what’s wrong?”