Read Online Winging It by Cate Cameron - Free Book Online

play.
    Yeah, Toby was—
    Toby. Scott. I bolted upright on the bench.
    Toby had said he might come by after his game and catch the last bit of mine. But there was always a huge crush after Raider games, fans and puck bunnies and reporters and scouts and coaches all swarming around the players, so probably Toby wouldn’t have been able to get away. He wouldn’t be up there in the concrete bleachers right at that moment, staring at Scott, looking for a fight…just like he’d been looking for a fight in the Raiders game…
    “I gotta go,” I said, way too loud and directed at no one in particular. I jammed my feet into my boots and didn’t bother lacing them up. My gear bag slowed me down, and I thought about leaving it behind and coming back for it later, but there’d be another team using the locker room soon and hockey equipment is expensive. I needed to take care of mine.
    So I lugged it along with me, out the short hallway until I was standing by the rink, and I stopped for a moment to look around. It didn’t take me long to find them: the arena was practically deserted, but everyone who was there was looking in the same direction. Shit.
    Toby and Scott, standing chest to chest, staring each other down.
    All because of my stupid, stupid plan.

Chapter Ten
    Toby
    “Not everyone wants to worship at your little ice shrine, Toby.” Scott made it sound like he was some sort of hero, a freedom fighter daring to break away from the cruel hockey dictatorship. “And there’s just not that much to do in this shit hole of a town. So, yeah, I came over to see what was up at this rink. Big deal.”
    “And it’s just a coincidence that Nat was playing here? That’s what you’re saying?” When I’d finally gotten away from the crowd and made it to the community rink, Nat’s team had already left the ice, and Scott had been sitting there right by the change rooms, waiting for her like a vulture.
    “Yeah, it was a coincidence,” he said with a smirk. “That’s what I’m saying, and that’s what our moms will believe.”
    “Did you honestly just threaten to tell my mommy?” I demanded.
    “Hey, if you get violent, there’s going to be questions asked. That’s all I’m saying.” He took a half step away but didn’t take the smirk off his face. “It’s not my fault you’re insecure in your relationship. Not my fault you don’t think your girlfriend really wants to be with you.”
    For the second time that night, I really, really wanted to punch somebody. But a hockey fight was one thing; beating up my cousin would be something else. Our moms would believe him, because he was perfect little Scotty who could do no wrong. Still, it would feel so good to smash his grinning lips right into his too-white teeth.
    “Toby!” I heard from behind me and turned to see Nat hustling toward us. She’d dropped her equipment bag halfway up the stairs—I guess she must have been able to tell how tense things were getting. And sure enough, when she reached us she eased right in between, facing me, making it look like a hug when really she was putting a good bit of her weight into holding me back.
    I wouldn’t ever tell her, but it wasn’t her strength that kept me from hitting Scott. It was the distraction of her body pressing into mine, and the way her big brown eyes widened as they looked up at me. Damn, I could think of lots of other ways I’d like to make her eyes go wide, and for a second I thought about at least kissing her. We were supposed to be a couple, after all. This was her game, so why shouldn’t I play it?
    But I’d had enough of her kissing me just because she wanted to make someone else jealous. So I settled for keeping my gaze on her face, ignoring Scott completely. “Sorry I missed your game. You guys do okay?”
    “We won,” she said, as if it didn’t really matter.
    “Great. And you liked how you played?”
    She’d stopped looking at me and was staring down at the ice instead. “I guess,”