Breaking The Ice

CHAPTER 3

Riley POV

The moment I stepped onto the ice, everything else disappeared. The locker room, the stares, the pressure and Jaxon Hayes. It all faded beneath the familiar scrape of my skates against the frozen surface. Home. For the first time that morning, my shoulders relaxed. The cold air filled my lungs as I pushed away from the boards and glided across the rink. God, I'd missed this. Not hockey. I never missed hockey. But this. The excitement before a new season. The nervous energy. The feeling that anything was possible and for a few seconds, I let myself enjoy it.

Then Coach Reynolds blew his whistle. "Let's move, ladies!” The entire team turned toward him. Coach grinned. "That includes you too, Bennett.” Laughter echoed around the rink. I rolled my eyes. Great. At least Coach was an equal opportunity pain in the ass.

"Warm-up laps. Go.” Everyone took off. I pushed forward with the group, settling into a comfortable rhythm. The ice felt different from my old rink. Smoother. Faster. The kind of ice that rewarded confidence and punished hesitation. Perfect.

I completed the first lap and immediately felt eyes on me. Not one pair. Twenty-three. Every single player was watching. Waiting. Judging. I resisted the urge to groan. Apparently the novelty hadn't worn off yet.

“Relax." The voice came from beside me. I glanced over. Tyler Bentley skated alongside me. Unlike most of the team, he was smiling. "Easy for you to say.” I retorted but he merely shrugged. "I've known these idiots for years.” He said. "That doesn't make me feel better.” I snorted. "It should.” He said and his grin widened. "They're all idiots.” I laughed despite myself. The tension in my chest eased slightly. “Thanks." I said and I meant it. "No problem.” He replied before he pushed ahead. "Try not to embarrass us.” He added over his shoulder and I immediately regretted thinking he was nice.

The first drill wasn't complicated. Passing. Positioning. Basic puck control. The kind of thing we'd all done a thousand times. Coach divided us into groups. Unfortunately, my group included Jaxon. Of course it did. I should've known the universe wouldn't give me a break. Jaxon didn't acknowledge me. Not when I joined the line. Not when Coach explained the drill and not even when we took our positions. Fine by me.

The whistle blew. The drill started. Pass, Move, Receive. Pass again. Simple. At least it should have been. The first pass Jaxon sent me came in hard. Really hard. The puck slammed into my stick with enough force to rattle my gloves. Definitely intentional. I controlled it anyway. His expression didn't change but neither did mine. I sent it back, harder. Connor nearly laughed while Jaxon's eyes narrowed. Good. Let him know I wasn't intimidated.

The drill continued. Each pass came faster than the last. Harder. More difficult. Like he was testing me and maybe he was but the problem for him? I'd spent years being tested. One more challenge wasn't exactly going to break me. By the end of the drill, sweat dampened the back of my neck despite the cold.

Coach blew the whistle. “Again." A groan went up around the rink. I welcomed it. The faster the drill became, the less people focused on the fact that I was a girl and the more they focused on whether I could keep up. Exactly how I liked it.

Halfway through practice, Coach switched things up. Scrimmage. Now things got interesting. The team split into two sides and I ended up wearing a red practice jersey. Jaxon wore black. Perfect. I thought as I adjusted my gloves while Coach explained the rules.

"Keep it clean.” Everyone immediately ignored him. As was tradition. The whistle blew. The puck dropped and chaos followed. I loved every second of it. Players crashed into the boards. Sticks clashed. Skates carved deep grooves into the ice. The pace was faster than anything I'd experienced before. Wolf Ridge wasn't kidding around. This was a different level. For the first few minutes, I focused on keeping up. Reading plays. Supporting teammates. Doing my job.

Then… someone slammed into me. Hard. My shoulder exploded with pain as I hit the boards. The impact rattled my teeth. The puck shot away. A few players winced.

"Welcome to Division One," Gray called. I glared at him and flipped him off, making the team burst out laughing. Then I pushed away from the boards and got right back into the play. No hesitation. No complaints. No drama.

Because if there was one thing I knew about hockey players, it was this: They respected toughness. And nothing earned respect faster than getting hit and getting back up.

The scrimmage continued. My lungs burned. My legs ached. But I felt alive. More alive than I had in months. Then it happened… The moment everything changed. I spotted Jaxon skating toward center ice with the puck. His head lifted. Scanning the ice. Looking for options and our eyes met. For one second, I saw the decision happen. The pass came flying toward me. Fast. Too fast. The kind of pass that separated skilled players from pretenders. I knew exactly what he was doing. Testing me. Again. Fine. I thought and readied myself.

I trapped the puck cleanly. A defender immediately closed in so I shifted to the left. He followed but then I immediately cut right. Out the corner of my eye I saw him stumble before I saw my opening and instinct took over. I accelerated. The goal came into view. The goalie shifted position, preparing, waiting. I drew back my stick and took my shot. The puck flew. A sharp crack echoed through the rink. Then the net rippled. Goal. Then silence.

For one glorious second, the entire rink went completely silent. Even the goalie looked offended. Then somebody spoke. "Holy shit.” I wasn't sure who said it. Maybe Tyler. Maybe Gray. Didn't matter. The point was everyone had seen it. Every player. Coach and every skeptic. Including Jaxon.

I tried not to smile but failed miserably. Coach Reynolds blew his whistle. “Now that's what I'm talking about!” A few players tapped their sticks against the ice. Approval. Respect. Not all of it, at least not yet. But enough.

I turned toward center ice. Toward Jaxon. His blue eyes met mine. For the first time since we'd met, there was no annoyance in them. No hostility or dismissal. Only surprise. Like he'd expected me to fail. And couldn't quite figure out what to do now that I hadn't.

The moment lasted less than a second. Then his expression closed off again. Walls rebuilding. Captain mode returning. But I'd seen it. And somehow that felt better than the goal.

Because it meant I'd finally done something I'd been trying to do since walking into the locker room. I'd made Jaxon Hayes question himself. And something told me that was only the beginning.