Rival Darling: A Young Adult Hockey Romance (The Darling Devils Series)

JEREMY GAVE me a ride to school on Monday morning, and I sat in nervous silence the whole way. He still had no idea I’d seen him with Heather on Saturday night, and I was seriously regretting not dumping him via text. I’d decided to do it in person, but since I’d worked at the coffee shop all day Sunday, this was the first chance I’d had to speak with him.

I knew it was naive, but a small part of me still hoped he might be honest and come clean about what he’d done. That maybe he’d profusely apologize, insist this had all been some terrible mistake, and tell me he still wanted to be together. But no, instead, he was happily chatting about the goal he’d scored on Saturday and acting as though everything was normal. He didn’t even seem to notice I hadn’t been at the game.

He also didn’t notice my odd silence, and not once did he ask why I hadn’t called or texted him since Saturday night. Did he seriously not care?

I glanced down at my phone, which was constantly vibrating with messages from Mia and Nicole.

Mia: Have you done it yet?

Nicole: Please tell me you have.

Nicole: I hope he cried…

Both girls knew exactly what had happened between Jeremy and me. Mia had barged into my room the moment she got home on Saturday night and spent most of the night either freaking out about the fact I’d caught a ride home with the Darling Devils or planning an epic takedown of my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. I’d told Nicole the whole story during our shift at the coffee shop yesterday. They were both pissed at Jeremy, but neither of them seemed particularly surprised. I imagined it was killing Mia not to drop an “I told you so” on me. Thankfully, she managed to hold it in. I was already well aware what an idiot I had been.

Mia: I hope he didn’t cry. Like that jerk needs an ounce of sympathy!!!

I buried my phone deep in my backpack so it couldn’t distract me anymore. Seeing the texts from the girls wasn’t making this any easier, and I was running out of time. It needed to happen before we reached school because there was no way I was having this conversation with Jeremy once we left the car and there was potential for an audience.

As I looked up from my bag, the large open gates to Sunshine Prep appeared ahead. We were already at school. I had less time than I thought.

“Jeremy?” I said, interrupting him mid-sentence.

I was a little surprised by how annoyed he looked, but then I remembered I’d just disturbed him while he was talking about hockey. Over the summer, it felt like we talked about everything but my least favorite sport, but once school started, it didn’t take me long to realize you couldn’t stop Jeremy once he was telling a story about one of his games. Right now, I didn’t care, and I forged on.

“We need to talk.”

He laughed and released a loud breath. “We are talking.” We were in the parking lot now, and he’d just pulled into a free space. “You know you should never tell a guy you want to talk. It makes them think you’re about to break up with them.”

“I am breaking up with you.”

It was lucky he’d stopped the car because his head whipped toward me so fast we probably would have crashed if he’d still been driving.

“You what?”

“I don’t think we should be in a relationship anymore.”

He grunted and let out an irritated sigh. “Is this because I didn’t answer your calls on Saturday after the game? I already told you I left my phone at home.”

“It’s not about the phone.”

“You sure?”

“You think I’d break up with you because you didn’t answer your phone a few times?”

“I don’t know. You girls can get a bit irrational sometimes. Is it that time of the month?”

“Oh my god.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. We were breaking up because of him cheating. Not because of a few missed phone calls and certainly not because of my period.

He let out a sigh. “I know what this is about.”

“You do?” I opened my eyes to look at him once more.

“It’s about what happened at my game.” He nodded solemnly. “I’d never taken you for the jealous type, Vivi.”

“Jealous type? What are you talking about?”

“She just came up to hug me after the game,” he continued. “Nothing else happened. You know how excited some of the girls get when we win.”

I didn’t know who had hugged him, and I didn’t care. I’d gotten used to seeing girls throw themselves at Jeremy, especially once hockey season started. I’d always shrugged it off as no big deal, but after seeing him with Heather on Saturday night, I didn’t want to imagine how many fangirls Jeremy had “hugged” over the last few months.

“I wasn’t even at your game!” I shouted. My outburst shocked him and surprised even me. But I was on a roll now. “This isn’t about a few missed calls or some puck bunny at one of your games. This is about the fact you had your tongue down another girl’s throat at Summer’s party Saturday night!”

He reared back, his eyes widening even farther. “That’s a lie. Did your cousin tell you that? Because you know she only wants to break us up.”

“No one told me. I saw it myself.”

“You weren’t at the party⁠—”

“Yeah, I was. And I left when I saw you and Heather at the top of the stairs making out.”

He swallowed, and his eyes grew panicked as he realized there was no way he could talk his way out of this.

“You obviously don’t want a girlfriend,” I continued. “So, you don’t need to worry anymore. You’re free.”

“I don’t want that.” He reached out to me, but I shied away. “Look, Saturday night was a mistake. I’d had too many drinks. Heather caught me off guard. You clearly saw us at the wrong moment because I pushed her away as soon as she tried to kiss me. Vi, you’re the only girl I want.”

My mouth dropped open as I tried to comprehend the nerve of this guy. How could he twist the story so shamelessly? How could he lie to me so easily? I saw them kissing. I saw the way he pressed her against the wall. I’d stared in horror for long enough to know there had been absolutely no objection on Jeremy’s behalf.

I honestly couldn’t understand how I had fallen for this guy. What had I seen in him over the summer? How had I ignored all the glaring red flags he’d been waving in my face since school started this year? I’d been defending him and justifying his actions for far too long, and that needed to stop now.

“Well, this girl only wants to be with someone who is honest. Perhaps if your story about Saturday night were true. Perhaps if you’d been up front about it rather than lie about it. Maybe then, I could have found some way to forgive you. But it’s too late.”

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to lose you, Vivi.”

God, I hated that nickname. And hearing Jeremy say it now gave me the ick so bad I wanted to peel my skin from my bones. He must have taken my silence for consideration because he reached out toward me again. “Please. Just give me a chance to explain. We can work this out…”

I shrugged off his grasp. “You’ve had your chance to explain, Jeremy. It doesn’t change anything. We’re over.” I didn’t wait for him to respond, and I jumped from his car before he could come up with something else to say.

I started across the parking lot toward school, but then I heard feet pounding on the pavement behind me. Before I could turn around, Jeremy grabbed my arm and spun me to face him.

“You don’t just get to say we’re over,” he growled. His cheeks were flushed with anger, and his eyes were a little wild. I’d heard people at school say Jeremy was an aggressive hockey player, but this was the first time I’d seen that side of him myself.

As I jerked my arm out of his grasp, I used a little too much power and stumbled back, slipping slightly on the icy ground. Luckily, there was a car right behind me that stopped me from falling.

‘Vi…” Jeremy reached out for me, but I pressed my back flat against the car to avoid his touch.

“Get away from me.”

“If we could just talk…”

“No, Jeremy. We’re done.”

I turned and continued toward school, but he called after me. “You’re going to regret walking away from me. From us.”

It sounded like both a promise and a threat, and I pushed down a shiver that crept up my spine.

I couldn’t get away from Jeremy fast enough. Other students in the parking lot were staring at us, which didn’t help. So, I picked up my pace and ducked my head as I made my way up to the school’s main entrance. Thankfully, I found the girls waiting for me there.

“Are you okay?” Mia asked as she and Nicole rushed down the front steps to meet me.

“What happened?” Nicole added with a worried glance past me to where Jeremy still stood in the parking lot. A crowd of people had already gathered around him, and I could see some girls trying to console him by tenderly rubbing his arms. That hadn’t taken long. His head was hung low, and he looked truly devastated. Surely, he wasn’t that upset. If I didn’t hate him quite so much, I might have been impressed by what a good actor he was.

Mia’s gentle touch on my arm brought me back to reality, and I turned my eyes to her. “I’ll feel much better once he’s out of my sight,” I said.

“It didn’t go well, did it?” Mia’s voice was low and understanding.

“No.” I let out a heavy sigh. “I confronted him about Saturday night, and he lied and tried to talk his way out of it. If I hadn’t already wanted to break up with him, I think that conversation alone would have put me over the edge.”

“So, it’s over?” Mia confirmed.

“Yeah, it’s over. Although, he wanted to stay together.” I shook my head. “What kind of guy cheats on you and still wants to be your boyfriend? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“The kind of guy that’s used to getting what he wants,” Nicole replied.

“And he obviously wanted the best of both worlds,” Mia added, her tone laced with disgust. “Such a selfish jerk.”

“Yeah,” I agreed before wrapping my arms around myself as a sudden chill ran through me. I felt like such a fool for falling for his charms. For giving him a chance when I should have known better. Breaking up with Jeremy was painful, but it was the knowledge I’d brought this on myself that was the hardest part to bear. How could I be shocked and upset when he was just doing what jocks did? It was like getting mad at a cat for chasing a mouse. It was in his nature to cheat, and I’d just been stupid enough to think he could be any different.

I was surprised when Nicole wrapped an arm over my shoulders. She wasn’t the most affectionate person, and yet she didn’t seem the least bit reluctant as she went to guide me up the steps to the school entrance.

“I know it’s hard, but it’s going to get better,” she said.

“I hope so,” I replied. “Because I am done with dating, and I will be one hundred percent sticking to my no-jock rule from now on. No exceptions.”

The two girls shared a concerned look.

“You can’t just give up on dating,” Mia said. “Not because of Jeremy.”

“Sure, I can.” I had no interest in risking my heart with another boy any time soon. Dating Jeremy had been a mistake, and I should have run from him the moment he’d shown me his hockey skates. Like my mom, I’d learned that lesson the hard way. And, as painful as it was, I was determined to make sure I never made the same mistake again.

Thankfully, I managed to avoid Jeremy for the rest of the school day. We had different classes, which helped, but I also steered clear of the cafeteria at lunch. I knew I would have seen him there, and while I briefly considered marching in with my head held high, Nicole offered me an escape route, which I was more than willing to take.

She insisted she couldn’t possibly eat lunch with the masses today because she needed to keep a low profile after her exploits on Saturday night. She had emptied the pockets of every boy stupid enough to face her in a poker game at the party, and she claimed she needed to avoid her disgruntled opponents at all costs. Nicole was not someone who got nervous about confrontation, so I knew she was doing it for me, and I was grateful.

It was surprising how quickly word of my breakup with Jeremy spread through the school. People were whispering about it in my classes after lunch. And before the day was done, I even heard a couple of girls gushing over the fact they might have a chance with Jeremy now he was single. I was almost tempted to tell them their chances weren’t any different because he didn’t appear to believe in exclusivity.

When the bell finally rang at the end of the day, I hurried to the teacher’s parking lot to find Luke. He was giving me a ride to the garage to check on my car. And after the day I’d had, I was really hoping Reed’s dad was going to give me some good news.

I jumped up and down to keep myself warm as I waited by the car for my uncle. I probably shouldn’t have rushed outside, because Luke was always slow to finish his day, but I’d desperately wanted to get out of school and away from prying eyes and gossiping mouths. But, the longer I stood out in the cold, the more I regretted that decision. I was never going to get used to the winters here.

Just when I was considering retreating back inside, the lights on the car flashed, and I heard the familiar clicking sound of the vehicle unlocking. I turned to find Mia walking toward me with the car keys in her hand.

“Where’s Luke?” I asked.

“He got called into an urgent meeting,” she replied. “He told me he was going to have to stay late so we should take the car home. Want to drive?” She tossed the keys at me before I had a chance to respond, and I only just managed to catch them.

“Uh, sure,” I said, but then I shook my head. “Wait, he wants us to go straight home? What about Betty?”

“He said to tell you he’d take you to the garage in the morning.”

“He wants me to wait another night to check on Betty?”

Mia shrugged. “Well, he can’t go with you tonight, and I think he wants to be there to make sure she’s not being held in a mafia hideout.”

I rubbed my forehead. I might have only spent a short time with Reed’s dad, but I felt pretty confident Danny Darling’s garage wasn’t a front for organized crime. At the very least, I would have expected Reed to be driving a much nicer car if his dad was some mobster like Luke had heard.

“How are you after today?” Mia asked.

I hadn’t seen her since lunch, and not all that much had changed during the last classes of the day. “If you’re asking whether I’m still resisting the urge to key Jeremy’s car, I am.”

“Are you sure?” she continued. “I overheard a few girls chatting just now. They were all sympathetic toward Jeremy and didn’t know he cheated on you. From the way they were talking, it was as though you were the one who broke his heart.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “So, I’m the bad guy?”

“Well, obviously, you’re not…”

But apparently the rest of the school didn’t see it that way. I should have expected this. People were always going to take Jeremy’s side. He was the boy they idolized, and I was just the new girl.

“I could tell people the truth about what happened,” Mia suggested.

“What’s the point?” I replied. “Even if they believe you, he’ll score a few goals in his next game, and then no one will care.” That was yet another reason why dating a jock was a terrible idea. People were far more forgiving of their heroes.

She gave me a sad smile. “Things will be better tomorrow.”

I didn’t agree. If anything, things would probably be worse. I was sure that, by tomorrow, everyone at school would know about my breakup with Jeremy and be silently judging me for it. On top of all that, I now had to wait another day before I could check on Betty.

As I hopped in Luke’s car, I made a swift decision. “Screw it,” I said, pulling out my phone and punching in the directions to Danny’s Garage.

‘Screw what?” Mia said.

“I’m going to see Betty.”

“Uh, Vi, did you miss the part about the mafia hideout?”

I waved off her concern. “Luke worries too much.” I preferred to go without him, anyway. I didn’t want Luke feeling obliged to help pay for any repairs I might need, especially since I knew he’d struggle to afford it.

“What about my concerns?” Mia asked before lowering her voice. “You know the Darlings are bad news.”

Although I’d heard so many negative things about Danny and his sons, I found I didn’t share Mia’s concerns. I’d been alone with Reed and his brothers on Saturday night and had survived unscathed. Visiting their dad’s garage in broad daylight hardly felt like the perilous task she was making it out to be. I’d be lying though if I said I was completely without nerves. My decision to go to the garage had awoken one lone butterfly in my stomach, and it was gently fluttering about because there was a chance I might see Reed again.

“Well, I’ve always got that pepper spray Luke gave me as a welcome-to-Minnesota gift,” I replied. “I’ll make sure to keep it handy.”

“I think we’d all prefer if you didn’t need to use that,” Mia grumbled. She crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her seat but didn’t say anything else. That was about as close to approval as I was going to get from Mia, so I started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

It turned out Danny’s Garage wasn’t too far from school, but from the way Mia complained as we crossed over the river and into Ransom, you’d think we were trekking from the Shire to Mordor. It was the first time I’d entered our neighboring town, and immediately I felt like it wasn’t nearly as bad as Mia and the other kids at Sunshine Prep made it out to be. We passed cozy cafés and cute-looking dress shops and a tiny bookstore that was crammed with so many novels they seemed to spill out the front door and onto the street.

The way people in Sunshine Hills whispered about Ransom made it sound like the bridge across the river was a gateway to another world. Ransom might have lacked the obvious opulence of Sunshine Hills, but I found myself drawn to its simple charm and welcoming atmosphere all the same.

When we reached our destination, I found a parking space on the other side of the road from the garage and left the car running for a minute as I gathered my thoughts. The garage looked surprisingly modern. It had freshly painted charcoal walls with white trim, and the “Danny’s Garage” sign was displayed neatly above the wide entrance.

‘This is exactly what a mafia hideout pretending to be a garage would look like,” Mia said as she studied the building.

“Please stop calling it that,” I grumbled. Despite the confidence I’d portrayed to Mia about coming to check on Betty, it was only now we’d arrived that I began to realize this might not be the best idea. I didn’t know the first thing about cars, and there was every chance I’d have no idea what Danny was talking about when he explained what was wrong with Betty. Mia didn’t know any more than me, so she’d be just as useless if I brought her inside.

I probably should have just come back with Luke in the morning, but Danny was expecting me, and I didn’t want to wait another day. Besides, I was here now, and I was genuinely worried Luke would try to pay for my repairs if he came with me. This was my car and my problem to fix.

“Do you think one of the Devils will be there?” Mia murmured. “Maybe you’ll see Reed again?”

I’d been doing my best to avoid the thought. But every time it entered my mind, another butterfly awoke in my stomach.

“I’m sure he won’t be there,” I replied even though there was no way I could know.

Still, I glanced at myself in the rearview mirror and swallowed. I looked a mess. There were shadows under my tired eyes, and strands of hairs were sticking out at odd angles. I looked like the day had steamrollered me—because it had.

I ran a hand through my hair but quickly gave up on trying to fix it. I wasn’t sure why I cared how I looked anyway. I was just here to find out what was wrong with my car.

“But what if he is there?” Mia continued.

“It won’t matter. I’m not here to see Reed. I’m here to see his dad.” I turned off the car engine before I could reconsider and placed a firm hand against my stomach in the hopes of settling the jitters I could feel there. Surely, I wasn’t this nervous to see Reed again, was I?

Mia went to unbuckle her seat belt as I undid mine, but I shook my head at her. “Uh, you’re not coming with me.”

“Of course, I am. I’m not letting you go in there alone.”

“I’m a big girl, Mia. It’s fine.”

“You need backup.”

“Yes, because if Danny Darling really is a fearsome mobster, he’ll obviously be terrified of you.”

“I can be scary,” Mia insisted.

“I’m sure you can be, but I really don’t need anyone to hold my hand. Danny seemed really nice the other night.” She looked prepared to argue, so I quickly continued. “Besides, if we’re both in there, who’s going to call the cops when we don’t return?”

She scowled at me. “That’s not even slightly funny.”

“I thought it was.” I smirked. “Tell you what, if I’m not back in ten minutes, you can send in a search party.”

“Vi…”

I jumped out of the car before she could object. She didn’t follow after me, and I suspected she really was worried she might have to call the cops.

There were several cars parked outside the garage, and the smell of gasoline and oil lingered in the air. A large open roller door marked the entrance, and the sounds of tools clanging and scraping metal echoed from within. As I made my way inside, those pesky butterflies suddenly multiplied. Reed was here, and he was looking even more appealing than I remembered. Wearing a set of dark navy coveralls, he was bent over the engine of a car. There was a smear of grease on his cheek, and my fingers itched to wipe it off.

He was so focused on the car he was working on he didn’t notice my entrance. I took advantage of that and headed straight for the office that was off to one side. My tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth, and my stomach churned, sending a wave of nerves coursing through me. The adrenaline pulsing in my veins made me feel exhilarated and terrified all at once.

I guessed I had my answer. Yes, I really was that nervous to see Reed again. The more concerning question though was why.