Chapter 2 THE GAME.

"Just wanted to remind you about the game tonight!" Shay sounds pumped up already, and oh my god, that's right-I agreed to join her at a hockey game. She had the extra ticket because she dumped the boyfriend she was originally going with. But I could really use a night out after how the day's gone.

"Yup, I'll be there!"

"We'll be meeting Maddie and the others there too. Don't forget to bring something warm!"

"I won't. Meet you then!"

Crap, now I have to get ready.

I heat up some beans and rice that I had leftover in the fridge and eat it while reading the new romance novel I got last weekend. Romance novels are the one thing I let myself splurge on, and I try to be careful about how many I buy. If I had the money, I'd buy every romance novel I could get my hands on, but unfortunately, I'm not that rich.

In the meantime, I eat my beans and rice and immerse myself in the fictional world between the pages. I love cooking and I try to get creative with my food when I can so that I don't get bored, but I end up eating the same things pretty much every day because they're cheap.

Someday, I tell myself. Someday I'll be able to actually do what I want. I'll be able to go to college, and experiment with food and cook delicious meals, and I'll have a proper library for all my romance novels so they're not in piles on the floor.

My alarm goes off, and I throw the dishes into the sink and run around getting ready.

I find a couple and put them in to hold my dark red hair back. I don't know how I keep losing them, and yet I somehow manage to do it all the time.

I get ready just in time and hop into my car to drive to the hockey rink to meet everyone. I'm sure everybody else went out beforehand to eat, or will want to get drinks afterward, but I just can't afford it. My Corolla splutters to life, and I wince as I pull her out of the parking space and head downtown.

"Just hold on a little longer, baby," I tell her, patting her dashboard. The last thing I need is my car breaking down on me.

We putter and cough our way to the arena, where I park farther away so I can use free street parking rather than paying through the nose for the arena lots.

I've never been to a hockey game before. When I reach Shay, Maddie, and the others, some of them are wearing jerseys. Shay's bouncing up and down on her heels with a huge grin on her face. "You're just in time! Come on!"

Maddie buys a bunch of snacks that she ends up sharing with everyone, which is nice because I don't have to be the one person who claims she doesn't want anything to cover up the fact that I can't afford to splurge. The ice rink arena is cold, but actually not quite as cold as I expected. Maybe it's because there are so many people here, all that body heat warms the place up.

We take our seats, and the skaters come out to blaring music and spotlights. It's a whole production, and I grin as the crowd gets pumped up on both sides. It's a home game, so it's mostly people in support of our home team, the Titans. I watch the players as they skate, trying to match the athletic figures with the faces they're showing on the jumbotron screens.

Wow. Some of these guys are really handsome.

The first one out is the captain, Cruz Ashford. He's got chocolate brown hair and blazing blue eyes, and he sweeps his gaze over the crowd and then the ice as he skates across the smooth surface with steady, even strokes of his legs. I don't know if I've ever seen such a confident looking man in my life.

A few others come out, and another player catches my eye, apparently named Lawson Hunt. The player's name flashes on the screen whenever that player emerges onto the ice. Lawson has dark blond hair and these mischievous brown eyes that complement each other, and a square jawline that gives a rugged edge to his handsomeness.

The last two out are a defenseman, Miles Eastwood, with the goalie Knox Monroe. Miles has black hair that seems to have hints of red when the lighting's right, but that could just be my imagination, and his eyes are a true hazel. He gives the crowd a small, crooked smile, but then seems to focus on the goalie, who is-

Holy shit, he's huge.

All the players are tall. Most of them look like they're at least six feet. But this goalie is taller than all of them, and even though it could just be his extra padding for his job on the team, he looks broader than the others too. He's got a beard that's the same rich dark brown as his hair, which is shaggy. His eyes when he looks up into the camera are gunmetal gray, but he scowls at the crowd and then skates into position.

I guess the guy's having a bad day. I hope that doesn't reflect in how he plays. Shay gets riled up when her team loses.

I shouldn't have worried. The moment the game starts, the players are in motion, and the four handsome ones that I noticed are the stars of the show. Not a single shot gets past the goalie, and the other three players are lightning fast, passing the puck back and forth like they're reading each other's minds.

By the time that the first intermission hits, I'm as into it as the others. It's a lot of fun and exhilarating to watch everyone skate on the ice. It's different from watching players in other sports running. Something about being on skates, and the ice, and how different it is, it just thrills me.

I'm up on my feet cheering with Shay and the others, and when we win, we jump up and down and Shay wraps her arms around my neck to scream in my ear.

Yeah, I'm really glad I came to this. I needed this.