Authors: Carly White
Power Play
A Bad Boy Hockey Sports Romance
By: Carly White
Power Play
Chapter 1
“I don’t know what the problem is Chloe. You are almost there, you just have to find a few more dumb jocks on your roster and you will be home free.”
I wanted to believe her, but it seemed like I was never going to make enough for tuition. After the college we went to raised their rates again, the last year had been the hardest. I just had one more term to go and I would be home free, but that one term was going to cost a lot and I had only a week to come up with the rest of it.
Thinking about getting a real job wouldn’t work because they don’t pay enough. I make more tutoring the dumb jocks as Lianna put it, but I was already tutoring most of them. Football season was over and the amount of students that played, didn’t care much about their grades now. They were just concerned when it meant that they couldn’t play ball. Without that in their heads, there was nothing for them to work for. It was back to parties and staying out all night. This was a big problem to my business and the money for tuition that I needed.
“I don’t know about home free, but if I could just find one or two more that could pay, I can at least make tuition.”
“Why don’t you just ask your parents for the money?”
“Because they are teaching me a lesson or something, you know hard work and all of that.”
“Seems kind of hypocritical since he got all of his money inherited.”
“I know but it is how it is. At least mom helps out sometimes, but she can’t do much because dad watches the bank account like a hawk.”
She shook her head like she didn’t get it. Hell I didn’t even understand it, but it was the way it was and if I had learned anything, it was just to go with the flow of things, to just make it work.
“Well there is nothing we can do tonight. There might be a couple of guys on the rowing team or maybe hockey, it’s about that time of the season.”
I grimaced. If there was anything worse than dumb football guys, it was the aggressive hockey players. I wondered if they got into the sport to start fights because every time I had been dragged to a game, it ended up in a brawl on the ice, the red so much brighter against all the white surrounded them. It was brutal and I didn’t even want to think about having to deal with any of them. Dad was probably easier to deal with than a guy like Nick Zandowski.
Nick was handsome, I will give him that, but he was a jerk like the rest of the hockey team. He was the star for the school in hockey and like my family he came from money as well. I heard he was pretty smart though, so I doubted that he needed a tutor. There were a few other guys that had the money to pay my rate, so I decided that maybe I would go down to the Student Union tomorrow and see if anyone was looking or had signed up for a tutor.
“You’re right. I will go down there tomorrow and see if there is anyone looking.”
“Never know Chloe, you may get another hot guy like Jimmy.”
“Yeah and you see how that turned out didn’t you?”
“Jimmy was a douche. Everyone knew that.”
“Yeah, but he was really good at some things.”
“I bet he was.”
Lianna was talking about the little affair we had had at the end of the season. It was nice while it lasted, the man was very good at pleasuring, but he was a dick that liked to share it so I had to get away from all of that. We hadn’t even really dated, just a few nights of passion and that had been the year before. I hadn’t dated much since then. Jimmy had started a couple of rumours about me, made a tape that he distributed around campus after I stopped seeing him, so now if someone asked me out, I wasn’t sure why.
“Okay enough about Jimmy. What are we doing tonight?”
She shrugged. “There is always a party going on or we can go watch that new movie we have wanted to see.”
That was not really a choice. I was not into the parties, even though Lianna was. There were just too many people there and by the time we usually got to one of the parties on campus, everyone was pretty much slaughtered and it wasn’t much fun. It wasn’t fun for me to watch the drunks play and since I didn’t drink, it didn’t make sense to go.
“Movie.”
“How did I know that would be what you picked?”
“Because you know me so well. Besides, Nicholas Cage was looking hot in that movie trailer.”
She sighed and picked out a skirt from the closet. “He is so old Chloe. I swear I wonder about your taste in men.”
“What about Johnson?”
She made a face that made me laugh.
“You mean, he who must not be named?”
I giggled, I couldn’t help it. My best friend had an on again, off again relationship since I had met her the first year of school. He was hot and they were perfect together, but they fought like cats and dogs. I never was sure if they were on or off, so by her face, they were off again.
“He doesn’t count.”
“Ah, I see. Well you bring up Jimmy and I will bring up Johnson.”
“Okay, fair enough. Do you want to see if Denise wants to come?”
“Nice subject change. Sure, give her a call, but I think she was going out on a date tonight.”
“That’s what we should be doing, it’s Friday night.”
“We’re going out. The movies counts.”
She didn’t look so sure, but she started to change anyways. “You know the bathroom is right there.”
“Stop being a prude. It’s just tits Chloe. Besides, yours are way bigger.”
I don’t know why she thought that nudity was normal. I was more modest, leaving my body for those that I loved to see. She liked to dress half naked most of the time, so I guess she figured that everyone had seen it all before. When I went to get an outfit, she gave me that look, but like hers, she just kept it to herself. We had some things in common, like a love for old movies and we were both on the board for the school newspaper, but that was about where is stopped. Beyond that, every bit of us was different.
I went to the bathroom to change, ignoring her comment. Fixing my hair, I brushed out the red curls, braiding it down my shoulder to the side. It was the only way to keep it under wraps, too messy to do much else with. While Lianna wore a red hot dress that showed off her legs, I was wearing a sweater and some jeans. Like I said, complete opposites.
“So you had to go to the back of the closet for that one didn’t you?”
“What, I think it’s cute.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”
“Shut up. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Chapter 2
We got to the movies as the opening credits were going on. There weren’t a lot of young people there for it being a college town, but I figured most of them were at a party. Lianna had tried to drag me to one and she probably would by the end of the night.
I loved the movie, Lianna was not so impressed, but I had a thing for the actor so I would watch anything that he made. On our way out, Lianna mentioned a certain party that Johnson was supposed to be at later.
“I thought you guys were taking a break?”
“We are, but I need to get laid and there is no one else that I want it to be.”
“Love, huh? Must suck.”
“It does when it is bad and we are fighting, but it makes up for it when it’s good.”
I nodded, but I couldn’t agree. She was a mess half the time over him and as much as she tried to hide it from me, I could hear her crying at night some times over him. I wouldn’t mention it because she was someone that wanted to be strong and to put up a front, so all I could do was let her. If she was going to get her heart broken tonight because he was with someone else, I couldn’t stop it from happening, but at least I could be there when it did happen.
“Fine Lianna. I don’t think it is a very good idea, but you know I am with you.”
She thanked me, though we both knew that I was going to go anyways. I was used to getting dragged to things and on occasion I dragged her to some book signing that she didn’t want to be caught dead in, so it worked somehow.
I let her drive there, because I didn’t know the way. The party was at Tommy’s house, the star quarterback and I had a feeling Jimmy was going to be there. The things I do for friends.
***
When we got there, it was already raging, loud music blaring out of the speakers in the house and there were people everywhere. I groaned to myself, wishing that I didn’t have to be there, but I knew that I was going to go. I had to for her.
“Why don’t you take that sweater off at least Chloe. You still got the tank top on right?”
I looked down at what I was wearing. I didn’t think it was that bad, but I did as she suggested. It would make me blend in better with the rest of the people there at least. Pulling the sweater off, I situated my chest so that it wasn’t showing anything else than way too much cleavage. “Better?”
“Yes. If I had tits like that, I would show the world.”
I sighed, knowing that what she said was the truth. “Yeah, yeah, let’s just go and get this over with. If you end up with Johnson tonight, I am taking the car back to the house, deal?”
She nodded. Both knowing that it was what she wanted and I hoped for her sake, it was what happened. I hoped more than anything that Johnson hadn’t brought a girl there or was with a girl when we got there. It would break her heart and wouldn’t be the first time he had done it. Johnson was one of those guys that would break up so that he could find someone else to be with.
Walking into the house, I recognized most of the people there and one of the first people I saw was Nick. Our eyes met for a moment, just a second really, before I seen something else behind him that made me stall. “Lianna, why don’t we just go home? I don’t even think he is here hun.”
“He is, I will find him.”
I tried to stop her from looking where I was looking, taking her hand to steer her away from it. It was going to break her heart or she would be fighting in a minute. I never knew with them two.
“That motherfucker.”
Well, it looks like she seen him. Johnson was pushed up against some blonde chick on a couch, making out. The blonde was one of the cheerleaders that I had tutored before, Candace or something like that. She was cute, petite and now she had her hands on the wrong man. I looked over at Lianna taking it in and then she started towards them. “Let’s not do this in front of all of these people Lianna. It’s not worth it and you are going to regret it in the morning.”
She looked at me like I was a traitor, the hurt was misplaced, but I still hated to see it in her eyes. “Okay, well let’s do this then.”
It ended up being a fight that I stayed out of until someone else tried to jump onto her. By the end of it, there was a small brawl of women and then even some men got involved. It happened so fast, but that is how it was with her. Fast and loud.
The cops were called and I was named and arrested, along with several others, though Lianna somehow got out of it all, the one that had started it. I was put into the back of a cop car and then someone else was put in beside me. None other than Nick. I cursed under my breath and tried to not look at him. I had a crush on him and seeing him like this, ripped bra and marks on my face, in the back of a cop car, was not the way I had seen the night turning out.
“You’re Chloe right?”
I was actually surprised he knew who I was. We were from very different social circles obviously. “Yeah, that’s right. You’re Nick, our hometown hockey champ.”
He nodded. “Yeah, something like that. What the hell happened?”
“Well Johnson should stop messing with my friend is all. He knows she has a temper and that’s what happens. I suppose eventually that the girls on campus will get the hint.”
He kind of chuckled and I snuck a look at his face. Nick didn’t seem too bothered by it all, even with a black eye starting on his face. I was worried about how I was going to get bailed out, figuring in my head how many more hours I had to work to make it up. “That’s kind of harsh isn’t it? I thought you were the voice of reason, like the smart, quiet girl that helps people.”
I had to laugh a little. That is how everyone seen me. “Well I did help someone, my friend.”
“Yet I hate to see that she is not here as well.”
I could see how that would be hard to get through, but I really wasn’t upset. I was glad that she got away. “That’s good. I have to get bailed out some way.”
“I guess that is one way to look at it.”
“So why did you get involved?”
“Some guy pushed me and that was it. I am always down for a fight.”
“That’s because you are a hockey player. I don’t know what it is that they give you. Just tell me Nick, is there kool-aid involved?”
I thought the reference would go over his head, but it didn’t.
“Haha, there is not kool-aid, but a man feels more alive when he is engaged with something that makes his blood boil.”
“Is that so?”
“You two pipe down back there. You have already cost me a mountain of paperwork.”
I hadn’t even noticed the cop sliding into the car until he spoke. “Sorry officer. You know, you could always let me and the lady go. Save us all a whole lot of trouble.”
“That’s enough Zandowski. I’ve seen you too many times to count. You got bail money on you?”
“Of course. So you see Sir, there is no real point to this. Why don’t you just take the bail money and we can save us all some hassle.”
I tried to get him to shut up, nudging him with my shoulder. He couldn’t just try to bribe a cop, it would only make it worse. What I hadn’t expected was for the cop to mull it over and then get out of the car. I figured it was going to be something else, not him walking over to Nick’s side and opening the door. “Five hundred is about how much bail costs for this offence.”
Nick moved his back to him to get the cuffs off and he fished five bills out of the back of his pocket. “Here Trevor, thanks for that.”
“No problem.”
As Nick got out of the car, he looked back at me and then the two talked for a few minutes. I was more surprised when he handed the officer some more money and then he came to my side to let me out. The policeman unlocked my cuffs and told me I was free to go.
“What, why?”
“You’ve made bail miss.”
“Thank you Sir.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Nick for getting you out.”
I turned to thank him, but he was gone back into the throng of people and I was left to walk home. I had lost my phone in the scuffle and now there was a ten block walk because Lianna had took off with the car. I swore that she better not be with that damn man or I was going to be pissed. This wasn’t my first fight or arrest because of Lianna and I doubted it would be the last, but just once I wished that it wasn’t because of Johnson. What was it, what hold did he have on her? I really didn’t get it.
There was also the thought of Nick and how I would pay him back. I couldn’t have that hanging on my head and I told myself I would figure out a way tomorrow. I just needed to get home, take a shower and forget about the whole damn day.