Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 86052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Disappointment fires through my chest. I should have known this had something to do with hockey. Everything always has something to do with hockey. “Fine,” I sigh, knowing without a doubt that I don’t have a choice here. My father will do anything to make sure I make it to the NHL.
The day I showed just the tiniest bit of talent on the ice is the day it went downhill. My father not only saw money bags, but he saw his chance to become relevant in the hockey world again. He’s a former star no one even remembers, and I’m his ticket back into the limelight. But I don’t mind playing along for now. I’m sure Mom and Dad will eventually loosen the reins and let me try a few other sports one day.
“You don’t seem too impressed,” Rex murmurs, studying me with a sharp, curious gaze.
“Would you be? My friends are going to the movies this afternoon, and I’m stuck here training for a future in hockey,” I scoff.
“What’s with the tone?” he questions, crossing his big arms over his chest. “You’re not keen about a future in hockey?”
“I mean, I don’t know,” I tell him with a shrug, having to look away from his intimidating stare. “I like to play.”
“But you don’t love it?”
I shake my head ever so slightly, feeling a strange betrayal settle in the pit of my stomach. Admitting after all these years that hockey isn’t the love of my life like my father expects it to be, feels odd. Wrong, almost. But for some reason, I find myself trusting this guy. “No, I don’t.”
“What are you interested in?”
I shrug my shoulders again. “I don’t know.”
Rex considers me for a moment before standing up from his desk. “Alright, here’s the plan. Whether you like it or not, you’re here every afternoon until seven. So, you’re going to take every class we offer until you figure out what you want to do, and then I’ll train you after classes in agility and strength to keep your father off my back.”
My eyes widen, feeling a ray of hope burning through my stomach. “Really?” I ask, my back straightening, somehow feeling taller.
“Sure thing, kid,” he says, walking out to the gym. I follow behind and listen intently to the only person who has not only heard me, but is willing to do something about it. Rex looks down at his watch then back to me. “The mixed martial arts class starts in fifteen minutes. It’s an adult class, but it’ll have to do. Go and get warmed up.”
I make my way deeper into the gym, trying out the treadmill, but I’m really not sure what I’m doing. I usually run outdoors to warm up, but I guess I’m trying new things today.
Fifteen minutes later, I walk into the martial arts room, unsure and nervous, then an hour later, I walk back out seeing my future so perfectly laid out. It’s suddenly all too clear that I’ve been wasting my time with hockey.
Martial arts is it for me. I know it with everything I am.
I guess now all I have to do is tell my father.
Chapter 1
XANDER
New year, new me.
Yeah, fucking right.
It’s my junior year of college, and my dick of a father pulled every damn string he could to get me transferred to Denver University so I could be a part of the team that took out the championship last season. Not to mention, the Denver Dragons just happen to be the same college team he played for.
How fucking sweet of him.
I get it. He was a Dragon, the team captain his senior year, and he got himself a one-way ticket into the NHL. I can’t blame him for wanting the same for me. The only problem is that anything else that might be a viable option for me simply isn’t an option at all. Not according to him.
Dad’s plan has always been the same. Get into the NHL and make our name relevant again. What a fucking joke. He’s put me through all of this shit just so he can have his two seconds of fame and show the world what a great job he’s done raising his son. Fucking bullshit. If I could, I would have bailed years ago, but the fucker’s got me by the balls—quit skating and lose everything. My trust fund, my living arrangement, my whole fucking life. I’d be out on the streets.
And what does my mother do about it? Fuck all.
Great parents I have.
So every day, I skate. Day in and day out. And despite how I feel about it, my years of training have ensured that I’m the fucking best. Well, apart from Jaxon. He’s not so bad.
I’ve only been in Denver a few weeks, and I can already see it in Coach Harris’ eyes. He wants to offer me the role of captain for next year. It’s way too early in the season to be thinking about that shit, but I can feel it coming from a mile away. If only that’s what I actually wanted.