Rival Darling: A Charming YA Wholesome Romance Featuring Rival Hockey Players, Fake Dating, and Unexpected Love (The Darling Devils Book 1)

by Alexandra Moody

“What do the rest of you think?” she asked. “Do you like them?” I didn’t want Paige to notice their disgust, and my smile immediately transformed into a dark glare as I warned them not to say anything negative. They were going to eat every last crumb of those muffins whether they liked it or not.

AGHHH

I’ll have to bring more to your game next week.” I was about to tell her that wasn’t necessary, but my younger brother, Parker, chimed in. “That’d be great.” His words were barely decipherable as he spoke with his mouth full. The funny thing was, I didn’t think he was lying. He was quite happily shoveling his muffin into his mouth, and before he was even finished, he started gesturing for Paige to hand him the box containing the rest. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Parker was a bit of a garbage disposal when it came to food, with absolutely no standards for what he put in his mouth. He didn’t really have standards for what came out of it either and was the kind of person who released pretty much every thought that popped into his head. In that regard, we couldn’t have been more different.

JAAJJAJAJAJAAJ

“They weren’t that good, were they?” I was suddenly grateful my face had the emotional range of a goldfish. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I loved them.” Technically, that was true. I loved everything about Paige, even her crappy muffins. Apparently, love wasn’t just blind, it also had no sense of taste. She laughed and shook her head at me. “I know you’re just saying that to be nice. But don’t worry, the next batch will be better. I’ve got to get this cooking thing nailed if I want to tick it off my list.”

I’d played particularly poorly in the final period when my old injury had started to flare up.

Noooo

My knee had caused me problems ever since I injured my MCL a few years back. And, although it had been doing better recently, I’d landed on it badly in preseason training. I couldn’t afford to give it time to rest though. Not when my whole future relied upon it working. I just needed to push through the pain until the ink had dried on the scholarship contract. I couldn’t let the coaches at Ryker see my performances drop, or discover I was damaged goods, in case they withdrew their offer entirely. But now the season was in full swing with constant games and training, I wasn’t confident my knee would hold out.

AWWW BABYYYY

“Is Grayson’s girlfriend trying to kill us?” I heard someone groan. It wasn’t the first time Paige had been referred to as my girlfriend. We spent so much time together, I could understand people making that assumption. However, most of my friends and teammates knew just as well as I did we’d only ever been friends. “Girlfriend?” Matt snorted. “He wishes.” Usually not even Reed’s best friend tried joking about me. Either he was feeling brave, or the guys hadn’t realized I was back.

JAJAJAJAJAJAJAAJ LOVE IT

“It’s lucky she’s hot,” Elliot added. “Watching her ass walk out the door almost made me forget she just violated my mouth with those muffins.” My knuckles cracked as my hands clenched at my sides. Paige might not be my girlfriend, but I still wouldn’t let anyone talk about her that way. One more word from our team’s goalie, and I was going to do something that would see us both sidelined for the rest of the season.

Ohhh

“At least loud noises can’t kill you,” Reed added. “Maybe your stomach needs to harden up.” Not even my brother was allowed to insult Paige.

JAAJJAJAJAJA

I could barely admit how I felt about Paige to myself, let alone to anyone else. And those feelings needed to remain buried within me, hidden so deep I could pretend they didn’t exist. I was practically an expert at that now. I’d been doing it since the first time she’d smiled my way in second grade. She was the first person to truly notice me and see me as more than a talented hockey player. If it weren’t for my skills with a puck, I often wondered whether anyone would even know I existed. I wasn’t a natural leader like Reed or outgoing like Parker. But I never felt invisible when I was around Paige. Unfortunately, by the time I realized the true extent of my feelings for her, I’d already been stuck in the friend zone for years.

AGHHHHHHH

And even if, by some miracle, Paige suddenly did start seeing me differently, I knew I wasn’t worthy of her. She was the human embodiment of sunshine, and what kind of selfish jerk would I be if I dimmed her glow with my dark, stormy clouds? “I don’t want anything to change. I like things how they are.”

AGHHHH NOOOOO HON

Everything was going to change at the end of this year. And I didn’t like it at all. Still, that didn’t mean I was going to do something stupid that could ruin my friendship with Paige. She was the girl I wanted in my life forever, and even if that was only as a friend, it would have to be enough for me.

AGHHHH LOVEEEE THEM