Chapter 2

Reign, 13 years old

Riley Conrad became the bane of my existence when she tore up my knee and ruined my summer. It didn't matter that we were only eleven at that time. I thought she was my best friend. The other half of my soul. We shared a love of the same game to the point it was almost an obsession. So she knew how important that game was to me. How much I needed to sweep that tournament to keep my old man from taking me out of the sport I loved above all else.

Being Magnus Thorn's only child and son placed a lot of pressure on a kid. I knew my father was always one step away from ruining my dream to play in the NHL. While I was playing well, on winning streaks, being named MVP of my teams, he laid off. But I always felt him in the shadows, just waiting to pounce and remind me that the chances of me becoming a player in the NHL were one in a million, and that I was better off studying finance so I could take over the family business and inherit millions. Over my dead body. I never wanted to be a snobbish prick like my father. My mom was the only one who could wrangle him in and make him see reason. He adored her and listened to her and then he'd leave me alone again for a while. So when Riley swiped that goal from me at our squirt level game, consequently tripping me and causing me to injure my knee, she became the enemy.

Instead of spending my spring season and summer on the ice, I was forced to listen to my father talk nonstop about how much of a waste of time my favorite sport was. Every doctor appointment he was forced to take me to, he would belittle my dream, talk down to me and further prove how much of a prick he was by picking apart every play I ever made and listing the ways I would never be good enough. I hated him. I hated the way he would ruin his own son's dream and shit all over his heart. I resented Riley and blamed her for doing what she did. So when I had my chance for revenge during the following winter season, I didn't hesitate to put her in her place and leave her behind.

Before the start of middle school, our school broke apart and half the students were shipped to the school across town, on the other side of the river that divided us. The school that happened to always be our rivals in every sport and academia, All Saints Academy. I wasn't thrilled; I had never wanted to play for the Saints. Even though I had to admit they had good players, the bad blood between us was always there. Now I was being forced to move, based on the area code I lived in. The whole thing seemed weird. The new school included all the kids whose families were as wealthy as mine, while families who didn't have money, like Riley's, remained at our old school, Crimson Bay Public, which meant she stayed playing for the Pirates.

Now that we were out of the same school and playing for warring teams, the divide that was between us grew bigger and bigger. I enjoyed anytime we played against each other because our team always won. I loved seeing the look of defeat on my ex-best friend's face. She'd try to hide it behind the curtain of her long, silky, brown hair, but I saw it and felt triumphant about it. She deserved it. She started it. Riley being a little more miserable when I carried a trophy or wore a medal off the ice made winning that much better.

Our little spat didn't go unnoticed. My mom thought it was weird that Riley and I were no longer friends after being inseparable for years. She tried reminding me of all the times she couldn't keep me away from Riley. How I would tease her in warmups, or pull her ponytail while we waited to go out, or how I always insisted she be on my line to the coach. My mom didn't understand though how Riley had screwed me over.

I made damn sure my team knew though. Riley and the Pirates weren't just my enemy; they were my entire team's nemesis. In our last year of playing against each other, All Saints Academy decided to hold a lottery for tuition to our high school. I saw the way Riley's amber-colored eyes lit up. She was hopeful that she might have a chance at attending my school. Because after this year, she could no longer play on the co-ed team at Crimson Bay. She would be forced to play on the all girls' team and they weren't good. None of them had her competitive spirit or her talent. Unlike the girls' team at my school. They were decent enough that Riley would have shone on their team. Too bad I was never going to let her get there. The spot came down to Riley and another player on her team, a defenseman, Bauer Lotis. With the help of my other wingman, Riley was pinned before she could shoot and I hustled away with the puck. Without making it obvious, I let Bauer take the puck from me, and he scored. The Saints still won, but Bauer got the credit for his speed and agility. He was offered the scholarship to my school and would play on my team next year.

Revenge pulsed in my veins and watching Riley hold back tears was the best feeling in the world. I owned her tears; I owned her downfall. Anytime Riley would touch the ice in the future, I knew without a doubt, she would think of me. I was going to be forever entwined in her goal to be better but her inability to reach that goal.