Chapter Sixty-Two

Darcy dropped to the bench and peeled out of her jersey. Natalie focused on untying her skates. She didn’t need to start a fight here. Not now.

“Coxie seems like a good kid,” Darcy said.

Natalie straightened. “Oh really? Is that why you were flirting with her or is that why you failed to mention you and I are together?”

“What?”

“I heard her ask you out and you didn’t say ‘Oh, I have a girlfriend.’ Or anything other than you’re busy. Good to know where I stand.” Natalie kicked off her skates and let them slide across the floor in front of her.

“You have got to be kidding me. You haven’t said more than five words to me since yesterday and now you’re flipping out because I didn’t tell your former teammate we’re together? Maybe I didn’t know based on you giving me the silent treatment like a spoiled teenager.”

Natalie stood up and took off the rest of her equipment, leaving it in a pile at her feet. “It’s déjà vu with you. Anytime someone asks you if we’re together it’s like you stop being able to speak. But you had no problem using my connections with them to get information for the game. You’re welcome by the way.”

“I’m sorry, are you now taking credit for me doing my job? You’re unbelievable.”

“More unbelievable than you completely casting me aside? I don’t think so. You haven’t even mentioned once the fact that you taking this job means canceling the trip I planned for us.”

Darcy’s eyes widened.

“I’m sorry, did you forget? Am I so insignificant that you forgot you made plans with me?” Natalie stomped her feet into her boots. “You know what’s unbelievable? I thought you had changed. But no. I hope you and my younger, faster, better replacement are very happy together.”

She stepped over Darcy’s feet and disappeared down the hallway. She didn’t make it to the bathroom before the tears overwhelmed her. She shouldered her way into a stall and slammed the door shut before anyone could see her.

Fucking Darcy LaCroix.

It was only ever going to end up like this. Everything between them was a disaster. She’d hoped this time would be different, that they were different. But it turned out that they were just older versions of the same chickenshit kids they’d been in college. And Natalie couldn’t take it anymore.

She couldn’t be the person Darcy didn’t admit to loving. She couldn’t be the one left off the team, again. Especially when that team was supposed to be the two of them.

She’d been so stupid to give Darcy another chance to break her heart. Grace had warned her that this exact thing would happen.

Fuck.

At least this was her last segment. She didn’t have anything to stick around for now.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Raquel. She didn’t want to be here a second longer than she had to be.