Sidelined Love: A Hockey Romance (The Crestwood University Series Book 1)

There are several things I prefer to do on a Saturday morning.

Sleeping in for as long as I can.

Eating whatever I want.

Binge watching reality television shows.

Reading a book on my never-ending TBR.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Not being at Brewed Beginnings if Marc is there.

One thing that is definitely not on the list? Darting across campus with Jade for a scavenger hunt.

I swallow my annoyance as I walk up to the place where we’re supposed to meet to start the festivities. Because I’m running a little late, Jade decided to meet me at the quad because she’s too excited about this. I don’t fight her on this because it gives me some time to myself to mentally prepare for whatever the hell is going to be thrown at me.

I use my hand to block the sun as I get closer to the quad. It’s easy to find where we are supposed to be due to the colorful balloons that are tied on the lampposts and the table with a rainbow-colored sign labeled Scavenger Hunt taped to the front of it.

It is also easy to find Jade.

Her bright red shirt makes her easy to spot but it’s her energy that puts the spotlight on her. I can’t help but smirk because of how happy she looks right now. She will never admit this, but she’s literally bouncing on the balls of her feet. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen anyone do that besides being caught in a cold environment, but it is the best way I can describe what she is doing.

In her left hand, I assume she’s holding the list of things we need to find, and in her right, she has her phone. She’s probably this close to calling me because I’m not here five minutes early.

Jade spins around and when her gaze lands on me, I see her visibly breathe a sigh of relief. “Hailey! You’re just in time!”

I give her a small smile even though this is the last thing I want to do. My feet drag my body the last couple of yards toward her and I stick my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. “Great. Wouldn’t miss this for the world,” I reply with a hint of sarcasm.

Jade, who I’m sure is intentionally ignoring my lack of enthusiasm, claps her hands, forcing her phone and the pieces of paper to come together. She looks down for a moment before sticking her phone into her pocket, probably because she didn’t need to call me and ask where I am. Once it is safely put away, she waves the white pieces of paper in my face once, and the only thing I can think of is that it’s a white flag signaling my defeat. This is really what I’m going to be doing this Saturday morning.

“So I’ve been strategizing about this since last night,” Jade says, and I’m not at all surprised. She hands me a copy of our scavenger quest, and I hold back the sigh I want to let loose as it touches my fingers. With her focus back on the piece of paper in her hand, she says, “What do you think? Should we split up or stick together?”

I shrug. “Let’s stick together for now,” I say decisively. “There might come a point where we have to split up, but I’d rather do this with you.”

It is also my way of ensuring that I won’t decide to say fuck this and go back to our apartment.

“The whistle should blow in a few minutes and then we can start,” she says.

I nod. “Well, since they gave us the list early, why don’t we write down some of the answers we might know to the clues and head there first?”

Her face lights up before she looks back down at the list. “That’s a great idea! See, you’re getting into this.”

I don’t know about that, but at least she thinks I am.

“Also,” Jade pauses for a second, “depending on which clues we figure out, we should list the answers by their locations. That way we aren’t running across campus unnecessarily.”

This is all unnecessary, but I can see her point. “That’s a good idea. Excellent strategizing,” I say as I pull out my phone. Together, we find ourselves staring down at the scavenger hunt list. The first clue reads:

“Head to the hub where minds meet and ideas spark, near the silent guardian that stands tall even in the dark. You’ll hear no ticking, but its stance is grand, close to the realm of knowledge, where projects are planned.”

The clue sounds ridiculous, but the campus library with a gigantic clock sculpture in front of it flashes in my mind.

“That’s gotta be the Ramsey Library,” I mutter, typing the answer into my phone.

“Exactly what I was thinking!”

Without waiting for me to say anything else, she starts reading the next clue out loud. We figure out the answers to a few more clues and several we might know but aren’t completely sure about. I send Jade a quick text with the information I’ve typed out just before the sound of a whistle cuts through the morning air. It makes both of us pause for a few seconds before everyone, including ourselves, disperses in every which direction.

“Go!” Jade almost screams, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward Ramsey Library. We end up jogging lightly and reach the library within minutes. She pulls out her phone once more and snaps a picture, providing the proof we need to show that we’ve completed this task.

“What’s another clue we’ve already solved?” I rush out before I can lose my breath. I’m in decent shape but having to jog unexpectedly didn’t bode well for me.

She grins at me like she knows exactly what’s going through my head and flips over to the next page. “‘Where creativity and the great outdoors merge. Look up, look down, where these elements play, and uncover the beauty that is here to stay.’ We said that was the community garden murals.”

“Yes, that’s right,” I reply with more enthusiasm than I was anticipating. It’s as if my competitive streak has decided to make itself known, and now I want to do well in this event. Sometimes being an overachiever has its advantages. “Let’s head over there.”

We set off again, but this time we walk fast instead of jogging. As we approach the community garden murals, a beautifully vibrant kaleidoscope of color comes into view. The garden displays an array of colors due to the organic produce and plants here. It’s only a matter of time before the colder weather hits and a lot of this colorfulness will be missing. However, that is when the murals on the wall overlooking the garden will become a more prominent feature. Each piece of art reflects student and campus life. They range from bold, graffiti-style pieces to peaceful landscapes that all fit together in this space. Outside of helping to plant some of the produce here, I’m realizing I never come over here to enjoy this part of campus.

Jade is quick with her phone again, taking pictures of the murals and the garden. I find myself staring at the artwork for a few seconds too long before Jade nudges me.

“Look,” Jade says softly, pointing to one particular section of the mural where a beautiful sunset flows into a portrait of a former professor who passed away a few months ago.

We spend another minute admiring the murals, but we know time is of the essence and we have to continue the scavenger hunt. I glance away from the wall and toward the path that leads out of the garden and spot a familiar figure up ahead. Broad shoulders, messy dark hair, wearing a backward cap…

“Wilder!” Jade calls out, waving.

The man in question turns around at the sound of his name and his face breaks into a smile when he sees us. His eyes linger on Jade a bit longer than they should before he says, “Hey! What are you doing here?”

Jade answers for the both of us. “We’re doing a campus-wide scavenger hunt. What’s your excuse?”

“Just finished wrapping up breakfast. Why don’t I walk with you guys while you continue searching? I could use the exercise to get the digestion going.”

Part of me wants to call him out on his bullshit, but I let it go. First, I’m surprised to see him out and about this early on a Saturday morning. If I had to guess, I would have thought he’d been up partying late last night with his teammates. The things Crestwood’s hockey team is rumored to get up to were legendary at this point, and I have no problem believing it is worse than we all know.

But hey, they keep winning and bringing more attention and money to the school, so who cares, right? At least that is the approach the school’s administration takes.

Jade shares a look with me, and when I give her a small nod, she grins. “That’s a great idea. We’d love to have you join us.”

Finding Wilder at the community gardens, though unexpected, doesn’t delay us much. He falls into step alongside us, occasionally glancing over at Jade as we walk. At least I hope it’s occasionally because I will not be held responsible if he trips over his own feet due his attention being centered on the woman standing between us.

“So, where to next?” he asks casually, his hands tucked into the pockets of his well-worn jeans.

Jade stares down at the piece of paper and reads off the next clue. “Where java flows and laptops glow, in the heart of campus life’s ebb and flow. Seek the spot where the wired and weary find their brew, your next location lies in plain view.”

“Brewed Beginnings!” I exclaim. It is probably the most enthusiasm I’ve shown all day, but that doesn’t mean I’m actually excited to be going there. I’m happy I was able to figure out another clue. We hadn’t gotten to that one earlier, so I didn’t expect it to be on our list.

“Yep,” Jade confirms with a smile. “It makes sense for it to be on the list. How fitting is it that we’re going to go to your job and you’re wearing a chess club shirt?”

I have a few clothes that allow me to rep the club I’m president of and I don’t mind wearing them. They are comfortable and it helps me get the word out about chess club without having to talk to people.

Wilder gives me a curious look and then his eyes widen slightly. He snatches his phone out of his pocket and his fingers begin flying across his screen. I look at Jade who shrugs, but something in the pit of my stomach tells me that I might know what this is all about.

The scene that is unfolding before me isn’t a coincidence, and I can’t stop the words that fall out of my mouth. “Wilder, is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he says without looking up from his phone. Maybe I am going to be responsible for him falling on his face after all.

“Are you sure?” Jade chimes in this time. I’m happy she’s also reading this situation as odd even though she doesn’t know everything I do.

Wilder glances up from his phone with a smirk on his face. “Everything’s good,” he says casually. “Had to send a quick text.”

He tucks his phone back into his pocket as we continue walking. I want to press him further, to call out the convenient timing of all of this and ask who he was texting. But I hold my tongue for now.

We reach Brewed Beginnings a few minutes later. The coffee shop is busy, with people sitting at tables with their laptops open as the clue described. Jade snaps photos with her phone of the sign as Wilder clears his throat.

“So, you must really like chess to be a part of the club and to wear their gear.”

This is the most awkward shit, but Jade saves me from saying something that would make me sound like an asshole. “She’s not just a part of the club. She’s the president of it.”

“It’s not a big deal,” I mumble, feeling suddenly self-conscious about Jade’s praise. I’m not embarrassed about my position, or anything related to chess club, but I don’t like too much attention being put on me.

“Are you kidding? That’s cool,” Wilder says, sounding genuinely impressed. “Maybe Jade and I will stop by sometime.”

Jade snorts. “How are you dragging me into this?” She then turns to look at me. “No offense, Hailey.”

“None taken,” I answer automatically. I get what she’s saying. If Jade was interested in chess, she could come with me at any point. It isn’t her thing, and I respect that, but it almost feels comical how Wilder is trying to invite both her and himself along to a club meeting.

“I don’t do much outside of hockey so going to a chess club meeting will be something else to do, that’s all,” he says.

But it doesn’t feel like that’s all. However, in the interest of time, I say, “We can table this discussion for another time because we have a scavenger hunt to finish.”

“Hailey’s right,” Jade says. “We’ve already lost some time standing here instead of moving onto the next clue.”

Excellent. I need to get this scavenger hunt done quickly so I can get away from Wilder. I can’t stop thinking about who he was texting and how it is most likely Levi. It could also be a group chat, which is more concerning.

“Okay. Well, what’s the next clue?” Wilder asks.

While I can pull the list of clues out, I wait for Jade to do so, and the three of us read over the next set of clues as we decide which location might be the next one we need to visit.

The rest of our time together goes by quickly. The conversation between the three of us is easy even with the thoughts in my mind swirling at a million miles an hour. After completing our photo scavenger hunt, we finally make it back to the quad where we began. While we didn’t come in first place, I can admit going around campus was fun for the most part.

Wilder is the first to break the silence. “Well, that was fun, but I should probably get going though. I have to do a couple of things, and I told some of the guys on the team I’d meet up with them.”

“Oh, okay,” Jade replies. “It was cool of you to join us. I’ll talk to you later?”

“For sure,” Wilder says. “Have a good rest of your day!”

He gives us a little wave before turning and walking across the quad.

I wait until he’s out of earshot before turning to Jade. “Was it just me, or was Wilder acting kind of weird?” To be honest, I don’t really know if this is weird for him because I don’t hang out with him all that much, and I want to get Jade’s feedback on the situation.

Jade frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I thought it was odd that he pulled out his phone to text someone as soon as you told him about my working at Brewed Beginnings and being president of the chess club.”

Out of nowhere, my phone buzzes in my pocket, shifting my attention completely. I pull it out and glance at the screen and find a text from my dad.

Dad: Sweetheart, do you want to go out to lunch? I was thinking Riverstone Grill.

Me: Sure, let me know what day and time you’re thinking.

Jade’s question cuts through my thought process. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s my dad. He wants to do lunch,” I say after putting my phone back in my pocket.

Jade glances at Wilder for a moment as he walks away before turning back to me. “I don’t know, but I can try to get it out of him if you want me to.”

I think about her proposal for a second before I shake my head. “Nah, I’ll let it go.”

Who am I kidding? That is a lie. I’m still going to be wondering exactly what Wilder might have told Levi or the rest of the team, especially if it’s about me. Although I’m curious about what is going on, there is absolutely no way I’m letting Levi Jamison into my life.