THE HOCKEY CAPTAIN'S ROOMMATE DEAL

Chapter 1

Emma’s Pov

I pulled my heavy suitcase behind me and stared up at the big brick building of Blackwood University. I took a deep breath and told myself that this year would be different.

I had a full scholarship, a stack of brand-new notebooks, and one simple goal: keep my head down, study hard, and stay far away from rich kids and athletes. I wanted a quiet, boring college life.

Boy, was I wrong.

I walked into dorm room 40B, shoved my key into the lock, and pushed the door open. I expected to find an empty room waiting for me. Instead, the room was already a mess. Expensive designer bags were tossed on the bed, hockey gear smelled like sweat in the corner, and a tall guy with messy dark hair and an angry look was standing by the window.

He turned around, and my heart skipped a beat. It was Dylan Whitaker. Even I, someone who tried to avoid campus sports, knew who he was. He was the arrogant captain of the Blackwood hockey team, and his face was on posters all over the campus.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my room?" Dylan asked. His voice was cold, sharp, and very annoyed.

I dropped the handle of my suitcase and crossed my arms. "Your room? Excuse me, this is room 40B. My housing assignment says this is my room."

Dylan laughed, but it wasn't a nice laugh. It sounded mean. "Right. Another fan looking for a shortcut to my attention. Look, my family paid a lot of money to make sure I got this room all to myself so I could focus. So grab your bags and get out."

My blood boiled. I walked right up to him, glaring into his bright blue eyes. "First of all, I am not your fan. Second of all, I don't even know who you are. And third, I worked too hard for my scholarship to let some spoiled hockey player tell me where to sleep."

Dylan's jaw tightened. He looked down at me like I was a bug on his shoe. "You don't know who I am? Please. Everyone on this campus knows who I am."

"Well, maybe I live under a rock, because you are just a rude jerk to me," I snapped back.

He stepped closer, towering over me. "Watch your mouth, freshman. I don't have time to deal with girls who try to sneak into my space."

"I didn't sneak in! The housing office gave me this key!" I shouted, pulling the key out of my pocket and waving it in front of his face.

Before he could answer, my phone buzzed in my hand. I pulled it out and saw an email notification from the university housing office. My eyes widened as I read the words: We are sorry to inform you that all dorms are currently at 100% capacity. Room changes are not possible this semester.

No. No, no, no.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Dylan asked, his voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Did your little plan to get close to me fall apart?"

"Shut up," I whispered, my hands shaking. I looked up at him, feeling a sudden wave of panic and absolute fury. "We can't change rooms."

Dylan stopped smiling. "What do you mean we can't change rooms?"

"I mean the housing office is full," I said, my voice shaking. "There are no other rooms left. None."

Dylan stared at me, his eyes wide with shock. He ran a hand through his dark hair and let out a loud groan. "Are you kidding me? I am stuck living with you?"

"Oh, trust me, I am just as thrilled as you are!" I yelled. I pointed a finger straight at his chest. "Listen to me very carefully, hockey boy. If we are going to be stuck in this room together, we are going to have some serious rules."

Dylan raised an eyebrow, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. He looked almost amused again, which made me want to scream. "Rules? Oh, this should be good. Let's hear them."

"Rule number one: do not touch my side of the room," I said, taking a step forward. "Rule number two: keep your stinky hockey gear out of my way. Rule number three: no bringing random girls into our room. And rule number four: don't ever expect me to clean up after you."

Dylan let out a loud snort. He leaned against the desk, looking down at me with a lazy, teasing smile. "Are you done with your little speech, princess? Because none of those rules are going to work for me."

"You don't have a choice!" I shouted.

"I always have a choice," Dylan said smoothly.

I took a deep breath, trying to control my temper before I exploded right then and there. I grabbed my suitcase and dragged it over to the empty bed on the left side of the room. I threw the covers back and sat down on the edge, glaring at him through the small space between us.

Dylan walked over to his bed, picked up one of his expensive hockey sticks, and pointed it right at me with a smirk.

"Get used to the view, roommate," Dylan said, "because you are going to be staring at me all semester."