The Captain Doesn't know I'm A Girl

Chapter9

Jade



I headed straight for Jace’s locker to grab his gear so I could change quickly in the bathroom since the rest of the guys were already dressed. I tried to ignore the heavy stares burning into my back, but my gut told me something was wrong.

Nathaniel stood nearby with a smug smirk on his face, looking entirely too proud of himself.

The moment I pulled the locker door open, my stomach dropped. The inside was completely coated in glitter. His jersey was ruined, sliced into tiny pieces as if someone had gone crazy with a pair of scissors. Anger flared hot in my chest as I stared at the mess, my hands balling into fists.

Before I could voice my rage, Nico burst into the room.

"Everyone out now," he ordered, his voice sharp and leaving no room for argument. He turned and left immediately.

With practice starting, I had no choice but to head out to the rink exactly as I was, wearing my hoodie, joggers, and sneakers. I grabbed a random stick lying nearby and stepped onto the ice, clutching only the helmet in my hand.

Coach Timothy frowned the moment he spotted me. "Silverman, why aren’t you dressed yet?"

"My jersey was torn to shreds, and someone covered my locker in glitter," I explained, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.

The coach let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples.

"I have an extra jersey," a quiet voice offered. It was Damian. He usually kept to himself and rarely spoke unless someone addressed him directly, so it surprised me that he was stepping up to help.

"Just the top is fine," Coach Timothy nodded, gesturing for him to go grab it.

I caught Nico watching me, his cold gaze full of pure hatred, treating me like his worst enemy. It didn't rattle me. I had already beaten him three times in this game, and I fully intended to do it again.

Damian returned almost instantly, moving faster than lightning. He handed me the mesh fabric, and I turned toward the locker room to change, but Nico's rough voice cut through the chilly air.

"We don't have all day, Jace. Just change right here so we can get this over with."

A wave of panic hit me. Who was he to dictate what I did? I scoffed, hoping to hide my sudden anxiety.

To my absolute horror, the coach agreed with him.

"I... no, I should really just go inside," I stammered, the words catching in my throat.

"No, Silverman, just put it on here and hurry up," Coach Timothy pressured.

I froze, terror locking my limbs. Beneath my hoodie, I was only wearing a singlet and the tight binding cloth wrapping my chest. There was absolutely no way to pull the hoodie off without exposing my secret. My fingers trembled against the fabric of my hem as the entire team stared, waiting.

Oh God, I thought, closing my eyes in despair. This is it. I'm going to get caught before I even get the chance to win.

"You know what, Coach? It actually makes more sense if he wears something different from us since we're playing against him," Damian pointed out calmly.

Relief flooded through me, making my heart soar.

"Okay, fine. No need to change then," the coach decided. He walked over and patted my shoulder. "Can you play against these five vibrant players blindfolded?"

"I could do it in my sleep," I challenged, my confidence rushing right back.

Nico let out a harsh scoff, muttering, "Show off."

I ignored him entirely. I knew his jealousy was just his fragile ego reacting to the fact that it was about to get crushed again.

Coach Timothy walked over to the corner to set up his tripod and camera. Once it was recording, he came back and tightly tied a dark cloth over my eyes, blocking out the light. I gripped my stick, listening intently.

"Start!"

I waited, feeling the slight vibrations through the ice beneath my skates before I made my move. The air around me felt heavy. I could tell two players were closing in on my sides, but I tuned them out and focused entirely on the puck. Hearing the distinct scrape of a stick against the ice, I pinpointed the puck's position.

I accelerated, sweeping my stick forward to steal possession. Suddenly, a rush of displaced air warned me of an incoming force. Operating on pure instinct, I pivoted hard to the side. The player who had tried to body-slam me missed completely, hitting the ice with a loud, painful crash.

"What the hell!" Liam barked from somewhere behind me.

Keeping control of the puck, I skated forward, listening to the rhythmic clicking against the surface. Sensing defenders closing in to trap me, I flicked the puck to a teammate alongside me and kept moving. I needed them to draw the defense away and guide me toward the net I had mapped out in my head.

As I surged forward, the faint scent of an expensive, masculine cologne hit my senses. It was so familiar and then I knew right away that it was Nico. The sharp, aggressive scraping of blades told me he was right on me, fighting for the puck.

I swung my stick hard, clashing it against his to disrupt his grip, and threw my weight into him. The impact allowed me to strip the puck away cleanly. He let out a low groan, cursing under his breath, which only made me laugh out loud in mockery.

"Come on, Captain!" I taunted.

"How do you even know it's him?" Damian asked from a distance, sounding bewildered.

I didn't answer right away. I focused entirely on my target, winding up and sending the puck flying into the exact spot where I remembered the net being.

Yanking the blindfold off, I cheered internally to see the puck resting squarely in the back of the net. I turned back to Damian with a smug grin.

"His breathing is too loud. It always gives him away."

I glanced down at Nico, who was still sprawled on the ice, glaring up at me as if I had stolen his life savings. He looked entirely defeated, not even bothering to push himself up.

"That is incredible, Silverman!" Coach Timothy yelled excitedly. He rushed over and threw his arms around me in a tight, breathless hug that nearly squeezed the wind out of me. "How did you get this good overnight?"

"It took a lot of practice," I replied truthfully. I had been training for this since I was a little kid, but the world didn't give me the chance to showcase my talent because I am a girl.

"Right now, you're playing better than some professionals," the coach beamed, patting my shoulder like a proud father. "Even the top player in the country can only pull off that blind trick against a single opponent, not a whole line."

Nico looked utterly humiliated as the praise rained down on me. Sensing his ego bruising, he tried to quietly brush past us toward the locker room, but Coach Timothy called him out.

"Nico, I want you all to sit down with Jace and learn that technique. Everyone on this team needs to master it, including you."

Nico's face contorted into a dark frown. "Learn from him? No way. Why would I do that? I'm the captain of this team."

Captain my foot, I thought, sneering silently.

"Well, your performance is currently slipping," the coach countered bluntly. "I don't see anything wrong with teaming up with Silverman to improve." He paused, looking between the two of us before making a final announcement. "Jace, you are now the assistant captain. I want the two of you to work together. Hand in hand, you'll make this the best team in the state."

Frustrated, Nico ran a hand through his hair and exhaled a long, shaky breath. Forcing a tight, completely fake smile that didn't reach his furious eyes, he stepped up and gripped my shoulder tightly.

"I'll try my best, Coach," he strained out.

"I know you two haven't been on the best of terms, so I'm assigning you some mandatory bonding time," Coach Timothy added with a cheerful grin. "Check up on each other. Call, text, visit each other's houses. Most importantly, Nico, take some notes from Jace. Learn a thing or two, because right now, he is the best player on my ice."