Below Zero

I came to college to redeem my family name. I didn't plan on falling for the chaos on skates.

Ezra Callahan doesn't do fun. He doesn't take risks. And he definitely doesn't let anyone distract him from hockey.

As the son of a disgraced former player, every move I make on the ice is scrutinized. Every mistake reflects on my father's legacy. The only way to fix what he broke is to be perfect-disciplined, strategic, unshakeable.

Then Mateo Vega shows up late to practice and turns my entire world upside down.

He's everything I'm not: reckless, unpredictable, playing hockey like it's supposed to be fun. He scores impossible goals with between-the-legs shots. He grins when he should be serious. He makes me furious.

And I can't stop thinking about him.

Every practice is a battle. He pushes past my defense like I'm not even there. Every scrimmage, he finds new ways to get under my skin-and into my head.

"You think too much, Callahan," he says after beating me one-on-one. "Hockey isn't just about being smart. It's about feeling it."

But I can't afford to feel anything. Not on the ice. Not off it. Especially not about my teammate.

Except the more we play together, the harder it gets to ignore.

The way he looks at me when I make a perfect defensive read. The accidental touches in the locker room. The late-night texts that start about hockey and end with something else entirely.

I'm supposed to be focused on redeeming my family name. On proving I'm nothing like my father. On making the starting lineup and winning games.

But Mateo Vega is teaching me that perfect isn't everything.

And maybe, just maybe, the risk is worth it.