“Again?” A hint of confusion crosses his face.
“A friend is with her.”
“You don’t have friends.”
“Fuck you.”
“I mean that most of your friends – as in all the ones I’ve met – are currently in this room, or dating me and didn’t mention anything, so I’m not sure who is out there.”
“Savannah.”
“Is she?—”
“We’re friends.” I stop him, then add, “I think.”
“Sounds like things are going good.” He’s being sarcastic, and I’d punch him if he weren’t my oldest and closest friend.
“This the girl you tried to hook up with the other day? Before Colt cockblocked you?” Mike asks, because none of these assholes can keep their mouths shut.
“When has Noah ever brought a girl home?” Colt defends himself.
“How did you meet her?” Darren presses.
“The arena.”
“Do I know her?” Tanner asks.
“She’s not a puck bunny,” I argue, intending for it to come out teasing, because he usually goes for the low hanging fruit, but even I can hear I’m snapping at him.
“I didn’t say she was,” he assures me.
“Might be a jersey chaser, though,” Colt teases, bracing himself for whatever I’m about to throw at him in retaliation.
“Fuck you,” I growl, opting for my glove.
“Sorry, bad joke.”
“What am I missing?” Darren looks between us.
“She’s not like that,” I say before Colt can explain about her knowledge of the house we now live in. “We’re not like…she watches Izzie sometimes so she can come to the games.”
“What does Savannah get out of it?” Darren asks.
Me, I want to say, but she doesn’t, not for real. She gets shreds of me.
“I’m helping her with a research project.”
“Like a guinea pig for experiments?” Tanner asks, looking uncomfortable.
“No, like sharing knowledge.”
“On what?” Darren is skeptical. I should have said math. I get good grades, but I sometimes struggle with electives.
I don’t want to tell them, not because they’ll laugh, but because they all have the same expertise as me, and judging by the way Colt was staring at her at the house, the second she realizes I’m no good for her and she deserves better, any one of my teammates would be happy to help her. Not that I’d let Colt, Donovan, or Tanner get close, but Owen, Mike, David…most of my roommates would be great for her.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“But you like her.”
