I huff out a breath as I enter my apartment. Dropping my bag onto the couch, I kick off my shoes before typing out a response.
Me:Well, aren’t you nosy today? If you must know, I have a date.
Her response is instant, and I immediately see the error in my lie.
Shauna:Gianna Michelle! You are full of shit! You don’t date, so try again.
Chewing on my cuticle the way I do whenever I’m nervous, I try to come up with an excuse that makes sense. She really didn’t need to use my full name, like I’m a petulant child.
Instead of defending myself, I opt to close my phone. Tonight is my last hurrah before finals start, and I refuse to let Shauna ruin this for me. Once I start exams, all my partying will have to come to a halt, so I’m determined to have a good time tonight.
Heading into my bedroom, I drop my phone on the bed and head into the bathroom. First, I’ll shower. After that, I need to find myself a hot outfit for the evening and get ready for a really wild night.
Three
Daemon
When we walked into Rookie’s earlier, the entire place was surprisingly packed for a random Friday night.
Then again, the Hudson Huskies and the nearby Boston Bears aren’t the only local teams currently in the playoffs. The Boston Harborhawks, our local professional basketball team, is tearing up the court tonight in their own playoffs game.
Due to the fact that Hudson doesn’t have its own basketball team, everyone in here is decked out in the Harborhawks’ colors. It’s a sea of navy blue and seafoam green here.
I can only imagine what this place looks like on nights when the Huskies are on the ice. A smile tugs at my face when I envision this place filled to the brim with our colors; an endless stream of purple, black, and gray.
It reminds me what's at stake if I can’t get my shit together and play with my team.
I'm nursing a whiskey at a corner booth with Holden, Kai, Maxton, and Truett. The music is too loud and the crowd is too close, but Holden insisted I needed this. Honestly, he was adamant that we all needed this.
We came out tonight for some team bonding exercise. Truett, our goalie, came out because he’s never included in the team exercises, and the kid needs a break. He’s the only reason we’ve come this far in the playoffs.
“You're brooding again,” Holden says, leaning against the backrest of the booth, eyes focused on me. Even though we aren’t playing tonight, he’s still radiating that captain energy he’s known for. “You need to let loose tonight.”
“I'm not brooding.” My response sounds exactly like what he’s accusing me of, and we all know it.
“Bullshit, Lucero. You are brooding,” Kai snaps at me. He's on his third beer and the scowl on his face is present as ever. “We came out here tonight to help you get your head back in the game. Stop being a little bitch.”
“Fuck off.” I flip him the bird.
Truett snorts into his drink. “He's been like this for months. Do you think a few beers is going to fix a broken heart?”
And there it is. Truett fucking Vale is the most perceptive person I’ve ever met, and he knows exactly what’s wrong with me.
Maxton's head snaps up from across the table. His jaw tightens as he stares daggers at me. His only warning is a single word. “Don't.”
“Don't what?” Truett asks innocently. While he’s perceptive, he isn’t psychic. There’s no way he could have known.
“We are not talking about New Year's Eve,” Max grits out.
I take a slow sip of my whiskey. “Well, at least now I know I was right about you still mad about that.”
“You left my parents' party with my twenty-two year old sister in law,” Maxton says flatly. “Let’s not forget that your great escape took place on a stolen snowmobile. So yeah, I'm still mad about that.”
“Borrowed,” I correct him. “I brought it back the next morning.”
“At four in the fucking morning.”
I shrug, trying to hide my smirk. “Technically, it was three forty-five in the morning.”
