I motion for Raf to go on without me before walking over to where Levi stands on the other side.
Levi jerks his chin towards the benches. “Were you for real back there?”
Here it comes. The reckoning.As captain, Levi is strict on a few fronts: no drinking or parties during the game season, no infighting, and no outside drama on the ice. By calling out Eric I’ve squarely broken rule #2.
“Look, I know we’re supposed to be good, but he gets on my last nerve when he’s acting like that. Someone had to speak up,” I say, and on instinct I cross my arms in self-defense.
“Not that. What you said about the contest,” Levi says with a calmness that holds a sense of authority, a warning to straighten your back and listen. “Were you serious when you said you’d do it?”
In a single moment the nerves that built up inside of me fall away, and I laugh. “I don’t know, probably. Why do you care, Moore? Are you looking for a date?”
Levi’s expression doesn’t change as he says, “Not me. My sister. She’s not as lucky as you and I; she could really use the free tuition, or she might not graduate.”
Screwed. Utterly, royally screwed. That is what I am. There is no way around it—if he is asking me to be her fake boyfriend…he might as well kill me on the spot.
I look at him for a long moment, weighing my words, trying to figure out which ones oppose the rapid beating of my heart. “Why would you need me for that? Isn’t your sister a lesbian?”
A flicker of recognition passes through his eyes. “You’re thinking of Alissa—and she’s bisexual. Lis got into some kind of fancy art program, so she doesn’t need any help. Alexis is an English major, though, so not much chance of a scholarship there.”
“Wait, you have two sisters?” I close my eyes, pretending to wonder why I hadn’t put that together before. “So that’s why the hair keeps changing. I figured she was just really into wigs or something.”
Levi laughs, which happens so little it takes a moment to get used to. “They’re identical twins, obviously. Alexis has long hair, Alissa’s is short and pink. Anyway, would you be interested? Scamming the school out of a couple of grand seems like something you’d enjoy.”
I shove his shoulder with a shake of my head. Fine, so I set a few small fires and misled various administrations a couple of times. What can I say? I like causing trouble.Harmlesstrouble. Levi is right, though; scamming this place out of a big lump of money without consequences sounds like a fucking dream.
But no one will believe I’ve settled down. For the past two years, I’ve built a solid reputation of being a one-time-fling and nothing more. Me trotting around the same girl for months with no side action? Well, I can name a long list of people who’d call bullshit. But that’s not what’s holding me back. No, the real reason is much, much worse.
I know damn well who Alexis Moore is. She has occupied my mind every day since I first heard her laugh right here on this ice. Better yet, I cannot count on my hands the times I have tried to make her laugh like that again, falling for her a little bit more every time she comes by our place. When life gives you sunshineas pure as her, you bask in it. And fuck if I’m not willing to be blinded by her light.
But there is no way this can end well, no way someone as pure as her could ever fall for me. So I lie. “I don’t know, man. I mean, I’m sure Alexis is awesome and all, but a relationship isn’t really my style.”
“Fake relationship. Touch her and find out what happens.” Levi holds up a finger, a stern look in his eyes. Though he’s barely half an inch taller than me and one of my best friends, there is something about him that never allows me to fully relax, always wanting to impress him. “But if you choose to help out Alexis, I’ll talk to Coach Tucker and do my best to make you captain when I leave.”
I let out a low whistle. He’s pulling out the big guns now, poking at the one thing he knows I want more than anything. Being captain would make me irresistible to the ladies, solidify my importance to the team, and maybe even earn my mother’s approval. “You’d do that?”
“You’ve got the talent, man. But being captain is more than wearing the jersey. It’s a whole lot of responsibility, hard work, and dedication, and from what I’ve seen these past few years you’re not the type to stick with anything that doesn’t impact you directly. Do this for Lex, show me you can invest in something bigger than yourself, and who knows? Maybe you’ll wear this jersey next.” Levi claps a hand to his chest, where a large C is splayed across the fabric.
He can get it done. There’s no questioning it. He might not be rich enough to buy his way to importance, but he doesn’t need to. Levi Moore commands a room on his own might, and I know for a fact that Coach Tucker values his opinion.
The objective is clear: pretend to be in love with the girl I’ve been crushing on hard for two years, get her that prize money and I’ll be captain. It sounds simple enough, especially that firstbit. But I know I’ll fuck it up in no time at all. Still, when will I ever get another chance like this?
Slowly, before I can let myself chicken out by something as stupid as rational thought, I nod. “Set up a date. I’ll be there.”
A smile spreads on Levi’s face, the one that leaves every girl on campus swooning in its wake. “You better not let me down, Taylor.”
“Let me guess, you know where to find me?” Most of us on the hockey team share a house, so Levi’s room is down the hall from mine.
“Sure do. But I’m not the one you should be worried about,” Levi smirks. “Alissa did seven years of baseball—still has the bat, too.”
A shudder runs down my spine at the thought of being at the receiving end of that bat. “If—and that’s a big if—we end up doing this, I’ll be a perfect gentleman. You have my word.”
Levi scans my face, and for a moment I think he already regrets asking me. But then he dips his chin in acknowledgment and turns to get changed.
A clear dismissal.
I rush for the door before he can say anything to make this situation even worse, and as the door closes behind me I blow out a breath.
Holyshit.
