I can see the rage build on their faces, I toss a glance over to Tony and he smiles. He’s proud.
A couple of them come after me and I deek them out, moving the puck between their legs and around their feet. For college hockey players, they really do suck at doing what they do best… especially against someone who hasn’t done this in months.
August and Davis step up, August manages to get the puck away from me but I steal it right back. Lucas appears and hip bumps me, hitting me just hard enough to knock me off balance. I smirk as he tries to skate away with the puck, jabbing my stick out to trip him. He falls to the ground and groans in pain.
“You wanna play dirty? I can play dirty too.” I stick out my hand to help him up, but he pulls me down onto the ice and I crash into his body.
I slap him on the chest while he laughs, “I hate you.”
thirteen
LUCAS
I’m downstairs eating breakfast when the front door opens. Steph comes strutting in like she owns the fucking place. I don’t know what it was like when Claire lived with Coach, but knocking is kind of a thing you should do when you’re walking into a home that isn’t yours.
“Hey” she says gleefully.
“Hi…”
I hear someone running down the stairs, Steph and I both look and see that Claire has her head poked around the corner, “sorry, I told her to just walk in.”
At least Steph didn’t do it completely on her own.
“I’m almost done getting ready, I’ll be down in a second.” Claire disappears once again, leaving Steph and I alone.
Steph takes the seat next to me, tapping away at her phone before turning towards me, “don’t break her heart, okay?”
What? Break who’s heart? “Are you on something right now?”
All I get in response is a small laugh, and a shake of her head while I sit here like I have a thumb up my ass, waiting for an explanation as to what the fuck she is talking about, “I said, don’t break her heart.”
“Why the hell would I break her heart? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, sorry. I just thought that the way you look at her… you know what? Never mind.” She bites her lip for a second before changing the topic, “how’s hockey going?”
These two girls are made for one another, they’re both off their ass’s crazy, but I indulge in her conversation regardless. “It’s been good, Coach has been pushing us in practice. I think he’s worried we won’t make it to the playoffs.”
I take a bite of the cereal in front of me, trying to distract myself from how fucking awkward this conversation is. It’s one thing to be living with Claire, she’s always around, but interacting with Steph –and her acting all buddy buddy– is so fucking strange.
“And how are the others doing?” she asks.
“August is fine.” I know that’s what she’s really trying to ask about. It’s so painfully clear that they’re into one another.
“Oh, that’s not what I was asking.”
I give her a look, she was definitely trying to ask about him.
“Is it that obvious?” She laughs tightly.
“Yes, it is. You know, you should just be direct with him about how you’re feeling. He doesn’t like games and although he’s one of the toughest guys I know, he’s a bit of a pussy when it comes to feelings” I tell her, “he definitely feels the same as you.”
I see her cheeks turn a light shade of pink, and when she finally looks me in the eyes, I can see that hers are sparkling. This girl’s got it bad, I mean they met a week ago and she’s already head over heels.
* * *
I’m walking to my car after class when I see my moms name on my screen, “hey.”
“Hey honey, how are you?” Her voice is so soft, even after everything she’s been through, she’s still the kindest person I’ve ever met.
