“You know I’ll wait out here all night—” Suddenly he swore under his breath. “Shit, I might actually need some help here.” I darted back to the window to see Parker was now gripping my windowsill with both hands and there was a concerned look on his face.
“What is it?”
“I think the trellis is breaking,” he grunted in reply. “Let me in, quick.”
I hesitated.
“By all means, take your time, but I can hear the wood cracking and it’s a pretty long way down.”
“Ugh, fine.” I quickly lifted the window again, and Parker hoisted himself inside.
He smiled brightly as he stood tall, looking far too relaxed for someone who had just survived a near-death experience. I felt the urge to look out the window and double-check whether the trellis genuinely was close to breaking, but instead, I hurried over to my door and eased it shut. I could only imagine how angry my dad would be if he found a boy in my room, especially if that boy was Parker Darling. The only consolation was that Parker would get in trouble too. The thought almost had me calling out to my dad just to see what would happen.
“So, this is your bedroom,” Parker said. “It’s got a bed, at least…”
I watched as he carefully inspected his surroundings. His presence filled my mostly empty room, and even though we were standing on opposite sides of the space, my skin reacted like we were only inches apart.
“What did you expect? That I sleep in a dumpster like a raccoon?”
“I hadn’t ruled it out.”
“Can you please just explain why you’ve broken into my house?”
“I didn’t break in. You let me in. Besides, I thought having a hot guy climb up to your bedroom window was every girl’s dream? It’s very Romeo and Juliet.”
“You know they both die at the end, right?”
His eyes glinted with amusement.
“I like your painting.” He nodded toward the half-finished mural that covered the far wall. “It’s peaceful.”
Had Parker just given me a genuine compliment? I didn’t like how it warmed my chest, and I folded my arms to try and dampen the sensation. “Just tell me what you want, Parker?”
He sighed and faced me once more. “To talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Just hear me out,” he said, stepping across the room toward me. “I risked a lot coming here. I nearly died scaling your wall, and I can guarantee your dad will bench me for eternity if he finds me in here.”
“Then you better get out before he does.”
“I can’t do that. This is too important. The team needs you. You have to reconsider.”
“This again?” I almost laughed out loud. “Don’t you think this is all a little ironic?”
“What do you mean?”
“You asking me to play hockey when you’re the reason I can’t.”
He stared blankly at me. “Seriously, what are you talking about?”
I didn’t owe him an explanation; didn’t need to bring up the past, argue with him, or even have him apologize. But I did need to get him out of my room and put a stop to his ridiculous ideas of me playing hockey, so I could just go back to painting my mural in peace.
“My dad has never liked the idea of me playing hockey,” I began. “He thinks it’s too dangerous for girls.”
“Well, that’s just stupid.”
Apparently, there was one thing Parker and I could agree on. “Yeah, it is. But freshman year, I convinced him to let me join his summer camp. It was my one shot to show him I deserved to play. To prove I belonged out there. But when he caught you kissing me—”
