Ooh. An unplanned pregnancy? Imagine the scandal.
I cover my mouth to hide the grin as she turns back to the cabinet and busies herself with putting away the last few dishes.
“Lennon’s good,” I reassure her. “She’s supposed to come by tomorrow after class. I really do miss her living here with me though.”
Mama turns back to me, a sympathetic look in her eyes. “Aw, honey. I know it’s hard. You two have been inseparable for so long, but your friendship will get you through anything. It’s just going to take a little adjusting, is all.”
“I know,” I say. “And I want her to be happy, and sheishappy. I just miss having her here all the time. It’s quiet, and I guess I never realized how much I don’t like the quiet. I’ve been sleeping with the TV on at night because the apartment just feels so… still?”
In our house growing up, I had the constant sound of chatter and laughter. My little brothers constantly trying every single one of my parents’ nerves and succeeding. There was always someone visiting, praying with my father, having Bible studies in our living room. It wasneverquiet. There was never a moment of silence, and it used to drive me insane.
It’s ironic that now I miss it.
“You know you can always come home, right, honey?”
I nod.
Of course, I know that. My parents have always been good and loving parents, which I know is something to be grateful for. And I am.
But right now, I need to find out who I am and who I want to be, and that means being exactly where I am right now.
Discovering therealMaisie Delacroix.
CHAPTER
TWO
MAISIE
God,I absolutelyloathebeing cold.
With every fiber of my being, or in this case, every frozen appendage on my body.
I’ve always been a sundress, sandals, sun-kissed skin kind of girl, which is why living in one of the hottest, most humid states in the country works for me. It’s quite literally in my blood.
So the amount of time I spend inside a freezing hockey rink, watching boys skate around in a circle chasing a puck, is far too much.
Usually, the only reason I’d find myself at the rink is because my best friend is dating OU Hellcats’ golden boy, Saint Devereaux, and I’ve been third wheeling their relationship from the very beginning.
Lennon has been dragging me to the Hellcats’ hockey practices and games for the last year, and I dutifully sat beside her in the stands with my teeth chattering, wrapped in a jacket that did little to fend off the cold in my bones. For the sake of my best friend, obviously.
But today, I’m here without Len.
The first time I’ve everwillinglystepped foot in a hockey rink that I wasn’t coerced or bribed into attending.
Today, I’m here for me.
I mean, well, like… sort of?
It turns out therearecertain perks to your bestie dating the star of the hockey team, and I’m selfishly cashing in one of those perks by being here today.
I scan the inside of the rink as I search for the Hellcats’ head coach, Coach Taylor. With it being early September, it’s the start of the hockey season, so it’s as busy and chaotic as I expected it to be. The team is running drills, and the sound of sticks tapping and skates scraping across the ice fills the practice rink as I make my way to the boards, fighting back a shiver.
I probably shouldn’t have worn this dress today since I knew I had the meeting here, but even though it’s negative twentyinsidethe rink, it’s nearly ninety degrees outside.
Welcome to “fall” in southern Louisiana.
Our version of the season is experiencing all four seasons in a single day and it still being hotter than hell even when the sun sets.
