Page 62 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 1

“Yeah, your pimp wouldn’t let me speak to you,” I said, pulling on my bitch face and deciding to risk it. Pleading wasn’t going to make him change his mind. All I could do was lay it all out there in the open.

“Matt’s my friend,” Noah said, pulling his hand back from my hard pecs.

“I’m sure he is, but this isn’t about him. I need your help, Noah. It’s just like you said. I’m going to fail for sure and it’ll be the end of my hockey career. I’ll have to go back to some community college and settle for collecting hockey cards. If you know anything about me — and, let’s face it, who doesn’t? — you know I’m born to be on the ice. You know I have a promising future just like you do in…physics.” Shit. What did physics majors do? Teach it to other future teachers? “Wallaby won’t let me pass. She hates my guts and I need to be way better than my maximum capacity allows in order to get a mere passing grade. And that’s the truth of it. So yeah, I’m talking to you now because you’re my lifeline.”

“There you have it,” Noah said. “The story of my life.”

I narrowed my eyes and cocked my head. “You’re probably right. Chances are, I wouldn’t be talking to you here if I didn’t need you. But that’s not because I’m too popular. Not just that, at least. You’re a scary motherfucker, Noah.”

A frown exploded over his face.

“It’s a term of endearment,” I explained.

“Nice fucking endearment.” He was pulling back a little, looking for exit routes. I’d pressed a button there and he needed to escape me.

Oh well. I would kiss my career goodbye. “You are, though. You’re the Olympiad prodigy, buddy. You have a bouncer to deal with all the students who want your help. You’ll probably end up developing cloud cities on Venus or discover some particle or whatever. And if you don’t think that scares people, you’ve got a lot to learn. And like that isn’t enough, you’re painting a picture of my pathetic future after I drop out because you denied me help. You’re a little psycho.”

His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I had nothing else to lose. “I’m telling you what I think,” I said. “Because I’ll drop out in a few months anyway. So there you go.”

Silence fell between us and I felt like I wanted to squirm out of my skin. I wasn’t letting him leave until he said something, but I didn’t know what I wanted to hear, anyway. We stared at each other until something softened in his eyes. “I…I’m really busy.”

There was the slightest note of regret in his voice at having to say this. I could work with that. I could cling to that glimmer of hope. “Okay, but what if I was a super low responsibility?” I asked. “What if we made it so that you help me just a little? Something that won’t make you busier?”

“I…don’t know,” he said. He was reluctant as fuck, but I had my foot in the door and wasn’t backing off. This was how much I loved hockey. This was how much I wanted to remain on the ice, in the thick of it, in the heat of battle and the swelling pride and camaraderie of our team. “I’d have to look at my schedule.”

“What if a student disappeared?” I asked, thinking I was being witty.

Noah deadpanned and rolled his eyes. “Be serious for a hot minute. I’m trying to think and you’re making it impossible.”

I made a little move toward him, closing the short distance between us. “I’ll do anything. You’re pricey as hell so I can’t compete that way, but I’ll do whatever the hell you want me to do.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice quivering.

“I dunno. You tell me. I’ll be your personal servant if you need one so that you can have more time. I can bring you books from the library so you don’t waste hours you could otherwise use tutoring me. I can wash your dishes, I can clean your room. I can make your weekly schedules to make sure you’re using your time in the most efficient way.” I was way too eager and he kept frowning at it.

“No offense, but I don’t exactly trust you to be in charge of my entire life,” he said, resting his fingers on my shoulders and pushing me back a little. “I saw how you handled yourself last night. You’re not really the example of positive virtues.”

“I’m a flirt. That’s what I do. But that’s only on Fridays and Saturdays. Don’t you worry. I can do all of these things. And I’ll get you tickets for all my hockey games if you want to watch. Front row, too. You get to see all the body checks up close.”

I kept closing the distance and he kept walking back, pushing my shoulders, and walking back some more until he bumped into the bookcase and shook his head. “I don’t need help with any of that. And I definitely don’t need your hockey tickets.”

“What, then?” I asked. “Is there anything I can do for you that’ll make it worth your time? I’m desperate, man. I’m ready to whore myself out and scrub your fireplace like Cinderella if you say yes.”

He blinked rapidly, then licked his lips. “There’s one…I…maybe…I think I could use…if you’d…”

“Yes?” I was practically leaning against him at this point, eyes wide and pleading. We were close to a ‘maybe’ and it was the best feeling I have had in months. “Just say it and I’ll do it.”

He stammered a little more, then inhaled a deep breath of air. “How do you do it?” he all but whispered.

“Do what?” I would tell him all my secrets if he said he’d help me.

“How’d you get both of them interested last night?” he asked.

I frowned a little as I processed this. “Oh, the twins? I mean, it’s what I do. It’s like a hobby. You know how some people hunt animals? It’s like that.”

His eyebrows flattened over his rectangular, black-framed glasses and his face lost all expression. “So what? You took aim and fired a shot?”