Chapter 23 Grayson
Chapter 23
Grayson
“Damien and Paige look pretty friendly.”
Matt was sitting in his usual seat beside me in math, and the two of us were both watching as Damien talked to Paige just outside the door. I didn’t like how closely he was leaning into her. And I flat-out despised the way she laughed at something he said. More than anything, I hated that they were going on a date.
My coaching must have worked, because Paige seemed confident and at ease as she spoke to him. The girl who was so nervous she spilled a drink on herself the last time she was in this situation was nowhere to be seen. I should have been proud of her, but instead I was miserable.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Matt continued.
“No idea.”
“Maybe he’s asking if she wants a ride on his Zamboni?”
My pencil snapped between my fingers, and I quickly tucked the broken pieces away before anyone could notice. But Matt spluttered a laugh. “It was a joke, dude. You need to work on those anger issues.”
I didn’t have anger issues. I had Paige issues. But I did my best to ignore his comment.
“Stone seems like a good addition to the team, don’t you think?”
Was Matt still talking? As if this moment could get any worse. I was already on edge, sitting here completely helpless as I watched another guy flirt with my girl .
“I can see why there are so many scouts after him.” Despite the fact I wasn’t acknowledging a thing Matt was saying, he didn’t seem to be getting the hint. Couldn’t he see this was the last thing I wanted to talk about? I was far too busy wishing my eyes were capable of shooting lasers.
Matt started to chuckle. “Don’t worry, Grayson. You and Reed are still our top players. You guys already have the future of college hockey locked down. At least, you will after you sign on Saturday, right?”
Signing day. Coach Mercer coming to our game. The continuous throbbing pain in my knee. Just more things I didn’t want to talk or think about.
I turned to Matt, hoping if I gave him some kind of response he’d leave me alone. “Yeah, right.”
My short reply had the desired effect, and he gave me a firm pat on the shoulder before he went to open his textbook.
Paige had finally stopped talking with Damien and was making her way toward us. She looked beautiful this morning, and the way she was smiling pierced the heavy clouds surrounding my heart. There was nothing I loved more than seeing her happy.
But then I remembered she was smiling because of Damien. He was still loitering by the door, smirking as he watched her walk toward me. The purring in my heart turned to a hiss and, once again, I speculated whether it was possible I might secretly be Superman, with heat vision strong enough to eviscerate a self-obsessed hockey player in one shot .
When Paige got closer, our eyes met, but she immediately looked away. Was she embarrassed about something? Maybe the fact I’d seen her swooning over Damien? She quickened her pace in a rush to get to the desk at my side, but she tripped on one of the table legs and stumbled as she walked past me.
“Are you all right?” I reached out to her, but she steadied herself and dodged my outstretched hand before I could help.
“I’m fine,” she squeaked as she lowered herself into the seat beside me.
“You sure?” I wasn’t only concerned about her tripping over the table. She had been acting distant ever since we coated the kitchen in flour the other day.
“She said she’s fine, Gray,” Matt chimed in. “You’re the one we should be worried about.” He glanced at Paige. “He’s in a mood. I think he’s hungry.”
“I’m not hungry.”
But Matt raised an eyebrow. “Dude, you’re scowling around the room like a starved animal.”
“I’m not—”
“You totally are. I just can’t quite put my finger on which one. What do you think, Paige?”
She stole a glance up at me. “Uh, mountain lion?”
“No, too scary.”
“Raccoon?”
“Too small. But he does have the bags under his eyes.”
Paige allowed herself to study me a little closer before her eyes lit up. “Panda?” she said, hopefully .
“That’s it,” Matt agreed. “A panda who’s run out of bamboo. Not something you want to mess with.”
“Here...” Paige said, grabbing a granola bar out of her bag and handing it over. “Always got to have something on hand for the hungry panda.” Our fingers barely brushed before she jerked them away. With a sigh I opened the bar and took a bite. It did make me feel slightly better.
“So, what did he want?” I grumbled, taking another bite of the bar.
“He?” She looked confused until I nodded toward the door. “Oh, Damien?”
I hated the sound of his name on her lips. “Yes, him.”
“Uh.” She was avoiding eye contact again. “He was just saying hi...”
“Looked like a little more than that,” Matt said, raising one eyebrow.
“Yeah, uh, maybe.” She tucked a stray hair behind one ear, her focus on pretty much anything but me. “He may have asked me out again.”
“Again? ” I tried my best not to choke on my granola bar.
“Well, I didn’t really answer him last time.”
“Interesting,” Matt jumped in, saving me from having to respond. “What did you say?”
“Uh, I said yes. We’re going out on Sunday night.” She turned to me, but kept her gaze low. “Sorry, I guess I’ll have to skip Darling family dinner. Although with my mom coming back Sunday, Amy probably wasn’t expecting me anyway... ”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure that’s fine.” I was doing my best to sound unbothered. But now the date was confirmed I was starting to sweat. “It doesn’t leave us much time to prepare, though. How about Friday night for our practice date?”
She shifted awkwardly in her seat, and her eyes darted to Matt. He was now talking to a girl on his other side, but Paige still leaned in close and lowered her voice as she replied.
“Tomorrow? You still want to help with that? What did you have in mind?”
There was plenty on my mind, but it was a little hard not to second-guess myself when she still seemed so fixated on Damien. I’d stayed up late last night, trying to come up with the perfect practice date for Paige. It was my one last chance to win her over. But reality was starting to sink in. She was going on a date with Damien, and she was excited about it. My whole reason for coaching Paige had been to make her realize she had feelings for me, but it was starting to look like my plan had backfired.
“I’ve had a few ideas,” I replied, trying my best to ignore the doubts gnawing at me. “So, are you free on Friday?”
“Oh. Um, yeah, I can do Friday night.” She was blushing, but there was also a look of anticipation in her eyes. I couldn’t keep up with her today. One moment she was tripping over her own feet, the next everything seemed normal, then a moment later she was embarrassed and coy. Damien must have really rattled her .
“Okay then, it’s a date. But if you call me a hungry panda again, I might have to reconsider.”
She was smiling again now. “But it’s such a cute nickname for you.”
“I don’t want a cute nickname.”
“Need something more manly, huh? How about grizzly panda?”
“No, I don’t think—”
“Or grumpy panda?” Matt suggested. Apparently, he’d rejoined the conversation.
Paige clapped her hands. “Oh, I like that.”
“Thanks,” Matt replied. “I thought it matched the twitching muscle in his forehead.”
“It’s perfect,” she agreed. “And we can call him GP for short.”
I lowered my head into my heads and did my best to ignore the two of them. I’d thought Paige talking about dating someone else was bad, but this was nearly as painful.
The teacher entered the room, drawing everyone’s attention, but I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. There was a new message in the group chat I had with the guys. Parker had changed the name of the group again, this time to: “The Friend Zoners.” I knew I was going to regret opening the chat, but curiosity got the better of me.
Reed: I’m in class with Damien. He says he has a date with Paige on Sunday??
Parker: Are we surprised? She looked pretty hot when we did those interviews on Tuesday night.
Matt: GP already knows. He nearly choked on a granola bar when he found out.
Parker: GP?
With a sigh I started to type.
Me: If you answer that, Cleaver, you’re dead to me.
Matt looked up at me from his phone and winked. I scowled and turned back to the group chat.
Owen: Don’t stress, Grayson. She’s going to realize you’re the guy for her.
Parker: Did GP really choke on a granola bar? More importantly, did anyone get that on video?
Me: Don’t call me GP.
Parker: Tell me what it stands for and I’ll stop.
Me: No.
Reed: Who changed the group picture to an angry-looking panda?
I glared at Matt again, but his eyes were fixed on his phone as his fingers flew across the screen. Still, I could easily make out the smirk on his face.
Matt: I thought it would lift Grayson’s spirits.
Parker: Is it because male pandas have no game?
Reed: What are you talking about, Parker?
Parker: Trust me, it’s true. Zoos have to give them panda porn. Pandas are literally on the way to extinction because they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re almost as bad as Grayson.
Reed: I seriously worry about you, little brother.
Owen: I’m sure Grayson knows what he’s doing!
Me: I thought this group was set up to help me. So far, it’s not doing a very good job.
Parker: Oh, you want our help? We thought you’d never ask. We’ve just been making fun of you while we wait.
I took a deep breath. Did I really want their help? I’d already set up a practice date with Paige. It was all up to me now. Getting a little coaching of my own couldn’t really hurt though, could it? No one went into a big game without support. Despite my apprehension, I started typing .
Me: Tomorrow night, I’m helping her practice for her date with Damien. It’s my last shot. So, any final words of advice?
Matt: Be charming.
Parker: I’d like to see that.
Owen: Lots of eye contact.
Parker: That doesn’t sound at all creepy.
Reed: Just be yourself. Show her what it would be like to be with you for real.
Owen: Reed’s right.
Matt: Yeah, man. Just be yourself. You got this.
Parker: I feel like this goes against everything I’ve been suggesting for the last two weeks, but actually, I think they’re right. Be more Grayson.
“Matt and Grayson, phones away during class!”
I glanced up to see the teacher glaring at the two of us from the front of the room. It was rare for a teacher to come down on me so hard—they’d heard the rumors about the Darling brothers too after all. Still, I quickly did as I was told and shoved my phone back in my pocket, relieved to escape the group chat.
Paige giggled quietly as the teacher turned his attention to the whiteboard again. “What was so important?” she whispered.
“Nothing. Just checking some player stats.” The lie slipped easily from my lips. I couldn’t exactly let her know I had a whole group chat dedicated to my feelings for her.
As I listened to the teacher and stared up at the whiteboard, the guys’ advice repeated over and over in my head. Everything rested on this practice date. It was my final chance to show my best friend how much more we could become. Being Grayson hadn’t worked for me over the last ten years, so what difference was one more night going to make?
But I had no other options left. I just had to hope I would be enough.