Chapter 4
Chapter Four
LUKE
“Let’s not make this more emotional than it needs to be.” Sheriff Brinks glares at me. He knows that shit doesn’t work with me. He and I have gone around and around before, and now I’m here for made-up shit.
“Luke—”
“I’m sure I’ll be back soon enough.” I take the paper that says I’m officially off probation.
“Next time you’ll go to jail,” he warns.
I chuckle. “You think they’d actually let me miss a game?”
Brinks takes a deep breath to get his anger in check. We both know I’m right. Is it messed up? Of course it is. That doesn’t mean it’s not true. The school and likely this town will make sure I’m on that ice. If they get to use me, I’ll use them right the fuck back.
“Luke, you have one year left.”
“Don’t remind me.” I crumple the piece of paper and toss it into the trash before making my way out of the police station. One fight after a hockey game last year and no one can let that shit go. This isn’t even real probation. A bunch of shit they made up to try and scare me.
“Hey there,” Liz says as she passes by me. I ignore her. She turns, walking backwards so she can still see me. “Still an asshole?”
“Yes.”
“Got it. Are you ready to take me up on that offer?”
“It appears I need to be a bigger asshole than I already am.”
“Holy shit, I was teasing. You keep that wicked tongue to yourself.” She spins back around and keeps walking. If wicked is being correct in the things I say that no one else will, I’m okay with that. I check my smart watch, seeing I have time before practice.
With not much else to do, I head back toward the school grounds. Each day, more and more people are showing up. I already moved my shit into my room. I ended up paired with Grant. Out of everyone on the team, it’s not the worst pick I could have gotten. I bet Coach had his hand all up in that.
Grant has already moved in. I haven’t seen him, but all his crap is there.
He is very clean and organized, boot-camp type.
I stop walking when I spot Georgia Ashford barreling down the sidewalk, not paying attention to where she’s going.
Typical of her, without a care in the world.
Georgia has always thought she is better than everyone else.
She doesn’t give anyone the time of day.
I’m sure she’s as ready to get out of here as I am.
I don’t move when she collides right into me, falling backwards onto her ass. A small scream leaves her.
“How about you watch where you’re going?” I stand over her. She mutters under her breath, and I don’t catch it. “What?”
“Nothing.” She winces when she starts to get up.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” A girl snaps at me before I feel a shove to my right shoulder.
Not sure what she thinks she was about to do.
I take in the thin but tall girl with black, shiny hair.
She’s not taller than me; no one around here is.
“Oh, you have no words now when I talk to you. Someone that talks back.”
I turn to face the girl, wanting to take more of her in. She’s wearing a zip-up jacket with a sports bra underneath and those stretchy pants girls are always wearing with a pair of sneakers. This has to be one of the new girls. Those plump, shiny lips of hers are pursed.
“Whatever, asshole.” She helps Georgia to her feet.
This time being called an asshole hits differently.
Fuck, she’s beautiful, and I am at a loss for words momentarily.
“Come on,” the girl tells Georgia. “Watch it.” I am dumbstruck when she snaps her teeth at me.
“I bite,” she warns. My dick jerks in my pants as lust hits me, pissing me off.
It’s a reaction no girl has ever evoked from me before.
I watch the girls head off, but not before the dark-haired girl does a spin to face me, flipping me off before giving me her back again. My eyes drop to her ass.
Who the fuck is this chick, and who does she think she is? I grab the back of my neck and squeeze. The array of emotions I have is abnormal. I don’t like it.
I only grow more irritated about this and thankful when practice starts so I can work it out of my system.
Today is easier than normal because of the rally.
It’s supposed to be for the school as a whole and people returning, but its focus is football.
Everyone tries to pretend that hockey doesn’t have a chokehold around here when it does.
“What the fuck is wrong with you today?” Grant pulls off his helmet, and I see that he too is now irritated.
“Don’t think I’ve heard you curse before.”
“Yeah, because when I do, you’ll pay fucking attention.” He’s got me there. “You don’t want to go to this rally that badly you’re throwing a fit?” I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m throwing a fit, am I?
“I want to go,” I say, surprising myself.
Grant’s brows rise in shock. “You take a hit to the head or something that I’m not aware of?” He’s serious.
“Don’t be a dick.” I can’t blame him for questioning me. I have no fucking clue why those words left my mouth. Well, maybe I have a little inkling, but I’m not ready to admit it. Not even to myself.
“Right, being a dick is your thing.” He starts to skate off. “We’ll go together,” he calls back at me.
“I don’t need a fucking date!”
“Not a date,” he calls back. “A chaperone.” I jerk my head toward Coach. Did they put Grant on my ass? Those motherfuckers. It’s not a bad play on their end, but also, they can all go fuck themselves.
I head back to the locker room to do a quick soak before I shower and make my way to my room. Grant is already there. I change, taking more time than usual to pick out my clothing. Which is dumb as fuck because it’s jeans and a shirt. I grab a baseball cap and toss it on.
“You couldn’t wait for me?” Grant says as he jogs to catch up to me.
“We’re not friends,” I remind him.
“I’m starting to think I’m the closest thing you’ve got to a friend.” I don’t bother responding, but that doesn’t stop his ass from talking. “We going to be early? You’re never on time.”
“Are you keeping tabs on me?”
“I have eyes and ears. Coach is loud when he’s screaming.” He’s always screaming. I don’t know if he has any other tone than that.
It doesn’t take long to arrive at the center of the school grounds, where there is a giant fountain. All around it are our tables. People often hang here between classes or lunch. This place might be a high school, but it operates more like a college campus.
My eyes scan the faces of all the people that have already arrived. I spot Caleb on the stage that is typically set up here during events. I don’t know who enjoys attention more, Caleb or Lana, who is on the stage with him. She leads the dumbass Ice Crew.
There is nothing more annoying and pointless than the Ice Crew, but I appear to be the only one that believes that.
It doesn’t take me long to spot the girl I ran into earlier standing at the other end of the stage with the rest of the crew.
I ball my hands into fists at my side when I get a full sweep of her.
The fuck is she wearing? I shouldn’t be shocked she’s on the Ice Crew with how she spoke to me, but I was a dick.
As pissed as I was about my run-in with her, when she started to run her mouth, I’d gotten hard as fuck. My reaction to her not only pissed me off but also left me on edge. There are still lingering effects. I need to stay away from her, but that’s not me. Now I can’t help but be curious about her.
“Has that always been the Ice Crew uniform?” I find myself asking.
“I know we’ve gotten close enough where it feels like we’ve known each other for years.” Grant’s hand comes down on my shoulder. I pull my attention away from the girl who’s holding too much of it to stare at his hand on me. “But it’s only been a few weeks, and this is my first year.”
“Are you done?”
“Sure.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze before dropping his hand. What is wrong with people today? The only time I want anyone touching me or me touching them is on the ice.
“That’s the normal uniform,” Eli says, coming to stand next to me. “Aren’t you supposed to be up there?” He nods to the stage. I don’t answer stupid questions.
Who would approve of this uniform? This is high school, not a brothel. I run my hand down my face because I’ve lost my goddamn mind. Why the fuck is this bothering me all of a sudden? That was a rhetorical question that I don’t need an answer to. Not even from myself because I know the reason.
“You okay, man?” Grant asks under his breath to me.
“We’re not friends.”
“Sure we are.” The fucker winks at me.
“See if you’re saying that come tomorrow during practice,” I warn. Gonna lay his ass out when he least expects it to prove my point.
“Are you flirting with me, Luke? I mean, you’re not bad if you’re into the bad boy vibe, but I’m straight.” He won’t be anything straight here in a second by the time I’m done with him. “But I’m flattered, and I hope this won’t change our friendship.”
“Fuck off.” A small chuckle leaves me. He’s annoyingly funny, but I’m not trying to encourage it.
“I’m only teasing you. Go back to staring at the girl with the braid.”
“I wasn’t staring.”
“Of course you weren’t. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.
” It will be safe as hell if he’s six foot under.
“Plus, I don’t blame you for it. She must be new here, but she’s smokin’.
” I want to tell him to shut the fuck up and never to talk about her again.
Not to think about her or even look at her for that matter, but I keep my mouth shut and ball my hands into fists instead once again.
“Gonna break your jaw if you keep clenching it so tight.”
“All right.” I turn toward him. Fuck it. I’m not waiting for practice.
“I’m messing with you.” Grant holds his hands up, palms out. “Not my type.” I glance back to the girl. She’s everyone’s type.
Her long, dark, shiny braid falls over one shoulder. I have the strange urge to wrap it around my hand and smell it. I know she smells sweet like vanilla but with a hint of spice to it. I can’t stop watching her and taking in all the details.
Those full lips and small nose are begging to be kissed.
The fuck? Kiss the tip of her nose? I break noses.
I have lost my mind, and I’m going to keep on losing it.
The top she’s wearing is long-sleeved and goes up to the collarbone; the problem is, it ends right under her tits, which I know would be a perfect handful for me.
Then there’s that damn skirt. I don’t know if it’s short because that’s how it is or it’s those long legs of hers that go on forever. She tilts her head slightly as she talks to Paige, smiling. She appears so innocent, but I know that mouth of hers isn’t.
When I see Caleb spot her, I remember him running his mouth about banging all the new girls. “Breathe, dude; he’s not going to fuck her on stage.” Grant runs his fingers through his hair. “Right, shit, okay, it’s Caleb, so maybe.” I only got the sheriff off my ass hours ago.
“I’m two seconds from taking my aggression out on you,” I tell him.
“It’s starting.” Grant is unfazed by my threat, nodding toward the stage.
I don’t hear what the coach says. I’m watching her watch everyone else.
She curiously takes people in, her eyes roaming across the crowd.
I still wince when they make it to me. They instantly know: That soft smile she has on her dark pink lips evaporates, her eyes narrowing. Fuck you, asshole, she mouths.
If she thinks that glare or mouth of hers bothers me, she’s in for a reckoning. God knows I am.