Briar
Blake speeds across the ice, chasing after a player on the opposing team.
I watch him, in awe of his speed and strength. Even with all that padding and gear on, he moves effortlessly.
It’s the first game of the hockey season at Hollis U, and the guys are playing Wisconsin State.
He catches up with the guy and checks him against the boards. I jump a little at the sound of the impact.
Blake takes off with the puck, narrowly avoiding a Wisconsin player attempting to shove him.
I watch, wide-eyed, as he weaves around him. I’m always in awe of how fast he moves on the ice. Even in high school, he was a speed demon.
He looks up and catches eyes with me, then flashes a lopsided smile before racing down the ice.
My cheeks flush, and I bite back a smile. How can he be so smooth and sexy in the middle of an intense hockey game?
Anna, one of Blake’s friends and the girlfriend of his teammate Travis, elbows me gently. “I saw that,” she teases.
I try to keep my smile from growing, but it’s impossible. No one makes me smile like Blake.
“Blake likes you,” she says in a good-natured teasing tone.
“As a friend,” I say.
Anna shakes her head. “I’m Blake’s friend, and he doesn’t look for me in the stands, then gives me the flirtiest smile ever.”
Poppy, her best friend and Nick’s girlfriend, gently smacks her arm. “Quit giving her such a hard time.”
“It’s okay,” I say with a laugh. “I don’t mind.”
I really don’t. I love hanging out with Anna and Poppy.
Blake introduced me to them after I transferred to Hollis.
We’ve hung out a few times, and they’ve been so kind and welcoming.
Even though we’re new friends, it’s so easy to talk to them.
And I like that Anna teases me about Blake.
It makes me feel like I’m part of the friend group.
“So, how are you liking Hollis?” Poppy asks. “Did the first couple weeks of classes this semester go well for you”?
“Yeah, it’s been great. I really like my Spanish and French courses.”
“I think it’s so cool how you can speak both Spanish and French fluently,” Anna says. “That’s such an impressive skill to have.”
I shrug. “It’s the one thing I’m good at.”
“Don’t downplay it,” Poppy says. “Learning languages is really difficult. You’re really smart for having that ability.” Anna nods along.
I smile, heartened at how they build me up, even though we haven’t been friends for long.
I think about how, at my old college, my friends never seemed all that interested in the fact that I could speak different languages. They didn’t really ask me about my life or my interests either.
A sinking feeling lands in the pit of my stomach. I should have known that was a sign of things to come…of how little I meant to them. They only hung out with me because I was in a relationship with Logan. And when everything fell apart with him, they didn’t support me…they took his side.
I try not to think about that and focus on how much better things are now that I’m at Hollis.
I turn to Poppy. “Oh hey, I watched your video about statistics the other day,” I say to Poppy. “I needed a refresher for the class I’m taking this semester, and it was excellent. Easy to understand, and you broke down all the concepts I was having trouble with.”
She beams. “Really?”
I nod. “You’re so smart, Poppy. And talented. Statistics is a difficult subject, but you made it simple and accessible.”
Her full cheeks flush, and she gives my arm a squeeze. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
Poppy has a mega-successful YouTube channel called Poppy The Tutor where she talks about academic concepts. Tons of high school and college students watch her videos for guidance on the subjects she’s studying.
Anna wraps her arm around Poppy and gives her a squeeze. “My best friend is so smart,” Anna says.
“So are you, Miss ‘I got a 521 on the MCAT,’” Poppy says. Anna chuckles.
“How is applying to med school going?” I ask her.
“It’s a lot to prepare for. The interviews are really tough,” Anna says. “But I’m excited too. I can’t wait to graduate and study to become a doctor.”
“You’re getting into Stanford,” Poppy says. “I can feel it.”
Anna shakes her head and smiles. “We’ll see.”
The referee blows the whistle. Someone on Wisconsin’s team gets called out for high sticking, so play stops.
“How is your job at the library going?” Anna asks me.
“Really good. I’ve only worked a handful of shifts, but I like it. When it’s quiet, I can do homework when I’m not busy helping students.”
Poppy grins. “That’s awesome.”
We watch as a Wisconsin player takes a shot at the Hollis U net, but Travis manages to catch the puck in his glove. We jump up and cheer along with the rest of the crowd.
“Nice save, baby!” Anna yells.
Travis glances over at her. His brow is furrowed in a serious, sharp expression. But the moment he sees her, that hard look on his face eases. He winks at her before turning back to the game.
“Look at your grumpy goalie boyfriend being all soft and cute for you,” Poppy teases.
Anna beams, her cheeks flushing. I can’t help but smile. It’s so cute how Travis and Anna exchange sweet looks during the game. Nick and Poppy do it too. During warm-up, he skated over to our section and blew her a kiss. It was so freaking adorable.
Poppy and Anna are wearing their boyfriends’ jerseys too. They wear them whenever they watch the guys play.
I look over at Blake as he gets into position for face-off.
I was going to surprise him and wear his jersey for tonight’s game, but when I saw that Poppy and Anna wear their boyfriends’ jerseys to every game they attend, I decided not to.
I don’t want them to think that I’m trying to act like his girlfriend, since I’m just a friend.
“Oh, hey, how did apartment hunting go the other day?” Anna asks me.
I let out a tired chuckle. “Not good. I looked at a handful of places. None of them worked out.”
“Shoot, sorry to hear that,” Poppy says.
“Yeah, it’s a little frustrating. But it’s okay. I’ll keep looking. I’ll find something eventually.”
I think about how upset Blake was after we left that guy Taylor’s house. He was pissed at him for being such a creep.
And he was so protective of me.
A warm feeling settles in the center of my chest. I’m lucky he’s my best friend. If he hadn’t been there to look out for me, I would have probably moved into Taylor’s house. My stomach churns thinking about what would have happened if I had moved in with that creep.
The ref drops the puck onto the ice, and Nick gets control of it. He passes it back to Blake, who takes off with it across the ice.
“Still staying in Blake’s bedroom then?” Anna asks.
“Yeah. He’ll be so excited when I finally find a place of my own and move out,” I say.
Anna quirks an eyebrow at me, her smile teasing. “I don’t know about that. He seems pretty happy to have you around.”
I think about how insistent Blake was when he told me I could stay with him as long as I needed to. How he said he didn’t want me to move out until I found the perfect place.
Anna wiggles her eyebrows at me. I can’t help but chuckle. She’s teasing me because she thinks that Blake likes me more than a friend, but I know better.
“He’s just being a good friend,” I say. “He’d let any of his friends live with him if they needed a place to stay.”
Anna tilts her head at me, but before she can say anything, Poppy gently bumps her arm. We focus back on the game.
Leo has the puck now and takes a shot, but the Wisconsin goalie blocks it.
It bounces off his stick and goes flying into the boards. Blake races over and grabs it. He’s a blur of black and blue as he moves. He’s so fast.
A half-second later, he smacks the puck with his stick. It sinks in the back of the net. The buzzer sounds as the Hollis U fans in the stands go wild.
I’m on my feet, cheering. I watch as Blake’s teammates surround him to celebrate his goal.
He turns and scans the crowd. A second later, his gaze meets mine. He flashes a wide grin and winks at me.
Tingles swoop through my tummy as I bite back a smile.
Anna elbows me. “Does he wink at all his friends like that?” she teases.
I shake my head and laugh it off. She’s just teasing me.
Still though. She brings up a good point. He doesn’t wink at anyone else. Just me.
A hopeful, giddy feeling swoops through me. But then I remind myself that Blake and I are best friends, nothing more. He’s just messing around. He’s funny and playful like that.
The game ends. Hollis wins by two points.
As we make our way out of the stands, Poppy turns to me.
“Wanna grab some food with the guys and us?” she asks.
“Yeah, sounds great.”