Briar
“Are you guys okay?” Nick asks.
When Blake and I break apart, I notice that everyone is staring at me with concerned expressions.
A wave of self-consciousness hits me. I don’t want them to know…
I don’t want to tell them what happened to me…
what Logan did to me. They’re my new friends, and everything is going so well now, but if I tell them what happened, they’ll think I’m weird or weak and pathetic, and it’ll change everything… just like what happened in Chicago…
“We’re playing Chicago University next week?” Blake asks the guys before I can speak.
They look at him for a second, clearly confused by his question.
“Uh, yeah. They changed the schedule at the last minute and just updated it,” Travis says. “I guess they forgot to account for that last-minute change between conferences at the beginning of the season, but they fixed it now.”
Blake tugs a hand through his hair. “Just fucking great,” he mutters.
His arm is still around me, holding me close to him.
It’s the comfort I need in this moment when my nerves and anxiety are through the roof at the thought of Logan coming here…
at the thought of him being in the same city, the same campus as me…
Everyone looks between Blake and me. They’re all quiet, but I can tell how confused and concerned they are.
I swallow hard and dab the sleeve of my Hollis U sweater under my eyes.
Blake cups my face in his hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to go to the game,” he says softly.
My chest aches. I want to be there. I want to watch Blake play and cheer him on.
But then I think about seeing Logan on the ice, and every muscle in my body goes rigid with fear.
I hate this. I hate that even just thinking of being around him scares the crap out of me.
I look at everyone. “My ex, Logan Casler, plays for Chicago University,” I say. “We, um, had a bad breakup. He…”
I trail off, my stomach churning. I think about stopping there. I think about not telling them the rest.
But then I look at them. I see the care and worry in their expression as they watch me.
They care about me. I can see it. I can feel it.
I take a breath. I push through the urge to clam up. And then I tell them.
“He, um, he tried to force himself on me at a party.” My voice breaks, and tears stream down my face.
“Oh my god,” Poppy says. She walks over to me and pulls me into a hug. I’m instantly comforted by her embrace.
“He took me to one of the bedrooms upstairs, threw me on the bed, and tried to take my clothes off,” I say.
“I was able to fight him off. But he got so mad.” I let out a sob.
“I pushed him away from me and ran out of the bedroom. I was done with him. I thought that would be the end of it, but then he started this awful rumor about me. He told all the guys on the team that the only reason I dated him was so I could sleep with the other guys on the team. Everyone turned against me. Even my friends. I went to the school administration and told them he assaulted me, but they said they couldn’t do anything about it.
There wasn’t enough evidence. It was my word against his. ”
My voice breaks, and I let out another sob. Poppy doesn’t say anything. She just hugs me tighter and lets me cry.
When I start to calm down, she lets go of me. She holds me by the shoulders and looks at me. Her face is wet with tears too.
“Briar, I am so sorry.”
Anna comes up to me. Tears are shining in her eyes as she hugs me.
“I’m sorry too,” Anna says. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
She holds me tight.
“Your ex is a piece of shit,” Anna says, her voice hard. “So are all of your so-called friends.”
That warm feeling inside of me burrows deeper. They don’t think I’m a liar. They’re not calling me names.
They believe me. They’re not questioning me. They don’t doubt me.
When Anna lets me go, I see the guys looking at me, a mix of rage and sadness on their faces.
“We’re so sorry, Briar,” Nick says. Travis and Leo nod along.
“Anna’s right. He’s a piece of shit for what he did to you,” Travis says.
Leo grabs a tissue from his pocket and hands it to me. Then he hugs me. “I’m sorry, Briar.”
I tell him thanks and wipe my face when he lets me go. Nick and Travis come up to hug me too.
My body feels wrung out from crying so hard. But I also feel…lighter. Less burdened.
I’m not holding onto that secret anymore. I told them, and it didn’t change the way they felt about me. They’re still here. They’re still my friends. They’re by my side, supporting me.
Emotion surges through me as I process just how amazing my friends are.
“He’s not gonna get away with this,” Blake says.
I turn to look at him. “What?”
“We’re gonna make him pay,” Nick says. Travis and Leo nod along.
I look between the guys, waiting for them to say more. But they don’t. It’s like they’ve made a silent decision, and they’re all quietly in agreement.
It takes a moment to process it. How different their reactions are from all of Logan’s teammates and friends. This group of guys—this group of hockey players is siding with me. Defending me. Protecting me.
Something warm swoops through me.
Blake wraps his arm around me, pulling me close. “You don’t need to come to the game when we play Chicago,” he says again.
Determination surges through me. A few minutes ago, the thought of even being in the same hockey arena as Logan sent me into a panic spiral.
But now, when I think about going to the game, I don’t feel panicked. I feel calmer. I feel okay.
Blake is here for me. So are Poppy, Anna, Nick, Travis, and Leo.
That’s all I need. Their support, nothing else.
“I want to go to your game,” I say to Blake.
His eyebrows knit in concern as he studies me. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Yeah. I don’t want to hide from him anymore.”
He cups my face in his hand and presses a soft kiss to my temple.
“We’ll be there with you the whole time, Briar,” Anna says.
I turn to her and Poppy and offer a small smile. “Thanks, you guys. You’re the best friends I could ask for.” I look at the guys. “All of you are.”
“We’ve got your back, Briar,” Nick says. Leo and Travis nod along.
I turn back to Blake.
“It’s okay if you change your mind,” he says softly.
“I won’t.”
Emotion sparks through me as I gaze up at him. This man who would do anything for me. This man who goes out of his way to make me feel safe and cherished. This man who’s my best friend and more.
And now I want to show him exactly how I feel about him.
A moment later, it comes to me. The perfect way to show Blake how I feel about him.
I can’t wait to show him.