Chapter 21
Willa
Slap.
A loud shriek comes from outside the car, making my hand still after slapping it across Carter’s face. “Oh my god.”
Carter holds me tightly against him, sending chills down my back with the soft caresses of his hand.
“What was that?” I push up from him to peer out the window in time to see a flash of red hair climb into the car next to us. “Oh my god.”
Kandi looks back, grinning from ear to ear, wiggling her fingers in a wave before driving off.
“Oh god,” I shriek with my head in my hands.
“Oops.” Carter’s chest vibrates with laughter from under me.
“She saw us!” I slap his chest and search for my shirt. “I’m such a horrible friend.”
“Who fucking cares?” Carter holds up my blouse and helps me get my arms through it. “It’s Kandi. She doesn’t fucking care.”
He doesn’t know. He doesn’t understand.
I struggle to get my underwear on, and use Carter’s shoulder as leverage to lift my legs. He groans and bites my thigh that ends up in his face.
“Carter, this isn’t funny.” I kick my leg away from him, hitting his thigh before I bend over to find my pants.
A sharp scrape shoots over my ass as Carter’s teeth rake against my flesh.
“Carter!” I slap his arm and sit up.
He moans with a deep, gravely tone in his voice. “You’re making me hard again.”
“Get dressed.” I toss his shirt at him. “I have to stop Kandi before she tells anyone.”
Carter angrily pulls his shirt on, tugging at the hem in a huff.
“What’s the big deal?” He grabs his jeans out of my hands. “Is it so bad that we were caught? Your friends will be upset that you’re fucking me, but who cares?”
“No.” I grab his arms to stop him. Smoothing my hands up to his hard shoulders and onto the thick scruff on his face. “Carter, we can’t keep doing this.”
His heart rate calms as I hold him. The anger in his eyes slips away as the tension rolls off.
We can’t keep having sex. I’m his coach now, and poor Jocelyn. I was supposed to be setting them up, not having sex with him.
“You’re my friend. I can’t lose you.” I let my hands fall to his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat under my palm. “But this is getting complicated.”
He reaches up and tucks my hair behind my ear.
“I’m your coach, and I’m trying to be a good friend.” I bite my lip, but decide to be completely honest with him. Jocelyn may kill me, but it may work out. “Jocelyn really likes you.”
Carter rolls his eyes at me.
“Fine.” He gives me his signature fake smirk. “We can’t do this anymore, but I’m not going on a date with Jocelyn.”
“Oh, come on.” I finish getting my pants on. “You two could really hit it off.”
“Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Carter angrily tosses his phone into the cup holder and quickly helps me get my boot back on. I’m almost able to walk without it. Only a few more days.
“Hey,” I turn to Carter as he drives down my block, “we’re ok, right?”
His mood has completely deflated. He’s always up and down. I have to talk to Kandi, but I don’t want to drop Carter so quickly if he needs me.
“We’re fine.” He rubs the top of my knee before parking the car. “No matter what happens with Jocelyn, you’re still a good friend, Willa.”
“I lied to her.” I pout and look up at my dark house. The girls are still out partying.
“I’ll see ya later.”
“Goodnight.” I lean over and kiss his cheek. “That was weird.” I laugh it off. “Sorry.”
He smiles as I climb out and then drives off. Driving in the opposite direction from the Hockey House.
I have bigger things to worry about than where Carter is off to.
Noticing Kandi’s car parked out front, I knock on their front door, but don’t wait for an answer and head up to her room.
“Kandi,” I call out as a warning, but her door is already open, and she swivels in her desk chair with the corner of her mouth lifted, as if she was waiting for me.
“Well, look who it is.”
I close the door behind me and sit on her bed to face her.
“Did anyone else see?”
“Nope.” She pops the word out. “The girls dropped me off at my car after we got food, but they didn’t see anything.”
“Tha–”
“Do you always smack the guys around like that when they”re coming?” Kandi cuts me off with her question.
“No.” I shoot up off the bed. “He asked me to do that.”
“Hmm.” She crosses her legs. “I was thinking of asking Luca how he feels about me doing it.”
Oh no.
“Kandi, you can’t tell Luca.” I sit back down and grab her hand to beg her to keep my secret. “Please, you can’t tell anyone.”
“Why–” Her phone rings, cutting us off. “Speak of the hockey demon…I’m busy.” She answers Luca”s call with a shout and hangs up on him.
“Please, you can’t tell him. He hates Carter.”
The phone rings again and she answers, “what?”
“Busy doing what?” Luca roars through the phone.
“Girl talk. I’ll call you back.” She hangs up on him again. “I understand Luca is just looking out for you, but Carter isn’t that bad. He saved your life and is better than Vic or most of the other guys at this school. Luca will understand eventually.”
“It’s not like that. We’re just friends.” I clear my throat and shake out my hands that I was wringing together in my lap. “We talked, and it’s never going to happen again.”
“Oh, please.” Kandi laughs. “A blind man could see the chemistry sparking between you two.”
“Shh!” I stand up and stick my head out the door to make sure no one else hears us before closing it again.
“Why is it such a big secret?” she whispers dramatically.
“I lied to Jocelyn.” I run my hands over my face. I can’t even look at myself. I feel horrible and I don’t want to face anyone to say it.
I betrayed my best friend. I broke the girl code. She told me she liked him, and I should’ve never let him kiss me.
“I told her we weren’t hooking up, because it was only a one-time thing. It was only supposed to be a drunken one-time thing, so Vic wouldn’t be my one and only. I didn’t even know she liked him when we did it.” I stop my pacing to sit back down. “I am the worst friend ever.”
“Willa, you are not the worst friend.” Kandi’s phone rings again, interrupting us.
“Luca, she’ll call you back,” I say in annoyance and quickly cover my mouth.
“Was that Willa? Love, I’m getting antsy waiting over here.”
“Yes, it’s Willa.” Kandi turns her phone to face me.
“Hi, Luca.” I mutter, trying not to sound so sad.
“Oh shit.” He scrambles through the phone. “A warning would’ve been nice. I’m naked, Babe.”
“Oh, I didn’t notice.” Kandi turns the phone back to examine it.
“Is everything ok? What’s wrong?” Great, now Luca thinks something is wrong. Ever since I stupidly chased Vic up a mountain and broke my ankle, Luca has been up my ass. He always thinks something is wrong.
“Nothing is wrong. I’ll call you back.” Kandi rolls her eyes at him before hanging up. “Where were we?”
“Nowhere. I’ll let you get back to Luca. Please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want this to get back to Jocelyn. It’s done anyway.”
“Willa,” Kandi stops me from leaving, “Jocelyn has a crush on every single man with a penis in this school. You’re not a terrible friend.”
“I told her I’d help set her up with him.” Oh god, it just keeps getting worse. Why did I say that?
“Does Carter like Jocelyn?” She eyes me as if she knows the answer already.
“He won’t even give her a chance.”
“Because he likes you.”
I roll my eyes at her.
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” she promises with her hand raised, “but you should have a talk with Jocelyn. You should tell her how you feel about Carter, and I’m sure she’ll step aside.”
“I think you’re wrong. She really likes him. Carter and I are just friends.” I don’t understand why I have to keep defending that. I’m always defending my relationships. It never ends.
I got what I came for. Kandi promised she won’t tell anyone, and that’s all I needed. I wasn’t looking for advice. There’s nothing to get advice on.
I attempt to leave, opening her door when she has to have the last word.
“He doesn’t look at you like you’re just a friend.” Her phone rings again, and this time I leave.
She’s wrong.
Carter is my friend. He’s a horny hockey player that fucks women to release the tension that he has built up, and that’s all I was for him.
The only connection we have was because I was willing to slap him around to give him the release he needed.
There is nothing romantic about it.