Chapter 11 Mackenzie #2
I didn’t owe him an explanation; didn’t need to bring up the past, argue with him, or even have him apologize. But I did need to get him out of my room and put a stop to his ridiculous ideas of me playing hockey, so I could just go back to painting my mural in peace.
“My dad has never liked the idea of me playing hockey,” I began. “He thinks it’s too dangerous for girls.”
“Well, that’s just stupid.”
Apparently, there was one thing Parker and I could agree on. “Yeah, it is. But freshman year, I convinced him to let me join his summer camp. It was my one shot to show him I deserved to play. To prove I belonged out there. But when he caught you kissing me—”
“Uh, you mean, when he caught you kissing me.”
I took a deep breath and tried to remember I was revealing all this to get rid of Parker and it would all be over soon.
“When my dad caught us kissing,” I continued, “he decided I wasn’t serious about hockey and used it as an excuse to ban me for life.”
“For life?” Parker looked disgusted. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“Of course it is.” I shrugged. “But it doesn’t matter. The point is, even if I wanted to try out for the Devils, there’s no way my dad would ever allow me to play.”
Parker’s blue eyes watched me closely, and he shook his head. “I didn’t realize. I thought I was the only one to get in trouble.”
“I wish.”
“If I’d known, I…” His voice was surprisingly soft, and as he stared into my eyes a myriad of thoughts flashed across his gaze. “I guess we both kind of screwed each other that day.”
It was probably as close to an apology as I’d ever get from him.
“But now we’ve got a chance to fix it.” He stepped closer and the energy in his voice returned. “I can help you get back on the ice, and you can help me stop my senior year of hockey going to shit. Once we’ve both got what we want, we can go straight back to hating each other.”
“You think I can just stop hating you?”
He rolled his eyes. “If it means you get to play hockey again, I’m sure you can suck it up. We’ll just call a truce for a while.”
“You’re forgetting there’s still the issue of my dad, Parker.”
“We desperately need a new goalie. If he could see you play, I know he’ll change his mind. He’ll have to.”
“You haven’t even seen me play.”
“I saw enough at camp to know you’re good. To know you’ve got more potential than any other goalie at Ransom High. Or was that a fluke?”
“Well, you did tell me you missed a shot on purpose that day.”
“I say a lot of things.” He grinned at the memory and my glare intensified.
“No,” I said firmly. “It wasn’t a fluke.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
“I’m not interested.”
His smile grew and his blue eyes started to sparkle, like he sensed victory was close. Like he could see right through me. “Look, I know we got off to a rocky start.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“And two days ago, I could not have imagined we’d be having this conversation. But you’re talented. We just need your dad to see it too. Don’t you want to play again?”
I hated how his words struck at something deep inside me. I’d spent my whole life dreaming of playing for a real hockey team, but I’d given up hope these last few years. Parker was making it all feel possible again.
“You don’t know my dad. I’d need to try out for the team, and if he sees my name on the list, he’ll probably cancel the whole thing. I’m sorry, Parker, this just isn’t going to happen—”
“Parker?” The door opened and my sisters both squealed from behind me. I hadn’t even realized they were there.
“We’re not afraid of you!” Skye shouted.
“Go away, dragon!” screamed Daisy.
I had to smother a laugh when I saw Parker’s shocked expression. He even took a slight step back as my sisters growled and glared at him.
“It’s okay,” I said, turning to the girls. “You guys go and play. I’ll get rid of the evil dragon.”
Daisy and Skye both gave Parker one more stern look before they turned and ran off down the hallway, giggling as they went.
“Does your whole family hate me?” he asked, once I’d closed the door.
“I mean, you haven’t met my stepmom or my cat yet, but Tessa’s a softy, so she doesn’t count, and Mitts hates everyone, so I wouldn’t take that personally.”
“I take it Mitts is the cat?” he asked.
“Of course she’s the cat.”
“Why am I not surprised you have a cat that hates every—”
“A dragon?” My dad’s voice sounded in the corridor making my heart all but stop.
“Yes!” my sisters cried together. “In Kenzie’s room! Come and see, Daddy.”
There was a firm knock at the door and Parker’s eyes widened when my dad’s voice called from the other side. “Uh, Mackenzie, can we come in?”
Parker didn’t hesitate as he dove toward my closet, tore open the door and leaped inside.
It might have been funny to watch him cram his huge frame inside the tiny space and try to squeeze the door shut if we weren’t both totally screwed if we got caught.
I motioned for him to hurry, but I’d only recently filled the closet with clothes, and he could barely fit.
“Just a minute,” I called to my dad, desperately trying to think of a way to stall him. “I’m, uh, I’m naked.”
Parker was still doing his best to disappear amongst my coats and dresses, but he instantly stopped and turned to me. A smirk pulled at his lips and a familiar twinkle returned to his gaze. “Naked?”
I stepped toward the closet and gave him a hard shove, pushing him far enough inside that I could force the door closed. Was this boy capable of taking anything seriously?
“Kenzie?” Dad called. “You all good?”
I grabbed my bathrobe from the bed and quickly wrapped myself in it to keep up the ruse. “Uh, yep, I’m decent. You can come in.”
My bedroom door opened, and my dad peeked his head through the gap with an awkward smile. “I hear you’ve got a dragon problem.”
My sisters burst into the room from behind him.
“He was right there, Daddy.” Skye pointed to the empty space beside me.
“Where did he go?” Daisy asked, her eyes a little more calculating as she scanned the room. I swallowed nervously as her gaze drifted past the closet that contained the missing dragon.
Dad chuckled to himself. “Should we try to find him?”
“No!” I shouted, my heart racing. “Uh, I mean, no need. The dragon is gone now. I think he realized he should never have come here in the first place.”
“Because we’re so scary?” Daisy asked.
“Yep, that’s right, terrifying.”
My sister nodded firmly. “Good. I didn’t like the Parker dragon.”
“The what dragon?” My dad let out an uncertain laugh.
I shrugged at him, as though I was just as confused as he was.
“I should probably get started on my homework,” I said, hoping my dad would get the hint.
“Sure.” He nodded and started ushering my sisters from the room. “Come on, girls.”
The tightness in my chest only relented when the door clicked shut behind them. I waited until I heard their footsteps on the stairs before I stalked over to my closet door and wrenched it open.
Parker grinned happily as he stepped out. “Your clothes smell nice.”
“I—” I shook my head. “My dad came this close to catching you here and that’s all you have to say? My clothes smell nice?”
“Real nice,” he added. “Like roses or something.”
“You need to go!” Did he really not understand the urgency of this?
Parker leaned against the closet door and tucked one hand in his pocket, like there was no reason to rush. “I’m not leaving until I’ve got a new goaltender.”
“I already explained why that’s not going to happen.”
“You gave me some excuses, sure. But are you really not willing to even try?”
“What’s the point when I know it’ll end badly?”
“I’m not convinced.” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “There has to be something else that’s holding you back. Unless…”
I knew I shouldn’t encourage him. That whatever he was getting at I wasn’t going to like. Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t stop myself. “Unless what?”
“It’s the tension between us, isn’t it?”
“If you’ve only just realized how much I hate being around you, then you haven’t been listening.”
“I’m not talking about that kind of tension.” He pushed off the doorframe and walked toward me, and my heart seemed to beat faster with every step he took. It had to be the adrenaline still coursing through my veins from nearly being caught, right?
I wanted nothing more than to back away as he came close, but I resolutely stood my ground. “There is no other kind of tension.”
“No?” His eyes glinted with mischief. “Look, I know resisting me is hard. Especially since we kissed and you probably want to do it again, but surely that’s not going to stop you joining the team.”
“I’m not refusing to join the team because we kissed!”
“What other reason could there be?”
“Uh, I’ve given you a few, and I can think of plenty more.”
“You’re really saying you haven’t thought about kissing me once since that summer?”
“Not once.”
“I find that hard to believe. It was a pretty good kiss.”
He was standing so close to me now, I had to tilt my head back to look up at him as he towered over me.
“I don’t remember.”
His eyes glittered. God, I hated when they did that. “If it would help, I can remind you. Maybe it’ll release a bit of that tension.”
I hesitated, but only for a moment before I tore my eyes away from him and stepped back. Was he serious or just that desperate for a new goalie?
“You’re really pimping your lips out to get me on the team?” I asked.
“Hmm, that’s not a no to my offer…”
“That’s a hell no to your offer.”
He grinned, as though he was completely unbothered by my rejection.
“Tell me you’ll think about the goalie tryouts, and I’ll leave,” Parker said. “They’re tomorrow night. And if you want another chance to prove your dad wrong, I’ll figure out a way to make it happen.”
“Fine, I’ll think about it.”
Parker beamed.
“But only to get you out of my room.”
There was far too much satisfaction in his gaze for my liking. “I guess that means my work here is done.”
He pulled a yellow piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it and placed it on my bed.
It was one of the posters advertising the tryouts.
Then he turned and opened the window. I didn’t even have a chance to ask him what he was doing, because the next moment he was crawling through it and easing his way onto the broken trellis. Then he dropped from view.
I rushed to the window to check on him, but he was already on the ground.
“Are you crazy?” I whispered down at him. “You could have killed yourself.” But when I took a closer look at the trellis, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.
“Didn’t know you cared,” he called up, his voice just above a whisper.
“I don’t.”
He chuckled softly as he walked off across my front lawn, into the darkness. “Goodnight, Mackenzie.”
I slammed my window shut. I think I preferred it when he couldn’t remember my name.