Chapter 15
fifteen
“How long until you leave for the game?” Will asks.
“Cora should pick me up in an hour,” I tell him as I set a plate off to the side to dry.
“Shouldn’t you go get ready then?”
Turning, I raise a brow. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“I don’t know, don’t girls typically dress up for games and shit?” he asks, rubbing the back of his neck.
I tip my head back and laugh. “I’m sure some do, but in case you weren’t aware, arenas are cold.”
Before he can say anything, someone rings the doorbell.
“I’ll get it.”
He turns and heads to the door before I can say anything. A few seconds later I hear muffled voices.
“Did we get a delivery?” I yell.
“Surprise!” Cora says as she comes into view.
“Hey, what are you doing here early?”
“I thought I could help you get ready?”
“I told you girls dress up for this kind of shit,” Will yells from the living room.
Cora raises a brow while I roll my eyes.
“Ignore him. I know I do. What do you mean, ‘get ready’?” I ask.
“Okay, I need you to hear me out, and be open minded, okay?”
“Okay…” I say hesitantly.
“We should probably go to your room first.”
That is not easing my anxiety.
I shoot a look to Will before I nod. “Follow me.”
I walk past her and down the hall to my room. As soon as we step inside, she walks over to my bed and sets her bag down, opening it up.
“Okay, I got bedazzled numbers for our cheeks. We have team beanies to keep our ears warm, and we have these,” she says as she pulls out a jersey.
“That’s Wyatt’s number,” I point out.
“Yep, and you’re going to wear it. I didn’t know if you had a white thermal to put under it, so I grabbed one of those to help you stay warm. I think we should do our hair in low space bun pigtails. Thoughts?”
I eye the jersey as she sets it down on my bed.
I’ve never worn a man’s jersey before. At least not one I’m in some sort of relationship with.
Once, sophomore year, I asked Kyle if he wanted me to wear his, and he laughed in my face and told me only desperate girls wear them.
I never asked again after that, even though all of the other players’ girlfriends wore them.
Should I? Would he like that?
I chew on my bottom lip as I look at the jersey. I really want to wear it.
“Hey, are you okay?” Cora touches my arm.
“Will Wyatt be okay with me wearing his number?” I blurt out.
Cora’s eyes soften as she moves closer to me. She places her hands on my shoulders and squeezes.
“Girlfriend, the guy is gone for you. He will be ecstatic to see you wearing his number. For hockey guys it’s like catnip. They love seeing their name on their women’s backs. It’s a little caveman-ish, but the results are totally worth it, if you know what I mean.” She winks. “So, are you in?”
She seems so sure. Could it have been a Kyle thing that whole time? Wyatt is nothing like Kyle. Not even an iota. So what would the harm be? After all, if he gets upset, we can end this whole thing.
I don’t want that, but we could.
No, Wyatt won’t be mad. I know it. I only hope it means what she says it does to him.
“You know what, why not?” I force false confidence in my voice.
“Awesome, now turn on some music,” she demands.
“Have I ever told you that I hate the cold?” she groans as we walk toward the arena.
“I hate to break it to you, but you live in the wrong place,” I tease.
“Tell me about it. Fingers crossed that Kellan gets drafted somewhere warm. Maybe with a beach.” She sighs wistfully.
“Dreaming big. I like it.”
We pass through security and are on our way to our seats when I hear someone call out my name.
“Lyla!”
Looking over my shoulder, I groan when I see Kasey, Ashley, Amber, and Macy walking toward me.
“Friends of yours?” Cora asks.
“I thought they were, but I realized they aren’t.”
“Do you want to stop?”
“No, but I know if I don’t, they will just chase us down,” I mutter.
We come to a stop right as one of them yells my name again and turn to face them.
“What’s up?” I ask as they come to a stop in front of me.
“What’s up?” Kasey scoffs. “What’s up is that now that you’re dating a hockey player, you think you’re too good for us.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that? You don’t call, you don’t text. It’s like you forgot who your friends are,” Ashley adds on.
Amber gives me a small, apologetic smile but doesn’t say a word.
“I told you guys, she wasn’t a good friend to begin with. Nothing but a poser,” Macy chimes in.
“We were there with you through everything, and as soon as you get a new man, you ditch us? Don’t you realize how fucked up that is?” Kasey snaps.
“She let the fame of dating a hockey player go to her head,” Macy goads.
I shake my head, caught off guard. I thought they were going to try and get into my circle again. That’s what they have been trying to do ever since they found out I was dating Wyatt.
“Are you three being for real right now?” I turn to Cora. “Did they seriously just say that shit?”
“Listen here, bitches. Lyla didn’t let anything go to her head,” Cora snaps as she steps forward.
I place my hand on her shoulder, pushing her back.
“I got this,” I tell Cora before turning back to the four women in front of us.
“Seriously, you want to talk shit about me being fake and letting the ‘fame’ go to my head? That’s fucking rich.
I’m not the one who struts around campus like I’m going to be the next trophy wife because I’m dating some mediocre football player.
We all know that was your plan, right, Ashley?
You’re only with Reeves because you think he might stand a chance at going pro.
I’m not the one who knew my friend’s boyfriend was hooking up with another friend,” I say, making Kasey pale.
“Yeah, you really didn’t think I would put two and two together?
You and Macy are close. You knew that she was hooking up with Kyle while with me, didn’t you?
” I laugh sarcastically. “Speaking of Kyle, did he tell you he lost his chance at a team because of his attitude? They took one look at him and said, no fucking thank you, and yet you all follow him around like he’s the goddamn messiah of football, but really he’s just an average player at best with an attitude problem. ”
Macy steps forward. “You’re just jealous that I have him now and you don’t.”
“Jealous of what? A small dick? A guy who’s selfish in bed and doesn’t care about getting his partner off?
One who doesn’t text back? Yeah, I’m totally fucking jealous.
I’m so jealous you can keep him, and please keep him.
Maybe then he will stay the hell away from me because he has been panting after me like a stray dog. ”
Macy’s eyes narrow. “What are you talking about? You’re the one who seeks him out, we all know it.”
I snort, “That’s a bald-faced lie. I’ve gone out of my way to avoid the man, and it would be nice if he did the same. Now how about we do each other a favor? You stay out of the arena, and I’ll stay away from the stadium.”
“You can’t tell us what to do,” Kasey snaps.
I look over at her and raise a brow. “I’m pretty sure I just did.”
Cora wraps her arm around mine. “Come on, the guys are about to take the ice, so we should get to our seats. We don’t need to give these peasants another moment of our time.”
Arm in arm, we turn away from them and leave them behind. As we walk away, my heart races.
I knew a confrontation would happen eventually, I just wasn’t expecting it to be right before a game.
“Are you okay?” Cora asks as we take our seats.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself. I know it probably wasn’t easy.” She leans her head against mine. “You don’t need those fake-ass friends anymore. You have the real thing. Nothing will change that.”
I blow out a deep breath as I run my hands over my thighs. “It wasn’t easy, and honestly, if it wasn’t for Wyatt, I probably would have left as soon as they said my name.”
“Wyatt’s good for you. You two make each other better.”
“I hope so. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I’ll always be grateful for Wyatt. I didn’t realize how low my standards were until him. He’s shown me that I deserve more and better, and for that I’m thankful.”
It’s the truth, too. He mentioned possibly being more the other night, so I know there is hope for whatever this is between us to grow, but I am not sure I am ready to face that. Still, even if it ends, I will always be grateful for Wyatt. He gave me something back that I lost freshman year.
My clarity.
The guys take the ice, and as soon as Wyatt sees me, he smiles and heads my way, making my heart race.
Yeah, I don’t know how long this charade will last, but I’m going to enjoy every minute of it that I can.
“Are you coming out tonight?” Calvin asks as we walk out of the locker room.
“I’ll probably head home after I drop Lyla off,” I tell them.
“Come on, man, you can’t just go home after a game like that,” Calvin whines.
“Enough, let the guy do what he wants,” Kellan warns him as we step outside.
As soon as I see her, I smile. I watch as Cora slaps her arm and nods toward us. Lyla turns toward me and smiles. Once we’re close enough, I drop my bag right as she launches herself at me. I pick her up with ease, her legs wrapping around my waist.
She leans down and presses her lips against mine, making my heart race.
Fuck yes.
I don’t even think she realizes that she did it. She initiated the kiss first. Every time she does that, I make a tick on my mental list in my head. One more in the column of her falling in love with me.
“Hi,” she murmurs when she pulls back.
“Hi, baby,” I say, making her smile.
“You played an awesome game,” she whispers.
“Thanks, you looked like you had a good time.”
Something flashes through her eyes for a split second before she smiles again. “I really did.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, turns out, I’m a fan of hockey. Who knew?” She laughs.
I hum. “You look fantastic. I like the jersey.”
She taps my shoulder, and I set her down. She steps back and holds out the sides of her jersey, turning side to side.
“This old thing?” she says, making me laugh. “I didn’t know if I should wear it, but I thought, why not?”
Yeah, seeing my girl with my name on her back, my number all over her? I wish she replaced her entire closet with that shit. I never want her to take it off.
I clear my throat. “I like it. I think you should wear it more often.”
“I told you. It’s like catnip,” Cora chimes in, reminding us that we aren’t alone.
“What’s the plan? Are we going to grab food? Head home? Go out?” Jason asks as he walks up.
I look down at Lyla. “It’s up to you. You need to get home soon, right?”
“Actually, I have a few hours before I need to head home, if you want to do something.” She shrugs.
“Are you sure?” I press, my heart racing.
The thought of doing something with her after a win…
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She smiles as she steps into my side, tucking herself under my arm.
“Party at our place?” Kellan asks.
“Fuck it, why not?” I say as I look down at my girl.
“Fuck yes! Let’s order some food so that way we can eat while we send out the notice,” Calvin says.
Leaning down, I pick up my bag, then we all start moving toward our cars. Lyla and Calvin get in with me, and we make the quick drive back to my place.
“Okay, pizza is ordered,” Calvin says as we pull into the drive.
“Sounds good,” I tell him.
“Thank you for ordering dinner,” Lyla says as we all get out of the car.
“It’s no problem.” Calvin shrugs.
Once inside, we quickly pick up and put shit away that we don’t want others to fuck with.
Thirty minutes later, people start to filter in right as the pizza arrives. Lyla and I follow the pizza into the kitchen. When she goes to sit next to me, I pull her into my lap. Cora and Kellan sit the same way across from us as we all dig in.
“Seriously, you guys played fucking amazing tonight. My brother is going to be so jealous of the season you’re having,” Cora says as she takes a bite of pizza.
“Your brother plays for a professional hockey team. He’s not going to get jealous of what we’re doing in college,” Calvin protests.
“You don’t know him very well then,” Kellan says.
Calvin turns toward me. “Back me up.”
I shake my head. “No, there are two things that Clayton James loves: winning and Grace.”
“And tonight, they lost,” Cora chimes in.
“That sucks,” Lyla murmurs.
“The team he’s on is going through some changes. They will figure it out,” Kellan says.
“Keg’s here!” someone yells.
Lyla turns, wide-eyed. “There’s a keg?”
“Of course there’s a keg. It’s a college party,” someone says as they walk past.
“Yeah, but how did you guys get a keg so fast? Don’t you usually have to order them in advance?” she asks.
“Baby, hockey is life around here. If we ask for something, people deliver. No questions asked, and that’s not me being cocky, that’s just facts,” I tell her quietly.
She shakes her head. “You guys really are a different breed.”
“And don’t you forget it.” I wink.
“I’m getting a drink. Do you want one, Lyla?” Cora asks as she stands.
Lyla nibbles on her bottom lip, indecision all over her face.
“You don’t have to have one if you don’t want one,” I tell her quietly.
She shakes her head. “I don’t have a problem with drinking. It just sucks being hungover and having to deal with Dad.”
“It’s up to you, but if you only have one or two, you should be okay. If you have more though, I can always come over and help out tomorrow,” I point out gently.
“You would do that?” she asks softly.
“Of course. I will always be there for you.”
“You know what? Why not? I’ll have one,” Lyla says loud enough for Cora to hear, but her eyes don’t leave mine.
Yeah, she feels it too.
Cora smiles. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Cora grabs their drinks and comes back.
“Cheers,” the girls say in unison before taking a drink.
“Oh, this is good,” Lyla says.
“I’m glad you like it.” Cora smiles.
A little while later, once they empty their cups, the girls pull us onto the dance floor. I pull Lyla’s body flush against mine and begin to move. I keep my eyes on the crowd around us, making sure we don’t bump into anyone as we dance.
“Wyatt Scott, have you been keeping these moves from me all this time?” She laughs.
I lean down and murmur against her ear. “Baby, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
Lyla tips her head back and laughs. Her laughter and happiness make me feel ten feet tall. For the rest of the night, until it’s time to take her home, we dance. I spin her over and over again even when I’m ready to go sit down and chill. Because I’ll do anything to keep her laughing.