Chapter 6 ALI – WITHWITHOUT YOU #3
“What?” I shook my head and pulled back. “No, absolutely not. You need it.”
He laughed. “Nah, take it. We brought a bunch of extra stuff.”
The thought of wrapping myself in his large jacket was tempting, but I could not do that. I just shook my head.
“C’mon, you can take it, Ali.” His eyes were so warm and earnest. “We prepared for this. The first time Colt took Mer outdoor skating, she didn’t even bring a real coat. Actually, she wore something like that,” he said, pointing a gloved finger at my jacket.
I frowned. “This is a real jacket.”
“No,” he laughed, “that is a fashion jacket. It’s nice, but it doesn’t even hit your hips. Your little tush is probably freezing.”
“Tush?” My eyebrows popped up with a laugh. “Are you eighty?”
His cheeks heated with a little shyness, but he couldn’t hide his grin. “You’ve gotta be freezing.”
Biting my lip, I stayed silent. Because I couldn't deny it. I wasn’t going to last long out here.
Giving me a pointed look, he stepped closer and wrapped his large coat around me. The thick fluffy jacket, still warm from his body heat, made me stop shivering for the first time since I left the car. “Oh.” It felt like I was wrapped in a warm comforter that smelled just like him.
He laughed while nodding. “Real jacket, right?” He pulled a Bauer hockey beanie out of his pocket and placed it on my head. “Better?”
I gave a wary smile. “Yes, thank you. I still feel bad though.”
“Nah, don’t feel bad, but if you want to help me out…” he trailed off.
I gave him a questioning look.
He dipped to whisper, “Please play on my team. Piper scares me.”
That had me laughing loudly. “Deal.”
The next few hours were spent with us playing pick-up hockey games.
The boys were constantly making us laugh with their goofiness and over-the-top cellies.
It had me wondering if practice was always this much fun for them.
If so, I might’ve chosen the wrong sport, because figure skating practices saw far more tears than smiles.
At one point, Piper was headed for the net with the stick on her puck. It looked like she had a clear path to the net, until Kappy swooped in and easily stripped the puck from her.
“Oooh!” the boys all called out.
“You couldn't let me get one?” Piper yelled at him. “You score all the time.” She threw her stick down in frustration.
“She dropped her stick!” Colt called out
“You know what that means!” JP added.
A huge grin spread on Kappy’s face as he swarmed back toward her, grooving deep into his edges. “We’re fighting, babe!”
Piper threw her arms down. “Do not call me b—” She was cut off with a strangled cry as he grabbed her up in his arms and started skating off. He didn’t stop skating until he crash-landed into a snowbank, making her even more angry with him.
“Jeez, the two of them,” JP said, coming to a stop next to me. “I can’t tell if they love or hate each other.”
Watching Piper smash a snowball into Kappy’s face, a laugh popped out of me. “I think both. They might shock us all and end up married.”
“Or in a jail cell,” JP deadpanned.
“Maybe both,” I said with a laugh.
He snorted. “Yeah, probably both.” After a beat, he turned to me. His warm breath hung in the cold night air. “Okay, whose turn is it?”
We’d been secretly playing truth or dare with each other the whole night. It started when JP voiced his annoyance over how Colt and Mer were constantly feeling each other up. I dared JP to go give Mer a hug in front of Colt to see what he’d do.
As soon as JP put his arms open for a hug, Mer laughed and walked into him, giving him a light pat. When Colt noticed, his eyes immediately narrowed on JP.
Noticing Colt’s jealousy, Mer played it up, leaning into JP and practically caressing him.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Colt called out, and then he charged after JP, who quickly skated away laughing.
When I chose truth, JP asked me softball questions. He seemed to want to know everything about me, my full name, my perfect day, my favorite song. And when I asked him for his answer after, he always gave it to me, even though he never chose truth.
“I think it’s my turn,” I said hesitantly.
JP smirked. “Okay, truth or dare, Al Pal?” he asked, his warm breath hanging in the cold air.
The fun of the night must’ve gotten to my head, making me feel a little too brave. “Dare,” I said for the first time.
“I dare you to go out with me,” he said, then his grey eyes widened, like he couldn’t believe he just said that aloud.
“Sorry, that was so stupid.” He ran a gloved hand down his face and gave a sheepish grin.
“I’ve been wanting to…uh… go out.” His face flamed.
“With you.” He closed his eyes. “Ask you out.” He said more firmly.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a while. ” His throat bobbed with a swallow.
My heart pretty much shriveled up and died. For a while? I wanted to cry. If he would’ve asked me back in the summer, I would’ve jumped at the opportunity. Then again, maybe it was for the best that he didn’t. Things were going smoothly for me as they were.
Sensing my inner turmoil, he shook his head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have… damn.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “I just didn’t want to… Did I ruin this? I like talking to you, and I just thought…”
“No. I swear, you didn’t. I…” I cleared my burning throat. “That’s really nice of you to ask.”
His shoulders fell. “But?” he asked softly.
I bit the inside of my cheek. I could practically feel my heart falling. I knew his kindness and attention were about to disappear, and I couldn't blame him. “But I have a boyfriend.”
His mouth dropped slightly open. “You do?” He shook his head. “How did I not know that?” He looked around at everyone on the ice and realization slowly sank into him. “Wait, do they not know you have a boyfriend?”
“Um…” I shrugged.
“O-okay.” He licked his lips. “Who is it?”
I rolled my lips together nervously, hoping he wouldn’t get mad. “Mark Rossi.”
As the seconds ticked by, he didn’t react. Staring out with a look of confusion on his face, he adjusted his beanie, taking in the information. “Rossi? From the rink?”
“Yeah.”
His forehead creased. “But he’s a senior.”
“You’re a junior.” I shrugged. “And they’re seniors,” I said, pointing to Colt and Kappy. While the three boys all played on the same AAA team at Centre Ice because they had the same birth year, JP was born in September, meaning he was a grade level below them.
“You’re only a sophomore.” His eyebrows pulled together.
“Okay, so now we know everyone’s age,” I said awkwardly.
“Rossi’s an asshole, Ali.”
“No, he’s sweet,” I said defensively. I knew my boyfriend could be an asshole, but he wasn’t an asshole to me.
“Mark Rossi is not sweet.” JP snorted. “He was suspended by US Hockey for a full year because he purposely broke a guy’s leg and then laughed about it. He’s not right in the head, Ali.”
“Well, he’s sweet to me,” I said quietly.
Mark was the only one who defended me when Kali Beaufort stole my diary and read it in front of the entire lunchroom on the second day of school.
And when one of her cronies pantsed me in gym class, making everyone laugh at me again, I tried running back into the school, but Mark pulled me under the bleachers with him where he’d been smoking.
He motioned for me to shush, then I watched through teary eyes as he snuck across the parking lot and slashed their cars’ tires.
Pretty soon, no one dared to mess with me.
I knew Mark was bad news, but he was protecting me.
So, when he asked me out, I went along with it—partially because I didn't want to lose his protection.
“Why him?” JP asked, almost like he was disgusted, and that made me doubly defensive.
“Because he asked me, JP,” I snapped. I didn’t mean for it to be an insult, at least not all the way, but by the way JP’s face fell, I could tell that’s how he took it. “Besides, I—” I swallowed the rest of my sentence. It really wasn’t anyone else’s business.
“Besides…?” JP coaxed. His eyes softened, making me want to confide in him, even though I knew I shouldn’t.
“I have my reasons,” I said, hoping he’d let me leave it at that.
His eyebrows raised. “And those reasons are…?” he trailed off.
“Private,” I said quietly, feeling my face heat up.
I didn’t want to tell him about how I was bullied at school.
I liked keeping my life at school and skating separate because I didn’t want anyone to start viewing me differently, especially not him.
At school, I was seen as a weak target, but at the rink, I was a threat, a viable competitor, a future champion.
I worked hard for that image, and I wasn’t about to lose it.
JP stared at me curiously, making me feel way too seen. “Okay.” He nodded. “You like him? He treats you right?”
I stood there thinking of Mark. Of his longer brown hair that flared out under his ears and his dark eyes.
His slow grin and unfortunate chew habit.
His harsh cheekbones that made him look like a model, and his harsh mouth that made people scared of him.
He was one of the most attractive guys at school, which was why everyone liked him.
He had a calmness about him that was almost scary.
It was the type of calm that came before a storm.
And boy, did he bring a storm when he wanted to.
He had unmatched reactiveness and a hot temper—which acted as both his strengths and downfalls in hockey.
They were strengths and downfalls for me too.
He used that temper to defend me. He kept me tucked under his arm at school so I could fly under the radar.
But he also jumped to the worst conclusions about me before I could ever explain anything, which created a lot of arguments between us in the last couple months.
He always eventually listened and felt bad though.
And he could be really romantic when he wanted to be.