Yeah, I’m an ass and grumpy sometimes, but one thing I’m not is an idiot about my own feelings. I think I’ve loved her since the first time I saw her skate with that wild pink hair flying around and those blue eyes that see past the tough skin I’ve had to harden over the years.
My breath fogs the air as I jog around the athletic department and come to a halt outside the building where our class is located. Students pile out in groups, and my eyes scan for my Princess as I wait by the side of the stairs out of sight. I want to surprise her and hear her giggle as I place love bites all over her neck from behind.
Finally, she comes out of the building, her head down and her lips curled in a smile. Before I can even step in her direction, she glances up and immediately frowns. I follow her gaze to see her staring at a man leaning against his Porsche as he looks at her with a smirk. She doesn’t glance in my direction at all, and something inside me tells me to not run up to her as she walks down the sidewalk towards this fucker. As I stand there, watching them talk like they’ve known each other for a while and then seeing him place a hand on her waist to help her inside the car…something inside me dies a little bit. My phone pings seconds later with a text from her.
“Can’t make it to lunch, will explain after your game tomorrow night. Mary needs a girls night. Miss you already.”
Betrayal cuts me deep, right into my fucking heart, and it’s nothing like last time. It’s so much worse, and anger starts to take its place with every step I take back towards the rink. I skate, my stick hitting the puck with hard swings full of anger and heartbreak. Time doesn’t seem to matter, sweat coats my body and every muscle hurts as hours pass. Eventually, I realize it’s not good for me to be out here because of the game tomorrow. My heart may be split in two from the one girl who’s actually gotten through and destroyed it, but my future is getting the fuck out of here and never looking back.
Focus on the game, Granger, and harden your weak ass bitch heart.
“You guys are skating out there like a bunch of pansy asses! Where the hell are your heads at? We’re only a few games away from getting into nationals, and you step out onto my ice tonight with your thumbs up your asses, completely forgetting all the practices we went through this week!” Coach yells, pacing back and forth in front of the whole team in the locker room as we wait for half time to finish up.
I don’t look up from my seated position as my chest rises and falls rapidly with sweat rolling down my temple. Tonight's game has been a shit show, and it’s my own fault. My head is not in the game at all. Every thought is on the girl I still love, even after being betrayed.
I didn’t call or message her back all night, ignoring every message that came through from her. The moment my blades touched the ice tonight, I saw her like a pink beacon in the crowd, her foam finger waving as she chats with Mary at her side. But what floored me is my parents sitting on the other side of her. They're at my game for the first time ever, and everything is going to shit. I keep reflecting on what happened yesterday—maybe what I saw wasn’t what it seemed? Why would a girl do all this for me, only to cheat on me? Why convince my parents to show, knowing how much it means to me? I’m confused, and I need to talk to her, to face this, even if it kills me.
“Get your asses back out there, and for the love of God, win this game.” Coach’s voice booms around the locker room, and my teammates holler with shouts as we make our way back down the tunnel towards the rink filled with the student body and fans.
My blades chip away at the ice, the crowd cheering as we circle around and pass the puck around to get them rowdy. My eyes unwillingly take a quick glance at the bleachers as I pass by and connect with her gaze. She looks upset, her blonde brows furrowed and her crystal clear blue eyes are narrowed at me, but damn this girl because she’s wearing my jersey. Every second of every day is counted, and I fucked it up the moment I glanced away from her with guilt eating through me for ignoring her. She knows something is wrong, and I’m handling this the wrong way. She’s going to break up with me before I can even ask her to be my girlfriend. Fuck my life.
25
Kat
He didn’t call me and ignored all my texts through the night. I know this because the moment I hit send, it read that he saw the message. Why do I get the feeling that we’re moving backwards? Mary convinced me to go to the game, saying men like to throw little fits, so I should talk to him instead of worrying when it could be nothing. So, here I am, cheering him on as he glides across the ice with his jersey on my body and chatting with his mother as she leans into my side. The way he looked at me when the second half was done, it was
