Page 22 of Released from the Sin Bin

I step back. Vic isn’t here, but it doesn’t mean that’s not what he’s doing a few hours away with the rest of his co-ed team. It’s what happens all the time, and I’ve become immune to it, but it’s the hard look on my best friend’s face that has me losing my composure.

All I want to do is protect him, but it’s getting harder to hide how broken I am. I thought Luca would understand.

“Hey.” Kandi touches my arm and smiles up at Luca.

She’s here. She came to the party and came right for Luca. Vic constantly leaves me, and these two commitment phobes are seeking each other out. They appear like a lovesick, happy couple, drowning out everyone else around them.

“Fuck you, Luca.” I turn on my heels and rush to the door to get as far away as possible.

It doesn’t matter where I’m going, it’ll still suffocate me.

My friends. My coach. My parents. And even Vic.

They all want me to do or be something I’m not. They all expect me to do more and be more.

“Willa, wait up.”

I half expect it to be Luca running after me, but he’s engulfed in Kandi. Carter runs up and catches my arm to spin me around.

“Hey listen—” He stops when he sees my face. “What happened?”

He looks back at the house and inches closer to me. Protecting me from anyone else’s view and looking to see who he has to fight.

But then I remember, I’m mad at him.

He’s just like the rest of them.

Chapter 6

Carter

Willa pushes me away with a loud groan. “I’m mad at you.”

“Me? What the fuck did I do?” Besides, treating her like a complete asshole in the dining hall, I haven’t done anything to her tonight.

I ran over to apologize to her. I kept thinking about it and felt bad. She didn’t deserve my outburst, but I don’t deserve this one either.

“You were mean to me.” She points a tiny finger in my face when I come back to her. For such a tiny girl, her shove knocked me back several steps.

“That was days ago, and I was trying to apologize.” I punch myself in the chest and wince from the hit against the bruise forming under my shirt. “I didn’t do anything to you tonight.” I lean over, trying to catch my breath. The old man got me good.

“Apologize? Why?” she scoffs.

“For giving you the truth you didn’t want to hear.” I fire back at her. She’s upset that I want to apologize, then fine, I won’t apologize.

“I’m so sick of this.” She groans loudly with her arms raised out to her sides. I expect another shove and flinch, but she lifts her hand to point in my face. “I’m sick of you thinking you know me. I’m sick of my friends telling me I need to break up with Vic without asking how I feel.” Her voice cracks. “I’m sick of my parents for telling me that hockey isn’t a career for women.” She brushes her sleeves over her face. “Coach thinks I’m making a terrible mistake. And Vic…” Looking away, she sniffs back her tears. “I’m tired of defending him. I’m so tired of pretending.”

Tears slide down her cheeks as she breaks down. Trying to wipe them away as quickly as they appear.

“Come.” I motion to my truck parked in front of the house for her to follow.

I hate seeing her like this. I hate seeing any woman cry, but normally Willa is a force. She’s fierce on the ice, never letting anyone get past her and takes on women twice her size. That strong competitiveness follows her off the ice, but now it’s been replaced by a vulnerability from getting kicked down too many times.

“Do you have anywhere else to go?” I turn to face her when she doesn’t follow me.

She looks back at the party, and down the street to the direction of her house before deciding to climb up into my passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” She clicks her seatbelt in place.

---