Page 16 of Love on the Ice

And I take the opportunity to run.

Chapter

Seven

LORELAI

Brooklynn is waiting for me in her car. She’s parked in the student lot. Our class ends around the same time, so she usually gives me a ride home, which I appreciate. Running toward the car, I reach for the handle, but my hand is so sweaty that it slips. I try again, and thankfully, I’m able to open the door.

I jump into the passenger seat and click my seat belt into place. I can feel Brooklynn’s gaze on my profile, but I can’t look at her.

“Please drive,” I beg.

She doesn’t say anything, doesn’t do anything. I can feel her gaze, but she sits frozen. Then I turn to her, my eyes without a doubt full of the pleading that I feel inside of me.

“Please, Brooklynn. Please drive.”

The second please takes her out of her stupor. She jerks her chin, touches the start button, shifts her car into Reverse, and then drives. When she presses her foot against the gas pedal, the tires squeal on our way out of the student parking lot.

I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I can’t even speak.

Brooklynn doesn’t drive straight home. She turns down one road, then another, and before I realize what’s happening, we’re sitting at the park. She opens her car door and unfolds from the front seat.

Turning to her, I blink. “Come on,” she calls out, then closes the car door.

I follow her, opening my door, unfolding from the seat, and stepping out, quickly moving toward her. I don’t ask her what we’re doing here, mainly because she heads straight for the walking path. There’s a little pond with a path around it, and that’s exactly where she heads.

“What happened, Lorelai?” she asks, her voice soft. “I know you, and you are freaked out.”

I think about hiding it, although I’m not sure why I should. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m embarrassed as hell that I failed that test. I shouldn’t have. But other than that, I am innocent. He came on to me. He tried to coerce me into doing… whatever he wanted me to do to or for him in exchange for a grade.

I don’t realize that I’ve said all of that out loud until Brooklynn’s arm slides across my shoulders and she pulls me against her side. She stops walking, and I automatically do the same. I'm standing next to her, looking out at the pond, but I don’t actually see anything.

“It’s happened to me before, too. I understand what you’re feeling. You did nothing wrong. You’ll retake the class, get your passing grade, and then get a great job.”

My financial situation is not a secret to my roommates. They know I’m only one semester from being homeless. So Brooklynn knows that this is it for me. “I can’t retake the class. I’m going to need to get a job immediately, then maybe I can retake it again later.”

“Don’t do that,” Brooklynn whispers. “We can help you.”

Never. I take a step to the side, causing her hand to fall as I turn to her. “You don’t know how badly I want to say yes, but I couldn’t.”

Brooklynn rolls her eyes. “I know.”

She doesn’t say anything else immediately, but then her lips twitch into a sad smile. “At least let me kick that guy in the balls?” she asks.

We both burst out laughing, and a few moments later, things are a bit lighter, and we’re in the car headed home. As Brooklynn drives, I can’t help but think about the future, and that future begins tomorrow.

I need a job.

Once we’re back at the house, we climb out of the car, and I hear my name being called. Stopping, I look over my shoulder toward the guys’ house and watch as that man, that gorgeous man, heads my way.

He stops in front of me, just inches from me. His lips curve up into a sexy smile as he looks down into my eyes.

“Hey, Lore. Go to dinner with me tonight?”

After the day I’ve had, all I want to do is curl up with my computer and start mass applying for anything and everything in my field, hoping that someone will give me a call even though I didn’t pass my test.

But just Reid asking me makes me want nothing more than to go to dinner with him.

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