Page 11 of Pucking High School

“You were crying in the hallway for an hour?” My chest inflated and I immediately wanted to find Henry and break his nose all over again, but when Madison stepped toward me and rested her hand on my arm, I calmed. I couldn’t help it. Something about that strawberry shampoo she used always made me feel like I was home.

“Relax. I’m fine now.” She pulled me into a hug, and I wrapped one arm around her, careful to keep my hands on her back, nowhere near her butt.

As she pulled out of my hold, She kept one of her hands on my arm and let her thumb rub across my jacket. Then she let out a surprised breath before looking up at me with surprise. “Were you always this tall?” She asked with a slight grin.

“I grew six inches in the last year,” I answered factually because I couldn't help but watch her reaction. Her lips were so pouty, I wondered if they felt like pillows to kiss.

When her eyes widened, I suddenly thought I’d said that last part out loud. “You’re telling me, D.” Pulling at my jacket, she looked me up and down again. “I don't know when this happened, but you're like a big, hulking man now.”

“I am going to college in the fall, and I’m eligible to play professional hockey right now, so I guess that’s a good thing.”

And then there was this silence between us because that point seemed to weigh down the conversation like a heavy stone. We both knew I was leaving. With Cade. This wasn't new information, but what did feel new was the way she was looking at me. It almost felt like the same way I'd been looking at her for years, but she never noticed.

I hated myself for even thinking like this because I’d been able to push my crush to the furthest recesses of my mind all of high school, but now she was here. Looking at me like I hung the damn moon, and I was finding it hard to think about anything else other than kissing her.

Don't do it.

Don't fuckup the plan you and Cade have.

“You're welcome,” I said in a lame attempt to stop thinking about her.

She tilted her head, confused. Did she forget why she came over to speak to me in the first place?

“For breaking Henry's nose. The guy had it coming. I only wish I' been able to punch him in the gut a couple of times before I got caught.”

“Honestly, it was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Slack-jawed, I stared at her awestruck face. Did she just say romantic? Did she know how I felt or was she having love-struck ideations after everything that happened? It had to be the latter. I was the only one thinking things I shouldn't.

“If that's the most romantic thing to have ever happened to you, then you're looking at the wrong kind of guys.”

She squared her shoulders, pressing her lips together. Somehow, I’d managed to piss her off. “What do you mean? Why wouldn't I want a guy that would defend me and make me feel like I was special?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

This conversation was skating a dangerous territory. A territory I knew I needed to get out of immediately.

“Have you seen Cade?”

Her hand finally dropped from my chest, along with her gaze falling to the floor. She couldn’t look at me, and I guessed it was because what I said felt a lot like rejection. It wasn’t. I was just given nowhere else to go.

“He's inside, but I think he went up to a room with some girl. It's probably something you don't want to interrupt and it's definitely something I don't want to see.”

“Okay,” I replied curtly, looking over her head and back into the party. I couldn’t exactly leave after asking that question but going back in there felt like torture. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Sure.”

Without another word, I walked past Madison and shook my head. She wasn’t flirting with me. That was just all in my head. I was just too far gone for her to think straight anymore. At least, that was what I let myself believe.

I took a step toward the door, but I couldn’t leave. Not after that. I needed to watch Madison, and make sure she was okay, especially if her brother was busy.

Chapter 4

“Are you still watching him?” Tiff leaned in to ask as I stared down the grumpy goalie that had been the chief topic of interest for me in the last two weeks.

“He’s just standing by the drinks on his own. I thought he was leaving, but he stayed, so maybe I should go and talk to him.”

“No. Don't do that.”

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