Page 6 of Penalized Love

“Holy shit,” Selene wheezes, doubling over with her hands on her knees. “That was close.”

I nod, unable to speak as I try to catch my breath. My mind is reeling, replaying the last couple of minutes when I would rather relive the kiss I just had.

“We should keep moving,” I finally say, glancing nervously over my shoulder. “Just in case we’re being followed.”

Selene nods in agreement, and we start speed walking down the sidewalk, hoping we don’t look suspicious. Any buzz I had from the alcohol is fading away more quickly than I would have liked, but it is for the best.

“Well, that didn’t go how I thought it would,” Selene says after a few minutes of silence.

“Yeah, and it’s something we’re never doing again,” I mutter, almost daring her to respond. When she doesn’t, I let out a deep breath because the last thing we need is for us to get into a fight over this mess.

As we turn the corner onto Selene’s street, some of the tension in my body leaves. We’ve almost made it, and there’s not a police officer in sight.

I jump when my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I find a text message from my sister.

Grace: Where are you? Are you okay?

Me: Selene and I are fine. I think we’re almost back to her house.

Grace: Good. Text me when you get there.

I make a mental note to contact her when I get back to Selene’s room, but as the adrenaline fades, the guilty feeling I’m experiencing only increases. Guilt over lying to Asher. Guilt oversneaking out and disappointing my dad, even if he may never find out about what I’ve done.

“Hey,” Selene says as we approach her front yard. “Are you okay?”

I force a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just glad we didn’t get caught by anyone other than Grace. That was way too close.”

She nods, but I can tell she doesn’t quite believe me. We sneak back into her house as quietly as we left, tiptoeing up the stairs to her room, and she softly shuts the door behind us.

This is a night I won’t forget.

3

ASHER

“Are you ready, Bennett?”

I stop tying my skates to glance up at Levi Jamison’s big grin. He’s already suited up and raring to go, but none of that surprises me. In the short time I’ve known him, I’ve learned that Levi’s always the first one ready for anything. If all goes well, I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes the captain of the team in a couple years.

“Almost,”I reply, finishing up with my laces.“Just need to make sure these are tight enough.”

Levi chuckles, leaning against the locker diagonally behind me.“Man, you’re wound tighter than those laces on your skates. Relax a little. Everything is going to go fine.”

I wish I had his confidence, but there are a multitude of reasons I don’t. He seems nice, but his nonchalant attitude about certain things annoys me. The weight of everything riding on my performance here feels like it’s fucking me, and not in a good way. But I can’t let it show. I force a smile and nod.“Yeah, you’re right. I need to shake off the nerves, I guess.”

I stand up and stretch, and it feels so good. It is time to get my head into the game and focus on what is about to happen. Ihad two days to enjoy myself on campus before things got messy, but now it is time to get to work.

My jaw clenches without me realizing it as I get caught up in my thoughts. An excellent performance here means I’m showing the school their decision to give me a full ride isn’t in vain. It’s my family’s ticket out of our financial mess. My mom and little sister are counting on me.

Hell, I’m not even worried about the fact that I will have to sleep in my car tonight because the dorm room I’m supposed to be staying in during the duration of the clinic flooded. The dorms won’t be ready for a few days, and I don’t have anywhere else to stay.

But nothing is going to stop me from attending this clinic. There is too much riding on me having a successful start to my collegiate career, and I refuse to let it go to waste.

Then why can’t I get Isla out of my mind?

It doesn’t make any sense. I only met her briefly a couple of nights ago, but I replay the moments we shared on repeat in my mind. And this isn’t the time for that.

I shake my head, trying to force the thoughts of her soft lips and bright blue eyes from my mind. I can’t get distracted by a girl, especially someone I barely know. The likelihood that I will see her again, given that we are both going to be freshmen at Crestwood, is high, so I can think about her when that time comes.

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