Page 5 of Puck Princess

But he was wearing Scythes gear. Not the stuff any fan off the streets can buy at one of the merch stands peppered around the arena, but player gear, the stuff issued only to guys on the team.

When I tuned into the game tonight, long enough to know Owen wouldn’t be home, I saw Spencer sitting on the bench with the rest of the guys.

My stomach churns at the memory, and before I hurl and leave a nasty parting gift in the middle of Owen’s entryway, I grab my box and leave. I need to finish packing at Kennedy’s before the game is over and this all becomes much more complicated.

I lock the door and drop the key back in the planter like it’s The One Ring before hurrying back into Kennedy’s.

I expect Delilah to dart between my legs like the real-life obstacle that devil cat is. What I don’t expect is for Kennedy to be standing in the kitchen when I open the door.

“Jesus, you scared me. Where did you come from?”

Kennedy gives me an odd look. “I… live here?”

She must’ve come home while I was next door.

“Right.” I head down the hall to grab my things out of the bathroom.

She follows, padding barefoot across the carpet. “You feeling okay?”

Not for weeks now, thanks for asking.

“Yeah, why?” I brush my hair from my face while reaching in the shower for my soaps.

“You forgot I live here. And you came in carrying a break-up box. Owen labeled it with your name and everything. I appreciate that organization, but it’s still brutal.”

“I’m fine. I’ll be even more fine when I get all of my stuff out of here before Owen gets back from his game. I just really don’t want to see him.”

Kennedy crosses her arms and leans against the door frame. “You do know you’ll have to talk to him eventually, right?”

“I do not know that. I’ve avoided him just fine for the last week.” No matter how many times he’s called me.

Now if I can just avoid Spencer this well, we’ll be in good shape.

Kennedy gives me a hard look. “You’re in denial.”

I walk past her, heading back to the living room to grab a bag. “I’m facing reality.Heleftme. I don’t see why I can’t just move on.”

“Because he’s still calling you every day,” she points out, making an annoyingly good point. “Separately, I don’t understand why you had to quit your job.”

I bite my lip. I may have told a few half-truths in the interest of not starting a war between Kennedy and Uncle Randy. Enough relationships have blown up in the last couple weeks without theirs being another casualty. But now, as she studies me with her sister-like telepathy, I know she’s catching on.

“You did quit, right?”

I look at the ground. My nails. The time. Anywhere other than her hypnotic eyes.

“Callie!”

I break. “Okay, fine! I didn’t quit. I got fired.”

“Fired!? How? My dad cannot fire you. I don’t care what happened, he can’t— I’m going to call him right now.”

“No. It’s my fault. It was just… too much. Avoiding Owen, Miles being a dick—all of it.”

“Miles. What did Miles do?”

I hesitate. “He’s just a dick. Like I said. Everything was complicated and when it all came to a head, I went off and I got fired.” She’s still holding her phone like a weapon, so I slowly pluck it from her hand. “Don’t hurt your dad.”

“But what if he deserves it?” Kennedy sighs and envelops me in a hug. The way she crushes my ribs, I feel like she’s comforting herself more than me. “Are you going to be okay, Cal?”

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