Page 79 of Body Checked By the Defenseman

Hayden whips his arms out of Luc’s grasp and turns on Luc. “Did you know about this?” he asks him.

“Yeah, bro,” Luc says regretfully.

“So I’m the only one who didn’t know you were fucking my sister?” he spits.

I lunge for him and punch him in the face because he isn’t going to talk about Ruby that way.

Ruby shrieks.

“Guys, please stop. Please,” she begs as she cries. Seeing her tears makes me retreat.

“Hayden, please just listen to me,” she pleads to her brother.

Hayden is breathing hard and his eyes are wild. He’s out of control and it’s all my fault.

“Fuck this,” he says. He charges downstairs.

Ruby goes after him. “Ruby honey, you need to give him space,” Abuela calls after her.

She nods and turns to me and I take her in my arms.

“You two have a lot of explaining to do,” Abuela says to both of us. Ruby pulls out of my arms. Her face is red and her nose is runny. She goes to the bathroom.

Hayden comes back upstairs wearing a jacket. He’s carrying his suitcase and is holding a bag across his shoulder.

“Merry Christmas,” he says to everyone. Then he heads for the door.

Abuela reaches out to him. “Don’t leave, Hayden. Let’s work this out,” she pleads.

“There’s nothing to work out here. He crossed a line,” he declares, eyeing me like I’m the devil.

Every negative thought I’ve ever had rushes to the surface. I’m not good enough. I shouldn’t be here. I’m no one. I have no family.

When Hayden walks out of the door, the wind gets sucked out of me. I can barely stand and I stumble to the couch and bury my head. I hear Abuela whispering with Ruby. She’s crying and saying she loves me, but none of it matters. The room clears out and I hear Mario muttering to his family to give us space, but it isn’t space I need. I head downstairs and pack my bags. It’s Christmas Day. Hayden probably went back to campus, which means I don’t have anywhere to go and not much money to my name, but I’ll figure it out.

When I head upstairs with my suitcase, Abuela is waiting for me with a determined look. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” she demands.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

You Need to Go Find Periwinkle

Macklin

“I need to go after him,” I say, dipping my head. There is no way I can live with myself. I need to fix things with Hayden.

“He’ll be fine. He’s a hothead. When he’s calmer and more relaxed, he’ll see how much you love Ruby and calm down,” she comforts.

“How do you know I love her?” I ask.

“Mijo, do I seem dense to you? You’ve loved her since you were an awkward teenage boy. And she’s loved you too,” Abuela shares.

“How did you know that? I didn’t know that until recently,” I admit. She waves me into the house. I roll my suitcase away from the door. She takes a seat on the couch and pats the space beside her.

“I know because I’m not blind. You didn’t see it because you’ve struggled with your self-esteem,” she says.

“That’s no secret,” I scoff. “My self-esteem is still messed up. I still feel like I’m not good enough for her, even though she wants me to believe I am.”

Abuela sighs. Her eyes are filled with a sadness that tears at my insides, but what can I do. It’s time to lay my heart on the line.

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