Page 44 of Hockey Heart

Sarah

As Kensy pulled up outside Hayden’s place, I had a newly found energy bubbling inside me. I thought I’d be anxious as hell, and I was after Kensy’s unsettling driving, but not about this.

She was right. He’d already asked me. All I had to do was walk up to the door and tell him,Hayden, forget what I said. I want to come with you. Take me to the ball.My heart danced a little just at the thought of what that might be like, all dressed up and out at an exclusive soiree with the captain of the Ice-Hawks on my arm.

“You ready?” Kensy asked.

“I’m ready, Kensy. Thank you. For everything.” We hugged each other, and she gave me a sweet, encouraging smile.

It felt like a long walk up to Hayden’s door, the seconds somehow stretching into an eternity, my legs feeling heavierwith every step.Keep your cool Sarah, this is going to be a good moment.When I finally got there, I took a deep breath to compose myself, shook my hair out, rang the doorbell, and then looked down.

Oh, what the hell was I wearing?In all the excitement, I hadn’t even thought about it. I looked like I’d just stepped out of a secretarial college in the 80s. I quickly removed my glasses as I heard someone coming.

The door opened. But, instead of his looming figure appearing, two pale blue eyes stared out at me. And they looked annoyed.

“Er, yeah. Can I help you?”

I knew Cara from her photos, but up close she was something else, wearing a short blue-gray silk gown with embroidered dragons, showing off her perfectly toned and tanned legs. Damn, she was pretty. I felt ridiculous in comparison. How could I compare to a creature like that?

“Well?”

“Oh,” I stumbled, losing some of my nerve under her fierce gaze, “Well… Um… Is Hayden home?”

“What are you, a reporter?” She scowled at me and started to close the door.

“Oh, no, no! I’m Maiden’s teacher.”

“Huh. Is that right?” Then she hollered over her shoulder, “MAIDEN!”

Quiet footsteps padded over to the door and Maiden peeked his head out.

“Is this your teacher?”

He looked afraid of her.That made two of us. Maiden smiled at me, then it slipped from his face as he turned back to Cara and nodded, before running off.

“Okay. What is it then?”

“Oh, I just wanted to talk to Hayden for a moment.”

“He’s not here. If it’s about Maiden, you can just tell me.”

“No, it’s about Wednesday, I just… Well, I’ll come back, maybe.”

“Wednesday,” she thinned her eyes at me. “You mean the ball? What are you babysitting or something?”

“No… I mean, he invited me and I just wanted to tell him…”

She laughed cruelly.

“Yeah. I don’t know what youthinkis happening, but Hayden has a date for the ball. Me. It’s not for…” She looked me up and down. “Well, people like you. What would you even wear? Something from Sears!?”

Her lips were thick with a sickly mocking smile, as if I disgusted her.

In return, I just stood there with my mouth flapping like a salmon out of water.

“Okay then. Good chat. BYE!” she said when I didn’t speak. Then the door was unceremoniously closed on me as I stood there frozen, red-faced, and embarrassed.

As I trudged back to the car, my expression told Kensy everything.

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