Page 53 of Hockey Heart

“Jessie,” he told me, holding out a hand as if we were in a business meeting.

I don’t know why I did it, but I paused for a second before answering him with, “Kensy.”

What the hell was that, Sarah? Even if you were going to give him a pretend name, don’t make it your best friends.

“Cool.” Jessie replied, taking a long sip of his beer and watching me with his vibrant eyes, “Haven’t seen you here before. New in town?”

“That’s right, came in with the breeze.”

Weird Sarah, no one talks like that.

“Ah, like a storm?”

“Could be,” I teased, running my finger around the edge of my glass and looking up at him.

Oh God, you’re flirting with him… He is sort of hot though… Small, dark, and handsome… And normal, an actual normal person…

“So, what? You ran away from the ball?”

I froze. How could he know that?

“The dress I mean,” his eyes pointed to what I was wearing, “It looks like you just came from some kind of ball or something.”

“Oh. I guess I just felt a little extravagant tonight,” I replied, relieved.

A group of hyped-up girls came whooping past us, their cigarette break over as they went back to the party, knocking my drink from my hand without noticing or stopping.

“Oh, shoot!” Jessie said, as we both looked down at the pink mess around my feet.

I sighed and told him, “I don’t want to go back in there.”

“Me either,” he replied, looking deep into my eyes.

30

THE RING

Hayden

Everything was blurred. I didn’t even know what I was doing exactly. All I knew when I pushed my way out of City Hall was that I had to findher.

I grabbed my keys from the concierge and headed out to Sarah’s home first. Where else would she go? The truth is, I had no idea. But it was the only place I could think to start.

The lights were on as I pulled up outside and jogged up to her door, banging on it with my fist until I heard footsteps approach.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” I said through the door, my heart pounding.

“Um, Sarah’s not here.”

I sighed painfully. “Yeah. Okay. I get it. Look, I don’t know what Cara did tonight, but you have to know that, after you left, I realized the only person I wanted there was you.

Sarah, I don’t know what’s happening. But for some reason, I can’t shake… I think you’re the most special person that might ever have come into my life. And yeah, I know how that sounds. And I know I keep messing it up. But I don’t want to mess it up anymore. I want to… I just… I just want you.

I can’t help it and I can’t stop it. I’m either thinking about you or dreaming about you. And yeah, I know you think I’m this big, strong, rich fantasy, but I’m so much more than that. I just have to hide it. All the damn time. If I don’t, I’ll get eaten alive by all these people in my world. But it never feels like that with you.”

I waited for her to speak, the rocks piling up in my stomach. Then the lock turned in the door and it crept open. I looked up at her face and recoiled at the woman in curlers standing in the doorway.

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