Page 29 of The Comeback

“Oh my god.” I turn to see Ree practically drooling at the sculpted back clad only in a t shirt. I know it’s warm today, but it’s still the end of September in Michigan. Shorts and a t shirt are a bit ridiculous.

“Roll your tongue back in your mouth.” I laugh at my friend.

“Hey, no shade, I like pretty things and he, my friend, is a very pretty thing.”

Used to my friend’s antics I roll my eyes at her. “That was weird, though, right? It wasn’t just me.”

“Nothing weird about that. You’ve got an amazing voice and your songs are going to hit number one on the charts one day. It would be weirder if he didn’t compliment you.”

My insides warm at my friend’s loyalty. That’s what girl friends are for. To lift you up when you doubt yourself. And I know in theory that I have a decent voice, but the artistic self doubt is really hard to move past sometimes. “Thank you. It was still kinda weird. I went tearing out of there like there was a pack of hellhounds fixed on my scent.”

“Well you must have mightily impressed him before you fled the scene. The more interesting part of that I think is that clearly Sebastian has been talking about you.”

“Yeah, but we’re sharing a class and he’s been helping me out with the singing thing.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Guys don’t just casually chat about girls they’re not interested in. They’re not like us.”

I brush my curls out of my face while I contemplate that. Has he really been talking to me about his roommates? I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m getting through this semester with him and then moving on with my life. Bastian was a part of my past, he has no place in my future.”

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.” Her dark brown eyes lock on me and I squirm under her knowing look. That’s the problem with really good friends. They can see through your bullshit even when you’re lying to yourself.

“Whatever. Tell me more about Zayne.”

Her mouth quirks up at the corner. She knows I’m trying to distract her, but she gets it, so she moves right on launching into a story about their last rehearsal and some lift they’ve been working on for the dance portion.

Oh to have her supreme confidence in her abilities and attraction level. Maybe one day I’ll be able to fully move past my shitty high school experiences, but today is not that day.

Chapter 22

Sebastian

Dropletsofsweatflybetween my fingers when I rake my hand through my hair after an intense morning practice. Our first game of the season is tonight and I’m feeling good.

I pull my phone out of my locker and start a text not even fully aware of what I’m doing.

First game tonight. You going to be there?

My eyes fly open and I slide back into reality after I’ve hit send. Shit Abby’s pissed at me and I just asked her if she’s coming to my game. Why oh why did I do that? The answer hits me hard. She’s the first one I thought of one my post practice high. She’s the only one I wanted to share that with. Everyone else I care about it is here. Except my sister of course. That pulls my thoughts to Bria. I hope she’s ok. I can’t wait until she can go away to school next year and get away from that house. My hand tightens around my phone so hard it hurts at the thought of my mother’s husband. He’s never hurt Bria physically, but I hate that she has to live in that house and see that.

“Hey man, you ok over there. You look like you’re about to murder someone.” Jax’s sympathetic voice cuts through the red haze. I glance up to meet his blue eyes with a crease of concern wrinkling his forehead. He’s so rarely serious that it’s extra obvious when he is. He’s the only one who knows a little about the home life I try not to think about too often.

“I’m fine.” I school my face into a smile that I’m sure he can tell is fake, but he grins back understanding my need to keep this to myself. “Good practice. We’re gonna kill State tonight.”

“Yeah we are!” shouts Dev. “They are going down.”

A chorus of cheers drowns out the thoughts in my head, but I do check my phone one more time to see the unread message to Abby sitting there.

***

I’ve been extra diligent with my warm ups since I came back from my injury, and since it’s game night tonight I do an extra round of the exercises the team’s trainer gave me to do.

Words out that there will be a couple of talent scouts at our first game, so the energy on the ice is a mixture of excitement and nerves that’s electrifying. Our 6,000 seat arena will be filled for the first game of the season. People are still pouring in as we slide out and back to the locker room. Jordan and a few other girls are hanging out in the hall wearing their boyfriend’s jerseys and my mind flashes to a picture of Abby wearing mine and I like the thought of it a little too much. She never even replied to my text, so she’s probably not even coming to the game, much less wearing my jersey. An image of her forms in my head of her as a tween wearing a jersey that could have doubled as a dress cheering me on from the stands. She was always my number one fan, until I destroyed that.

I give my phone one last check to find a green check mark mocking me. She read my text, but she didn’t respond to it. I drop my head in my hands. Of course she didn’t. It was a ridiculous thing to do and even more ridiculous to think she’d actually reply.

A heavy hand sinks my shoulder and I glance up to meet Jackson’s eyes behind the visor of his helmet. “C’mon, time to hit the ice and kill this thing.”

Jackson gives us his usual war talk as the captain before we head out.

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