Page 73 of Unsteady

He nods. “Great, then party?”

“Which house?” Freddy asks, his eyes flickering to Bennett like he really wants to beg. Bennett’s face is a little harsh, but he blows a breath and shrugs.

“We can use ours, or theirs—I don’t care.”

Freddy and Holden slap hands like twins and start to discuss which of the two off-campus hockey houses we want to use to host our annual back-to-school party.

We live in the “Hockey House." It’s been passed down to teammates for longer than I really know. Bennett and I got first pick the year the seniors moved out, and we took the nicer, slightly more expensive choice—a two-story colonial painted pale blue with the Waterfell Wolve’s flag flying off the wide front porch.

It’s closer too, an easy walking distance to the main hub of shops on South College and only a little further to hit the dorms and campus. The other house, affectionately called the “hockey dorms” is a seven-bedroom with a split on bathrooms that wasn’t so appealing to Bennett who likes full control of his spaces. Still, Holden and Freddy lived there happily their first year. Freddy moved in with us last year after he joined the first line, like a bonding experiment. The fourth bedroom that’s been vacant since Davidson left will be filled once one of the underclassmen decides.

“The dorms are bigger,” I offer, before trailing off.

Because she’s here.

I spot her just as she spots me. She’s across the green, walking in the direction of the arena, dressed like she might be headed to practice.

There’s a guy with her. Tall, muscular, dressed in a similar tight all black ensemble with her bag—complete with that same fucking hang tag, slung on his shoulder. And just that sight shoots a pang through my already tight chest.

She says something to him quickly, before running towards me with a wave. I preen under her open attention; the way her eyes never leave mine as she jogs over.

Sadie bounces on her toes for a minute, smiling as she blurts, “I found a song—oh.”

She takes a step back, cheeks glowing as she takes in the group around me. Freddy smirks at her, Bennett raising a quiet eyebrow while Holden and the freshman stop their conversation to look at us.

“Sorry.” She steps back again. “You’re busy.”

“I’m not.” I laugh, but there’s a kick in my chest like maybe this isn’t what she wants.Is this a secret too?

Afraid to think about what that means, I nod towards the guys and cart her off with my hands on her wrists again pulling her a few feet away.

“You found a song?”

She smiles again and it feeds my soul. “It reminds me of you, I added it to the end of the playlist last night.”

“I’ll listen to it on the way to my class.”

That sentence alone makes her smile somehow grow until her eyes nearly disappear, crinkling at the edges.

It makes me want to do more of whatever makes her look at me like that, so I add, “I’ll text you what I think.”

“I won’t see you tomorrow morning?”

My stomach drops. Fuck.

“Shit,” I mutter. “Gray—I’m so sorry. I have… fuck, I have two-a-days all week. I have to be at the arena in the morning.”

Her face shutters, a glimpse of real, raw disappointment before she builds a wall of resentment. I’ve seen it before, the movements of her face almost identical to Oliver’s. It’s just another sign, one that I slip under a list of things that make me worried about that family—something else has happened to them, made them like this.

“I’m sorry—”

“Don’t apologize to me, Oliver’s the one you promised.”

I try to reach for her as she shuffles back, hating how quickly this conversation has changed. “Sadie—”

“It’s fine, Rhys. We aren’t dating, you don’t owe me anything. We’re fine without you.”

It feels like I’ve been punched in the stomach, and again when she stalks back to the handsome, arrogant fucker still holding her bag for her as they take off together.

---