Page 27 of Puck Block

That’s exactly why I need to start dating and tapping into that independent light that’s been dimmed for years. Otherwise, I’ll be lost when they leave.

“You ready?” Claire pulls on my hand.

I nod and tell my parents to hold on while we follow a few of the other girlfriends of players on the team toward the locker rooms. We meet the guys there after every game and head to the after-party together, where Claire ends up leaving with Theo, and I get hauled out by my brother or Ford.

It’s loads of fun.

“Sweetheart?” I put my attention back on my phone.

“Sorry, Mom. We’re walking to the locker room. Want me to just tell Emory to call you later? It may be his turn to give an interview.”

She nods and sends me a soft smile. “Sure. But before you go…”

Here it is.

“How were your sugar levels today? Are they starting to level?”

“They were fine. They seem to be leveling now that I’m able to keep better track of it with the monitor,” I lie and also leave out the part where I accidentally forgot my phone in my bedroom while I was in the common room studying, and my sugar levels rose a little too high. It’s a great feature to have your levels on your phone–except when you leave your phone in another room.

My dad sighs from nearby, and I see his hand squeeze my mom’s shoulder. A muscle in her jaw ticks, and I furrow my brow at their silent encounter. “Okay, good. We love you. Be safe.”

I say my goodbyes and hang up, but I’m left with the taste of concern that quickly vanishes when the guys begin to pile out of the locker room. Theo pulls Claire in for a hug, and I stand by, admiring them. There’s a gang of puck bunnies behind us that glance at him before remembering that he’s taken, and then they move on to the next set of hockey players, which just so happens to be Ford, Emory, and Berkley. Aasher, the co-captain, moves right past them and gives Theo a nod before going down the hall to leave, likely to find Riley.

“We going to the party after The Bex?” Theo asks Claire.

She looks at me, and I know it’s her way of asking if I want her to go.

“You know I’m fine going alone. I have the girls from the house that I can take with me.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ford says, sliding up beside me. I lean forward, seeing there’s a girl tagging along beside him, and I’m instantly annoyed.

“No thanks.”

He peers down at me and raises an eyebrow. “So you’re not going to the party?”

I laugh. “Oh, I’m going.” My chin raises, and I straighten my shoulders. “Just not with you.” Theo and Claire laugh, and we start to walk down the hall, but I stop when I feel Ford’s breath tickle my ear. “I thought you wanted my help, Heartbreaker.”

My heart skips. “All I need from you tonight is to back off. I’ll take care of the rest.”

The girl pinned to his side shoots me a dirty look, and I smile.

“I’ll see ya there,” I say to Ford before winking at the puck bunny. He chuckles quietly and reaches for her hand.

When I slide up beside Claire, I ask her if I can borrow her black top from the other night.

Theo answers for her, “Yes, and keep it.”

Claire looks over at him. “What? Why?”

He snorts. “Because it’s a hot top, and every guy pictures you beneath him when you wear it.”

I smile. “Perfect.”

Me: Theo was right.

Claire: About the top? Let me see!

I step back from my mirror and snap a picture before sending it to Claire. It’s a little more revealing than I usually go for, but my glucose monitor is hardly visible through the mesh lining. It’s snug in all the right spots, and if you look hard enough, you can see my lacy bra through the fabric. My ripped jeans show off some of my thigh, and the black strappy heels pull the outfit together.

---