Page 13 of Into Ruin

“Right.”

I’ve got a bad feeling. It settles in my chest. Every bite of the ice cream lands hard in my stomach. I don’t finish it, letting it melt into its cup, and Olivia fills my silence with mindless, easy chatter.

“I should get back,” Olivia finally says. “I’ve got an early class tomorrow and some work to finish.”

“Yeah. It was good to see you.” I hug her, my eyes closing when her arms tighten around my back. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

I’m gonna need it.

7

CAMDEN

She’s spreading rumors about me.

Royal doesn’t know it’s her. The whispers are kind enough to leave her name out of the equation. It’s justmyname that’s taking the brunt of it.

Stamina problems.

In other words: blowing my load too early.

What the fuck? Where did she even come up with that?

Half my teammates are sympathetic. They don’t believe it—not to my face anyway. Royal snickered when he showed me the post on social media, and the comments from girls about howsadthat was, but he stopped when my expression went blank.

Because I was waiting for the other shoe to drop—Harper—and when it didn’t, I snatched his phone and scrolled through the comments.

Some said maybe I just needed practice. One suggested I justreallyliked the girl. Or she had some secret talents that made me come in my pants.

In mypants?

As if.

I ride with Royal back to the house. We park beside another teammate’s huge truck, on the far side, and we grab our hockeygear out of the trunk. He slings his bag over his shoulder, stick in hand, and heads for the front porch.

“What are you doing here?” he asks someone.

I slam the trunk shut and follow, only to stop dead.

And luckily, Royal misses my reaction. His back is to me.

Harper sits on the steps of the porch. Her dark-blond hair is loose around her shoulders, and she’s wearing the same clothes from earlier. The black sweatshirt, the jeans that don’t hug her legs in the slightest. It’s like she’s allergic to stuff that fits her.

She rises, and her gaze moves from her brother to me. Then quickly back to him.

“My roommate is being a bitch.” Her voice rings out across the lawn. “We had a misunderstanding. Argued about it. I was just going to sit at my desk, but then her boyfriend came in…”

My jaw clenches.

“They know you’re not comfortable with sex,” Royal says, just barely audible. “She’s using it against you.”

Harper lifts her chin. “I’m not a prude.”

“Of course not.” Royal gestures. “Let’s go inside. You can hang out. Spend the night. Whatever you want.”

---