Page 25 of College Hockey Bully

He pulls the phone from my jacket pocket. Ignoring my protest, he types something in it. “Here’s Cameron’s address if you change your mind.”

I stare down at the address on my phone as he walks away. A huge part of me wants to delete it. The minor side believes he’s being honest. Maybe my bravado gave the team a wakeup call and they now realize I’m no pushover. Afterall, didn’t their captain approach me with an apology, too?

Blowing out a breath, I tuck the phone in my pocket and continue on my way.

***

“You’re going,” Theresa says, dumping a pile of laundry on her couch.

Sitting crossed-legged on the living room carpet, I give my sister a narrow-eyed look. “Says who?”

“Says me and your non-existent social life,” she replies. “You’re twenty-two years old. It’s time to put those books away, let that beautiful hair down and have some fun.”

“Contrary to what you might think, there is fun in books,” I counter, taking the handful of clothes she hands me, while giving her another narrow-eyed look. When I decided to hang out at my sister’s home for a bit, manual labor wasn’t what I had in mind. “Besides, did you hear anything I said before?”

Theresa nods, her shoulder-length blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders. “The boys bullied you for something you didn’t do, now they’re sorry,” she says with a shrug.

“That’s all you heard. Wow.” Scoffing, I fold my nephew’s blanket, then rest it on the center table.

“No, but that’s it in a nutshell, right? They did a terrible thing and are trying to make up for it by inviting you to a party.”

“Noah invited me to the party, not all of them.” Definitely not Aiden. Maybe I wouldn’t be so hesitant if their captain had invited me.

“I’m sure they all want you there. You did mention he gave you the hardest time out of everyone, so I wouldn’t worry about the others. If Noah could see the error of his ways, then so has everyone.”

“And if he hasn’t seen the error of his ways, what then?” I ask. “What if this is a ploy to lure me in?”

“To do what?”

I shrug, reaching for another piece of laundry. “I don’t know… dump eggs on me or something.”

Theresa shakes her head. “You said Cameron was always defending you; wouldn’t Noah think twice about attacking you during a party at his house?”

She does have a point, but I’m still hesitant. “I have nothing to wear to a party, anyway.”

My sister grins. “That, my dear, is the least of your problems.” She stands, grabbing my arm. “Let’s go.”

I allow her to yank me into the bedroom she shares with her husband and my eight-month-old nephew, Georgie, who’s fast asleep on the double bed. Theresa presses her finger to her lips, and I nod, then tiptoe with her past the dresser, stopping at the small closet. Theresa rummages inside and soon pulls out a black dress with thin straps, flashing it at me. I shake my head.

“Take it,” she whispers.

I shake my head again and she pushes it at my chest. “It’s going to look so good on you.”

“It’s your dress. It won’t fit,” I whisper back, but I still hold on to it. She nudges me toward the door and on the way, grabs a compact bag from the dresser. It contains foundation, face powder, mascara and lipstick, some of which she hands to me as we settle into the living room.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” I ask, twisting the base of the lipstick with a frown.

“Wear it, just like you’ll be wearing that dress,” she says.

I lift the garment to eye level. “It looks stretchy, but I doubt it will fit.”

“What are you talking about? We’re literally the same size,” Theresa points out.

“No, we’re not,” I scoff disbelievingly.

She gapes at me, then stands and spreads her arms. “Get up.”

Rolling my eyes, I stand.

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