Page 49 of Pucking Grey

“What?” Ryan snaps.

I point at the fucker staring at us. “Matthew Pearson.”

Madison comes around the corner in her high socks and Honey Badger jersey with my name on it. Fuck, she went through my closet. My heart plummets at the sight of her. Her bright blue eyes surrounded by makeup are full of concern when she looks at me.

“Here we go,” Ryan says as she looks at him. Her face changes and she smiles.

“Why are you guys over here?” she asks, pointing at the bus.

“Just giving Grey the good old big brother talk.”

She has the audacity to walk up to me and kiss my fucking cheek. Her lips that touch my skin are soft and wet. It feels like I’ve been imprinted. It takes everything in me not to wipe off her wet lips because I wish they were on my lips instead. I start chewing my lip to stop the urge.

“Surprise,” she smiles up at me while I stare at her. Fuck, I wish she kept her lips to herself. “Happy to see me?”

I stare into her faking-it eyes. We’re doing this shit in front of her brother, and I’m uncomfortable as hell now that he’s threatened my hockey career because of this fake situation. I want this guy on my side, not the opposite. I whisper, “Always.” And flash her a quick smile.

“Is everything okay?” she asks, reaching up to fix my hair. She is dolled up with a shit ton of makeup that she doesn’t need to look good. I can’t tell if that’s a genuine question or if she’s putting on a show.

I nod and look up at Ryan who is watching us like a fucking hawk. He points at us. “I don’t approve of this.”

She ignores him and says to me, “He needs time to wrap his mind around all of this.”

“Time will not do it. You know he’s going to fuck you over, right?” Ryan scoffs.

I shrug at her.

Ryan says, “See, he won’t even deny it.”

She turns to Ryan and says, “Please, for once, don’t worry about me and who I’m involved with, okay? I don’t need you intervening into every relationship I have.” She deadpans, “I’m serious, Ryan. And Grey isn’t going to break my heart, right babe?”

“Yeah,” I say, almost breaking my straight face. This pretending act is a bit humorous under a different light. I can’t break her heart if I don’t have it.

“If that’s the case, bring him to the party this weekend.”

She hesitates. “Yeah, definitely not.”

“If you’re so serious about him that you’re living with him, I think you can bring him to the party.”

She gives him a face, but he doesn’t catch on to it, and if he does, he ignores it to glance at me. “All the guys are going to be there, so I don’t see why you’re not invited.”

I say, “If she doesn’t want me to go, then I’m not gonna go.”

She looks at me. “I just thought it wasn’t your kind of scene.”

The memory sneaks up to me when I glance at Ryan. Every year Ryan throws a party at his house to celebrate the start of spring. I’ve only gone once a few years ago, and Maddie is right, it’s not my scene.

“Grey!” My name is being called from the bus. “Time to go!”

Ryan says, “Do not fucking kiss in front of me.”

Maddie rolls her eyes and gives me a hug. “I’ll see you at home?”

“Did you drive?” I ask.

“I didn’t teleport.”

Ryan won’t stop fucking staring at me, so I look at him again before saying, “Give me a second.”

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