Page 116 of Burn

A female voice slices through the hall and exclaims, “Bear!”

Forcing myself to look up, I see Rosie and Cally standing in front of our change room door. Cally is freshly showeredand wearing jeans and a jacket, and Rosie waves excitedly as I approach. His arm is draped across Rosie’s shoulders, and they both have wide smiles on their faces that don’t falter when they see the look of defeat on mine.

“Hey,” I say, my voice conveying my low mood.

Rosie’s eyes are full of light when she says, “We’ve been looking for you!”

I throw my hands out to my sides in a shrug. “Well, here I am.”

Rosie reaches toward the door, and when she pulls back, she produces the most beautiful brunette I’ve ever seen. Her hair is pulled into a messy ponytail high on her head, the black hood is pulled up around her jaw, and her dark blue eyes are fixed on my face. She has her hands tucked into the sleeves of the too-big hoodie, and she fidgets nervously as I approach.

“Adrian,” Rosie chirps, holding her hand out toward me. I take a step forward, allowing her to grab my wrist. “I want to introduce you to my friend, Lex. Lex,” she says, turning to look at Lex. “This is Adrian. I just know you two are gonna hit it off!” With that, she grabs Lex and pushes our hands together. Her hand slowly slides out of her sleeve and into mine, and when we connect, butterflies soar through me.

Fucking butterflies and hope.

Lex

I didn’t catch a single moment of the third period, so when the buzzer sounds and Rosie leaps to her feet, screaming and clapping, I’m genuinely confused why.

“They did it!” she exclaims. “And now, he’s coming to find you!”

I’m overcome with the need to use the washroom, and I shoot to my feet, moving for the stairs. Rosie’s hand shoots out to stop me. “Where are you going?!”

“Rose,” I rush out, shifting back and forth. “I’m gonna pee myself. Don’t they do that whole handshake thing? I can go and come back before he gets here.”

She glances over her shoulder and then back at me. “Okay, but hurry! I’ll drop a pin for you in case you get lost.”

I roll my eyes as I inch up the stairs. “I’m not a child, Rosie. Have a little faith!”

She’s already pulling her phone out of her jacket when she replies, “Please, you’re hopeless with directions.”

I spin and take the stairs two at a time. I reach the central area of the arena, and the line for the women’s washroom is dozens of people long. Fuck. Remembering the player facilities Adrian directed me to during try-outs, I jog, turning down a long corridor lined with change room doors. It takes me less than two minutes to find it, and I tuck inside and lock the door behind me.

I exhale, for what feels like the first time all night, and start to chuckle to myself. The fuckingJumbotron. That couldn’t have been his idea. It was too public, too over the top, too notus.

‘Please, don’t leave. Give me another chance.’

I hear Adrian’s words in my head. They’re words I’ve heard on repeat for months. They’ve broken me down bit by bit, until I reached the point that I couldn’t remember why I’d left. He’d allowed himself to be vulnerable that night, but I couldn’t hear him. I was too angry. Rightfully so. I haven’t forgiven him, but when Rosie invited me to the game, I wondered if maybe I’m willing to try.

I wash my hands and pull my hair into a high ponytail, needing it out of my face. I take a moment to study my face. In the two months since I last saw Adrian, all signs of the night of the wedding have healed. By the time I got around to seeing a doctor about my nose, the only option was surgery, so I accepted the brand-new bump that decorates my face and moved on. I angle my face, taking in the changed shape of my nose. I don’t even mind it.

A raucous cheer in the hall reminds me of where I am and where I need to be. I unlock the door and jog back down the way I came, heading for my seat. At least, I think this is the way I came.

Wait.

I round a corner, sure I’ve found my way, only to be greeted by a door bearing a sign that reads, ‘Authorized Personnel Only.’

Shit.

I dig my phone out of my purse and pull up Rosie’s text thread. I’ll have to thank her later for knowing this would happen. I follow the map, twisting further into the arena. I think it takes me ten minutes from start to finish, and when I sprint back into the seating area, it’s empty and the lights are off.

Glancing at my phone, I see I’m in the exact area of Rosie’s location, so I send her a text.

‘Where are you?’

She replies right away, ‘Colton came to grab me. Apparently, Adrian thought you left and went after you.’

‘Can you come get me?’

---