Page 7 of Cold Front
I blinked. “Iron Wall?”
“Hockey nickname,” he said, smirking. “Dude’s a legend. Everybody on campus knows him.”
“Seriously?” I took a bite of my burger, debating how much to share. “Guess that explains why he’s so… intense.”
“Intense sounds about right,” Asher replied with a laugh. “He’s the captain, so no surprise there.”
I shrugged. “Probably. I mean, I know zero about hockey. Not my scene.”
Asher tilted his head, looking amused. “You don’t knowanything? Like, at all?”
“Skates, pucks, sticks. That’s about it,” I admitted, holding my hands up in mock surrender.
“You’re hopeless,” Asher teased, shaking his head. “I played in high school. I could teach you the basics if you want.”
“Wait, you played hockey?”
“Yeah,” he said, the corners of his mouth dipping slightly. “Quit after I came out. My team didn’t exactly roll out the rainbow carpet for me.”
“That’s messed up,” I said, frowning. “For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have been one of those guys. I’m bi, so… solidarity.”
Asher blinked, then gave me a slow, understanding smile. “Well, that’s good to know.”
Before I could say more, a girl with tightly curled hair pulled into a high puff appeared at our table. She was wearing an oversized hoodie with bold lettering that read ‘Art Is Resistance’ and chunky combat boots. Her presence demanded attention—not in an intimidating way, but like she was used to owning whatever space she walked into.
“There you are,” she said, giving Asher a mock glare as she set her tray on the table. “Thought you ditched me for a second.”
Asher held up his hands, feigning innocence. “You know I wouldn’t do that, Gigi. Got caught up with class.”
She glanced at me then, eyebrows raising slightly. “And who’s this?”
“Oh, right.” Asher gestured between us. “Eli, this is Gianna, but all her friends call her Gigi. Gigi, meet Eli. He’s new here.”
I gave her a quick smile. “Nice to meet you, Gianna. Or should I say Gigi?”
She looked me over with exaggerated deliberation, her lips curling into a smirk. “Gigi’s fine. You’re lucky; I don’t let just anyone use the nickname.”
“Guess that means I’m special,” I said, playing along.
She grinned, pulling up a chair without hesitation. “Special? Eh, we’ll see.”
Her quick wit made me laugh, and just like that, the awkwardness of being the new guy felt a little lighter.
Gigi dug into her food with a relaxed ease, chatting with Asher as if they’d done this a thousand times before. I watched them for a moment, the way they seemed to fall into an easy rhythm—like they knew exactly how to fill the space between bites with casual banter.
“So, Eli,” Asher said after a moment, nudging me slightly, “what’s your take on the place so far?”
I shrugged. “It’s definitely different. Feels like I’ve barely scratched the surface.”
Gigi made a noise of approval, wiping her mouth. “That’s about right. The first few days are always a blur. But trust me, you’ll figure it out. You’ll find your spots, your people.”
Asher nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and the Student Union’s a good place to start. You’ll run into pretty much everyone there at some point.”
“Speaking of which,” Gigi cut in with a mischievous grin, turning to Asher, “are we still hitting that Welcome Week thing on Friday?”
“Yeah, why not?” Asher shrugged. “Free food, music, probably some chaos. What’s not to like?”
Gigi’s gaze flicked to me. “You should come, Eli. Good way to meet people. Plus, I need someone to keep Asher in line.”
