Page 105 of Treacherous
I tilt my head to the ceiling, letting out a heavy sigh.
“This makes a lot of sense,” Sofia interrupts.
Sofia has been Jaz’s roommate for the past three years, though I don’t know her that well, she has my sister’s back and that’s all I need to know. I direct my question toward her. “Why is that?”
“My new roommate, her name is Cameron Rogers. She said her sister was on the hockey team. It completely slipped my mind,”
My head falls back slightly, everything making sense in my brain. Cameron is three years younger than Willow and starting college is a scary prospect.
Although, I don’t know a lot about Cami, I know Willow and she would do anything for her sister. I admire that about her.
I shake my head, the disbelief continuing to swirl inside my head.
“I’m sure it will be fine, Jay.” Jaz says in her attempt to be a mediator. I stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Maybe this will be the beginning of you to getting along.”
I stare, emotionless, at my sister. Does she realise who she is talking to? If Willow and I ever find a way to be friends–scratch that, it’s never happening.
It’s official–my senior year is going to be hell.
***
Laughter filters through the house, travelling from the lounge room to the entryway. Of course, my teammates are already becoming friends with Willow.
For the sake of the team and winning, that is a good thing. But Cooper has been driving me crazy with his obsession with Willow. I don’t even know where or how it started, but it won’t surprise me if he starts following her around like a lost puppy dog.
Ignoring the boisterous conversation, I climb the staircase next to the front door. Our house is massive thanks to the funding we receive and with the main players living together, it gives us the chance to bond further. Hockey is a team sport, so knowing and understanding each other is key.
I slip into my room and pack my belongings. Thankfully, I don’t have much stuff and am only moving across the hall. As the captain of the Hawks, my bedroom is the master as it has an ensuite, while the others share the bathroom on their floor.
I will never tell Willow that I’m changing rooms for her, but what she doesn’t know, won’t hurt her. I remember in freshman year, Jaz told me Willow had to share a bathroom with three other guys.
That is not happening here.
I trust the guys completely, knowing I would beat the shit out of them if they hurt a woman, but Willow deserves to have a private bathroom–a safe space.
The room she was meant to move into is directly across the hall, so it doesn’t take long to transfer everything. I strip the sheets from my bed and throw them into my room. Voices travel up the stairs, forcing me to move quicker.
Ten minutes later, I walk downstairs, hand dragging against the wooden railing. Willow is joined by some of the boys at the bottom of the stairs.
I clear my throat, grabbing their attention. “Your room is ready,”
“Finally,” Willow says. “Okay, everyone pick up a box that is near the stairs. They need to go into my room,”
She’s been here less than five hours and she is already bossing people around. I shake my head and listen. Willow has always been loud and full of fire; it forms who she is at her core.
Everyone helps move the boxes upstairs, many of the boys wagging their eyebrows as I direct them towards my old room. I will be swearing them to secrecy after Willow isn’t present.
There is one box left at the bottom of the stairs, which Cooper grabs. Willow looks down at the box and sprints across the room.
“I’ll take that,” she says, trying to take the box off him.
Cooper looks down at the box, reading the black text on the side. “Are you sure? The label says delicate, and it’s pretty heavy.”
A small smirk grows on my face as Willow’s cheeks turn red. Now, what do you have in that box? My curiosity is sated when Cooper starts talking again.
“Wait, why do you have toys labelled as delicate?”
Aiden and I cough, choking on air, the other boys going silent. I gulp in oxygen, trying not to laugh at both Willow and Cooper. Sometimes I question just how innocent and sheltered that boy really is.
