Page 35 of Devil on Skates
“Don’t.” He cuts me off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t try to wash your hands off this. Youchoseto get drunk in public. Youchoseto go after Gallagher, even though you were with Keith.Youcreated this mess.”
His twisted version of things makes my own anger flare up, burning away the guilt I usually hide behind when he’s upset. “I didn’t choose any of this! You set me up with Keith without even asking if I wanted to date him. You’ve been controlling my whole life to get whatyouwant!”
“Because I know what’s best for you!” he yells, stepping closer. “I’ve been thinking about your future while you’ve been chasing stupid, short-term thrills!”
“It’s not like that,” I say, but I have no idea how to explain it to him.
He takes a deep breath, and when he speaks again, it’s with that dangerous, quiet tone. “You’re going to fix this. You will call Keith, apologize like crazy, and make things right, no matter what it takes.”
I freeze, my shoulders tight, as if the floor just tilted under me. “What? No. I don’t even like him. Maybe this is actually better—”
“Better?” He laughs. “I gave you a chance to connect with a family that could secure your future! And you think throwing that all away and having nothing is better?”
“I think being with someone I actually care about is better,” I say before I can stop myself.
His eyes turn icy. “Then you can pay for that yourself. If you won’t fix things with Keith, find somewhere else to live and figure out how to pay me back for your education and everything I’ve done for you. And your car stays here, because I paid for it.”
He’s kicking me out, and only because I don’t want to date who he wants me to.
“This discussion is over,” he adds. “I want to hear you’ve contacted Keith by tomorrow. Until then, we’re done.”
As he leaves, I stare after him in shock. This house, which never truly felt like my home, now feels like a prison, and every corner is a reminder that his acceptance was never unconditional.
I drag myself upstairs. After getting a shower and changing into something more comfortable, I start packing, grabbing my clothes, toiletries, laptop, and school stuff. I don’t know where I’m going, but I have to get out of here.
The photo on my nightstand catches my eye. It’s me at ten, and I’m standing between Mom and Dad at a hockey tournament, both their hands on my shoulders like everything’s perfect. I flip it face down, unwilling to look at it.
I slip out of the house, the door quietly clicking shut behind me. As I walk down the street, I realize I have nowhere safe to go because there’s no one who’ll love me no matter what. My mom would probably take me in, but I don’t want any trouble with my stepdad, who I know wouldn’t want me in his house.
My feet take me to the bus stop without me even thinking about it. The campus is the one place I still feel like I belong.
The bus ride is a blur, and when I get to the campus, I barely have a plan. I need to find a place to crash tonight, figure out money tomorrow, and talk to someone about emergency help.
I settle on a bench near one of the buildings and pull out my phone. It’s still blowing up with texts from my classmates who saw everything, social media with the videos still spreading, and messages from Mom asking what’s going on now that Dad’s probably filled her in.
I start watching the videos causing all this drama. They’re easy to find and show different angles of the fight. In all of them, Xavier is pinning and punching his teammate, his face twisted with fury. I’m mostly in the background, but clearly drunk.
Then there’s a moment I don’t remember. Xavier turns from the fight toward me, his body shielding me as he checks if I’m okay.
In a world where my dad’s love depends on me playing his game and being his perfect puppet, where Mom stays distant because of her new family, and where Keith only cares about how he and I will look in public, Xavier’s concern feels real. He actually fought for me, risking his spot on the team for me.
That’s huge.
I feel someone’s gaze on me and I look up. My heart skips a beat. It’s Xavier. I should be annoyed that he showed up on my campus uninvited, but I actually feel a strange relief. Someone actually looked for me and knows where I might run when everything falls apart.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Because I want you, and you want me. Go ahead. Try to deny it.”
Usually, I’d push back, but not now. I’m too tired to argue, and he’s right. I stare at him, and all the roles I’m supposed to play disappear.
I’m just me, and that seems to be enough for him.
I get to my feet. We close the gap between us slowly, drawn together like magnets. His hands cup my face, surprising me with how gentle he can be. My fingers grab his jacket, as if I’mtrying to hold on to something real when everything else feels shaky.
When our lips meet, it’s just pure passion and desire. His kiss is sure and intense, and as he deepens it, a different kind of fire lights up inside me.
“Not here,” I whisper, aware of the people nearby who are probably staring.
