Page 57 of Chase
“Whatcha doing, sunshine?” He asks with a curious smirk on his face.
“Don’t worry about it, give it to me,” I tell him holding my hand out.
“Tell me first,” he waves the crisp piece of paper in my face. Goddamnit, I fucking need it. I roll my eyes at him and he laughs.Idiot.
“I wanna make something with it, now come on man, give me the damn thing,” I plead. He finally relents and places the sheet of paper onto my palm only to fucking yank it back at the last second.
“Make what?”
“You’re a real bastard, you know that? Now give it to me,” I reach for it and he dangles it out of reach.
“Come on, sunshine,” he taunts.
“Fine, If you must fucking know–.” I start to say with a huff when he starts laughing in my frowning face.
“Oh, I absolutely must fucking know,” he chuckles before clearing his throat. “Okay, I’m done. Continue.” I glare at him before starting again.
“I’m gonna make Sloane some paper cranes. One for each goal from tonight,” I tell him and start folding the first one.
“You know how to fold origami?Anddo cranes?” He asks, sounding surprised.
“I can do a few things that’s all. Now give me the fucking paper,” I hold out my hand and this time he doesn’t hesitate to drop it.
“Look at you being all romantic and shit, giving her little gifts,” he punches me in the arm with a cheesy grin on his face while he starts to undress. “What happened last night? You two talk?” He asks and I shake my head no.
“She turned me away… twice,” I tell him and run my hand through my hair. I pull the strands as tight as I can, feeling the rough strain on my scalp.
“Fuck, what’d she say?” He asks, changing his tone from playful and curious to serious and concerned.
“She told me herself to leave the first time and then wouldn’t open the door for anyone at the girls’ apartment.” Her rejection is like a goddamn reality check.
I’ve clearly had blinders on and haven’t been entirely aware of my surroundings and how I’ve been treating Sloane. She told me to leave and I don’t fucking blame her. I’d want me to leave too. I’ve been so angry at myself for so many things and going after her isn’t going to be added to the list.
“What’s your plan?”To get my girl.
“I’m not giving up,” I tell him and fold the crane’s wings. I know she wasn’t there tonight. She hasn’t been to a game in fucking forever. But still, every goal is for her.
“Dam, I haven’t seen you play like that in months,” Max says and rubs a towel over his head before throwing his hat on backwards. He’s already texting my sister and grinning like a fool at his phone.I don’t wanna know.
“I felt good out there. It felt like I was flying,” I tell him while holding up the finished bird. I pull a pen outta my hoodie pocket and write the date and the time of the goal on the crane's wings. For as loud as it gets in here, my boys are all ears and dialed into what I’m saying.
“You seemed angry as hell when you knocked number three on his ass,” Jake comments, still in his full gear. “That hit looked personal.”
“Yes and no, he looks like the same guy from last night,” I tell them and twist around to gently put the first bird on my cubby shelf.
“What guy?” Jake asks.
“He was sitting right behind me, said some shit about staking his claim after she sang. Then I saw him talking to her this afternoon.” I leave out the part about me jogging around campus after therapy and looking for her like a lost puppy.
I make a fist and fuck up the piece of paper I was going to use to make the second crane. Monroe reaches into Jake’s cubby on the other side of him and pulls out another game sheet and silently hands it over.Good man.
“What does that mean 'staking his claim'? He thinks she was singing to him?” Jake asks while unlacing his skates.
A takes his seat on the other side of me, a nasty bruise already setting in over his ribs from a hit he took. I’m about to answer Jake when A chucks his phone across the damn room. No yelling. No growls or grunts or groans. Just checks his phone and hurls it like a fucking fastball.
“What the fuck?” I turn to my brother who is restraining himself with everything he has. He’s got a thick vein popping out of his neck and by the way it’s pulsing up to his pissed-off face, I wouldn’t be surprised if pure venom was running through his bloodstream.
“What the fuck happened,” Max asks and stuffs his phone in his hoodie pocket. I wouldn’t put it past A to chuck that one too.B would be pisssseeddddd.
