Page 24 of Collide
“Not free time. These are crucial hours before tonight,” Kian says through a mouthful of jello.
“What’s happening tonight?” I ask, wholly disinterested.
“The toga party? The one our favorite sorority hosts every year? God, where have you been?”
He meanshisfavorite sorority. They treat him like a celebrity because he’s overly generous at their annual car wash. Safe to say they have a mutually beneficial relationship.
“You guys have fun.”
Kian gawks at me. “You have to be joking. It’s Beta Phi. Those girls are like your personal cheerleaders.”
“Can’t. I'm meeting up with Summer later.”
He washes his jello-stained hands in the sink. “Reschedule. It’s time you stop holding the burden of guilt over the Yale thing. It was our fault too.”
It isn’t about guilt. The entire thing just highlighted what I’ve been trying to avoid as captain; that I can’t handle balancing different aspects of my life. Growing up, it was hockey and school, and thanks to my parents that had been balanced for me. In high school, it was grief, which I miserably failed at, and now, it’s my personal life. Over the years, there has only been one constant inmy life—hockey. It’s what got me through my teenage years and led me to the top-performing Division 1 team in the NCAA. Ruining my chances to play would be a huge failure.
“Summer is not going to let me reschedule because of a party.”
Kian pulls out his phone. “I’ll text her. She likes me better anyway.”
“You have her number?” Thoughts of them hooking up cross my mind, but I can’t even imagine it. Even if it may explain why she hates hockey players. However, if that were the case, I’d expect the hookup to have been a douchier guy on the team, rather than our very own golden retriever.
“Since junior year. We’re friends.”
Of course, they are. I head upstairs for a shower, and by the time I’m out he’s sent me a screenshot of her response.
Okay. I’ll reschedule.
I guess she really does like him better than me.
When I’m halfway down the steps, I pause seeing Kian wearing a toga. He’s got the golden leaf crown and a brooch tying it together.
“You know dressing up isn’t mandatory, right?”
He rushes past me down the steps. “Just giving the girls what they want. Dylan got you one too.” He points to the toga draped on the banister.
Reluctantly, I head into the washroom to strip out of my jeans and into the white garment. It’s best not to argue when Dylan has a vision for costumes. For Halloween, I was Snow White and they were my dwarfs. That one played out surprisingly well.
We arrive at Beta Phi to a sea of white. I greet a few people playing beer pong in the living room. Kian wanders off as soon as we step over the threshold, and Dylan is pouring Patrón into every passerby’s mouth before he starts chugging another bottle. The frat guys cheer him on, chantingDouble D!and I manage to barrel past them. Eli is nowhere to be found as usual, and the juniors are probably smoking outside where I can’t see them.
After a few rounds of beer pong, and watching Dylan manage to sober up then get even more drunk, Kian bumps into me with a gasp. “Shit,” he slurs. “You’re going to hate me for this, but I think you should hide.”
When he tries to shove me out of the kitchen, I stop him. “What are you talking about?”
He swallows, eyes darting around frantically. “Remember how I did that nice thing for you by asking Summer to reschedule?”
I nod slowly.
“Well, it wasn’t so much of me asking as it was telling her you were violently ill.” Seeing my expression, he blanches. “I said it was food poisoning! Nothing too serious. Technically you could have recovered.”
“You lied to her?”
“A little white lie that couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. But for good measure just hide in the bathroom or something.”
“I’m not hiding in the fucking bathroom.”
He lets out an exasperated breath. “Come on! Do it for me. She’s kind of scary when…” His words trail off, and he pales.
