Page 27 of Revolve
“There’s nothing tiny about me. This’ll be a big stain on your conscience—some may say huge. You won’t be able to sleep without seeing this innocent face.” I pout.
Sierra shifts her weight from one foot to the other, her gaze darting to the clock on the far wall. After hockey practice ends, there’s only so much free ice, so this conversation is cutting into her skating time, yet she’s still here.
“Fine, what do you want?” she asks.
“A kiss.”
She jerks back, nearly hitting the shelf, mouth opening and closing as she searches for the right words.
God, I fucking love this. “Don’t get too excited now. I meant on my cheek.” I tap my face. “And all is forgiven.”
She guffaws. “There is no way I’m going anywhere near your face.”
“Why not? I’ve been told it’s very nice.”
“So this is how you get all those girls. By talking about how pretty your face is?”
I grin. “I never said pretty. That was all you.”
She sighs, then glances around again, her shoulders stiff withuncertainty as she steps into my space. I don’t move, and after a moment of hesitation, she rises on her tiptoes, her lips brushing the corner of my mouth in a quick, almost startled kiss. Before I can react, she jumps back like she’s been burned.
“I am actually sor—” Her attention flicks to a student grabbing a book off a lower shelf.
“Don’t say sorry to me, Sierra. I don’t need it.”
“What was that kiss for, then?”
I shrug. “I just like seeing you squirm.”
“Asshole,” she mutters, slipping out of the cramped space.
“Brat,” I shoot back.
She throws a quick glare over her shoulder before disappearing out of the Fishbowl. With a grin still glued to my face, I walk back to my chair, though it’s hard to study when I can still feel the pressure of her lips on my skin. So I pack up my shit and head home.
THE LAST THINGI expect to see when I step through the front door is all my friends sitting at the dining table waiting for me. The tension in the air is thick, like they’ve been holding their breath since I walked in. My stomach twists, a knot of dread forming as I realize something’s off. They all look at me, not with the usual easy smiles, but with concern, even disappointment, and it hits me like a punch.
Aiden has Summer pulled onto his lap in one chair, Kian is beside them with his laptop facing me, Eli and Sage are wearing those under-eye patches looking as serious as ever on a video call, and Cole and Sebastian are half asleep but still present.
“What the hell is this? An intervention?” I laugh, but it sounds hollow even to my own ears. I walk to the kitchen, hoping the movement will distract me from the suffocating tension. I come back witha BioSteel, but when I look up, they’re still there, watching me. It’s like I’m on trial.
“It is,” Summer says quietly, but it feels like a slap.
Before I can ask what she’s talking about, Aiden speaks. “We’re worried about you, D.”
“Your lifestyle isn’t sustainable.” That’s Eli.
“We want to show you we’re all here for you. All of us are present in any way you need, because your health matters,” Kian says. That sounds like some bullshit he read off a pamphlet.
It’s an ambush is what it is.
I’m glaring at him as he’s sitting there wearing sunglasses and holding an ice pack to his head. He should be the last person giving this speech.
Cole pipes up. “Hockey isn’t the same without you.”
“Coach hasn’t smiled once since you got suspended,” adds Sebastian.
I scoff. “Coach hasn’t smiled ever. I’m not sure why you all wasted your time, but this isn’t something I need. I haven’t had more than beer since I found out about the test, and the weed was a onetime thing. Besides, Kian was getting just as hammered, and no one has an issue with that.”
