Page 18 of More Than Chemical
“So have you figured out what to do with Texas’s number yet?” Priya asked.
“Delete it,” I mumbled.
“That’s probably for the best, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“I mean, he sounds like the kind of guy who would play you, and?—”
“Priya,” I interrupted her, “I really don’t want to talk about him.”
“Sorry.” A flush crept across her cheeks. “I promise I won’t say another word.”
I crossed my arms over my stomach, wishing I hadn’t stopped her so abruptly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound rude about it.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“So, how are things with Luke?” I asked.
“Fine. I guess. You know…I’ve forgotten what it was about him that attracted me to him in the first place.”
“If I took a guess, I’d say it’s his kindness and thoughtfulness.”
“Sure, but I don’t remember being so excited that I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Like you are with Texas.” She glanced at me. “Oops, I didn’t mean to bring him up again.”
“It’s okay.” I smiled. “No worries. It’ll come to you. You’ve been dating Luke so long that you just can’t remember right this moment.”
“Maybe.”
At the end of the third period, our team scored the winning goal during a power play. It was a thrilling victory. My throat felt scratchy from screaming the rouser. My cheeks hurt from smiling. Definitely worth coming for.
As we climbed the stairs out of the stands to get to the concourse, I noticed all the upbeat fans who’d stayed to the end. This meant crowds of people would be swarming the sidewalks to return to their parked cars.
I insisted I could walk safely home by myself.
My friends disagreed.
So here I stood, resting my hands on the iced-over metal ledge of an exterior window in the north entrance. As promised, Priya, Luke, and Emma were still with me, waiting for a campus security guard to come and escort me home.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Emma asked again.
She’d been working on me. The more she talked, the more I couldn’t wait to get back to the dorm. If I went with them, the risk of running into someone I might know related to my dad’s hockey scene was too high.
A small guy in a dark-blue security uniform entered the vestibule. His eyeglasses fogged up instantly. He removed them, wiped them on his jacket, and squinted. “Adriana?”
I raised my hand. “Right here.”
Priya gave me a hug. “See you later.”
“Have fun.” I flashed her a glad-I’m-not-you smile.
The three of them left in the opposite direction. I took a longer look at my knight in shining armor and had to suppress a laugh. Shiny and knightly didn’t describe him. Businesslike and speedy were better.
As we walked to the dorm, I had to double-time my pace to keep up with him and the bike he was pushing. One of those fat-tired bikes, the kind I couldn’t imagine having enough strength to pedal through the snow for more than a couple of blocks.
I should have been concentrating on keeping up, but I pulled out my phone, opened my contacts, and stared at Dallas’s phone number.
It was still there. Relieved, I turned off the screen and looked up. My escort had stopped and was waiting for me.
