Page 25 of Puck You
“But you do have influence at this school.You could help our cause.”She leaned closer with every word, her brows set in a firm line.I would have felt amused by her determination if it wasn’t directed at me.
“I don’t have as much influence as you think,” I said through gritted teeth.Despite my recent success, I was still on thin ice with the dean.He was much too prideful a man to go back on his threats.
“All you have to do is say you stand with us.Is that so hard?”
“Why the hell do you need to drag me into this?Is it so wrong for me to want to protectourtraining time?You might like the idea of sharing DuLane now, but when both teams lose time on the ice, you’ll regret starting this war.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them.The shift in Grace’s expression—from frustration to satisfaction—only confirmed my suspicions.She’d gotten a rise out of me, and that’s exactly what she’d wanted.
“This conversation is over,” I said, shoving past her.“Tell the student newspaper that we’re not interested in commenting.”
For once, I was the one fleeing the scene after one of our confrontations, and I felt like a wild animal retreating to lick its wounds.An overwhelming sense of failure compelled me to reach for my phone and type out a message to the one person I knew would always support me—Kate.It was wrong, but I was desperate for comfort.
Kate
Hi.I miss you
I get you need time to think, but I hate this silence
Stop torturing me
I’m sorry
Do you think that’s enough?
I hope so
I’m willing to grovel
...on your hands and knees?
Always
Tell me a time and place
I’m sorry.Please talk to me.
I’ll think about it
>> <<
The next day, I startled awake thirty minutes late, surprised to find that the sun was already starting to rise.My bedroom was cold, and there were golden streaks of light leaking through the gap in my curtains.I was blinking away the last remnants of sleep when my phone vibrated.I reached for it, hoping to see a message from Kate, only to discover a screen full of notifications from my roommate group chat, the Zamboners.
Zamboners
Kent
Anyone been to campus yet?
Landon
Why would anyone be there this early?
Kent
There are posters everywhere.
Landon
