Page 30 of Puck You
“It’s not what you think.”I winced at my own words, knowing how stupid they sounded.There was no possible explanation that could make her understand why another girl’s name was on my mind when she was getting me off.
“It’s not what I think?”Kate’s voice jumped an octave, her face reddening with every word she spoke.“How could it not be that when you’re saying another girl’s name?”
“I know it looks bad—”
“Isn’t she the one behind the posters and the article?”she blustered on, looking angrier by the second.“I saw you two fighting at the gala!What the hell is going on?”
“We did fight at the gala, and yes, she’s the one behind the bad press.”I tried to choose my next words carefully, knowing that I was one mistake away from making things worse than they already were.“She’s why I’ve been so angry lately.That’s the only reason I said her name.I can’t think of anything else when the girl is hell-bent on ruining me.”
“So you can say her name when my hand is on your cock, but you can’t use it in a regular sentence?”Her head shook as she stepped backward, her arms snaking around herself.“I can’tdo this anymore.It’s hard enough competing for your time and attention with hockey.I won’t compete with another girl.”
Kate unlocked the study room and propped open the door.She glanced back over her shoulder at me, eyes shimmering with tears, and said, “We’re done.For good.”
She left without another word, the door slamming shut behind her.Silence blanketed the room, and I fell back against the table, pressing a hand to my stinging cheek.I felt defeated.In the absence of Kate, my fucked-up mind turned to the one person I wanted to forget.
Grace had burrowed deep under my skin.If I didn’t do something to get her out of my head or off this campus, I was going to lose more than my girlfriend.The realization elicited a spark of anger, and I latched on to the feeling with all of my strength.I wasn’t sure how to solve the problem that was Grace Gillman, but in the meantime, I needed her to know that I didn’t make empty threats.If she thought McKinley Rink was bad now, I was going to make practicing there ten times more miserable by tomorrow morning.
Chapter 9
Sebastian
“Do you two really think that’s a good idea?”
Bryce’s voice rang out in stark contrast to the silence of the house.Both Landon and I jumped in surprise, whirling around to face him.Bryce was perched at the top of the stairwell, the outline of his large body all that was visible through the darkness.Though I couldn’t see his expression, I was confident that it mirrored the clear disapproval of his tone.
Landon sighed in irritation.“Kent’s such a little snitch.”
“He didn’t snitch.You two are not as inconspicuous as you think.”
“Always using such big words,” Landon muttered, and it was an effort to stop from asking how he’d managed to get into college.Right now was not the time to offend the only roommate who was willing to go along with my plan.I needed at least one person to keep a lookout while I slipped inside McKinley Rink.
“Why are you letting Sebastian pull you into his mess?”Bryce asked.
“His mess?Everyone on the team is feeling the heat!We should all want revenge,” Landon argued.“Besides, it’s just a harmless prank.”
“Are you going to try to stop us?”I asked.
There was a long silence before Bryce let out a huff of laughter.“Of course not.I’m going to bed.You should consider doing the same.”
“We promise to be home by midnight, Dad,” Landon teased.Then he nodded his head toward the front door and slippedoutside.
I hesitated in the foyer for a brief moment, glancing back over my shoulder at the shadowed form of Bryce.Though he said nothing, I knew exactly what he was thinking.Right now, his judgment was a non-issue.The only thing on my mind was delivering a message to Grace that couldn’t be ignored.Without a goodbye, I followed Landon outside and shut the door behind me.
There was only a sliver of moon in the sky, which made tonight perfect for sneaking around unnoticed.Still, Landon and I remained silent as we dashed across campus.I lagged several paces behind him, hauling with me a twenty-quart cooler loaded with several pounds of expired ground beef.The meat was courtesy of Bishop’s girlfriend, Macy, who worked at the local grocery store.He might have refused to tag along, but Bishop had been instrumental in helping me acquire the goods free of charge.
We were nearly to McKinley Rink; I could see the outline of the structure in the distance.Though I couldn’t do much in the way of retaliation, especially given the target Grace had painted on me, petty revenge was better than watching her walk around campus with that smug smile as everyone turned on me—again.Landon and I ducked down as a campus patrol car rolled into view.Once the headlights were nothing more than dots in the distance, we shuffled across the street.I scoped out the surrounding area as we approached the old training center.The place was completely dark except for a flickering light illuminating the front entrance.
“How are we going to get in?”
Was this really the first time he was considering that?
“I’m getting in with this,” I said, holding up white key cardthat opened nearly every building on campus.I had no idea how the previous captain had gotten hold of it, but he’d passed it down to me when he graduated.“You’ll stay out here and make sure I’m not interrupted.If you see anything suspicious, text.”
Confident we were alone, I darted toward the entrance and pressed the little white card to the sensor.It flashed green and let out a beep, then the lock clicked open.I rushed inside and closed the door behind me, my heart a steady drumbeat against my ribs.McKinley Rink certainly smelled just as Grace had described it—old and moldy.The stench only grew stronger as I crossed the entryway and pushed open the rink access door.Cool air rushed over my face.I flipped on a set of lights and watched as a soft yellow glow lit up the right side of the rink, where there was a narrow strip that held two rows of benches and some standing room.Even in partial darkness, I could tell this place had seen better days.I felt a momentary pang of guilt at the realization that Grace wasn’t being overdramatic.McKinley wasn’t just outdated, it was a hazard, but that fact wasn’t enough to deter me.She’d lost any and all sympathy from me the moment my face had been plastered across the school paper.
I made my way down the steep set of stairs leading to the basement.The lights down here were even worse, so I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight.There was a narrow path carved out by walls of outdated equipment and dusty boxes.Walking through the creepy maze of storage, I tried not to think about the campus rumor that McKinley Rink was haunted.Every so often, a loud creek sounded from the floor above, and my heart rate would jump in anticipation.I cast my phone light along the walls and ceilings, keeping my eyes peeled for a grate.Eventually, I found one along the back wall of the basement.It looked big enough to hold the entirety of my gift.My lips twitched in asmirk as I pulled out the screwdriver tucked into my back pocket and got to work, quickly removing enough screws to swivel the grate out.Now was the unpleasant part.Holding my breath, I dumped the contents of the cooler inside, gagging as several pounds of expired meat slapped against the bottom of the vent.For the finishing touch, I stuck a large toothpick into the middle of the slop and skewered a note addressed to Grace though the top.
I felt a brief rush of gratification as I fastened the grate back into place and surveyed my work, but it was gone in less than a second.In fact, I had to ignore the turning in my stomach as Landon and I trekked back to the house.The only thing that stopped me from returning to the rink and disposing of the “present” was my own misguided sense of pride.
