Page 57 of Don't Puck Him

My heart melts as I watch him show off his moves and listen to him explain all the finer points of the technique I got to witness tonight. A new emotion I never thought was possible to feel towards him stirs up in me.

Care?

Is it possible that he feels the same way for me? Why else is he here? Instead of huddled off in the corner with his friends, or wherever Hunter is. Even if we never build a real sibling relationship, I think we could be friends.

He slides off to pick up a few pucks and returns to show me some basic ways to shoot. He is explaining a snapshot when Hunter comes up to us.

“Stop lying to her, Anderson.” Hunter bumps into Cash’s side with his shoulder.

Cash laughs and bumps him back. They scuffle for a bit and I watch them, a wide grin on my face.

“I wasn't lying to her,” Cash says. He shoves Hunter off of him with finality.

“Where did you disappear off to?” I ask Hunter.

“Coach asked me to check on Matt, the guy who fell. He'll be fine, but Coach says we’re done for today.”

“I didn’t hear him,” says Cash

“That’s because you were too busy over here messing with Wren, stupid.”

I’m not sure if Hunter is still joking. There’s something about his tone that scares me. To his credit, Cash simply raises an eyebrow, salutes us and skates away.

Hunter looks up to me. “Give me a sec, lemme change.”

I nod my head and watch him go off to the locker room. The arena is almost deserted when he plops down next to me. He balances his long legs on the seat in front of us and throws one arm around my shoulders.

“Hey,” he says with a straight face.

“Hey to you, too,” I respond.

He leans forward, grabs my ankle and clutches it possessively on his lap. We sit like that and stare at the rink, people watching as the arena empties out.

When we're finally alone he speaks without looking at me. “Is it a good idea?”

“What?”

“To trust Cash, after the way he treated you? I've noticed you guys are super tight now.”

“What's the point of living if people aren't given a chance to prove they have changed, babe?” I ask lightly.

“What he did is still fresh. It isn't something that happened ten years ago.”

“What are you saying?”

“I've already said it. You can't trust him. Plus you don't know him the way I do, he is… something else.”

I take my leg off his lap and turn my face to him. This conversation is getting on my nerves.

“Why are you best friends with him if he is something else, as you say? What does that say about you, that you’re willing to be so close to someone who can't be trusted? Then I shouldn't trust you, either, wouldn’t you think?”

My jaw starts to tremble.

Not from the cold, no. From the nerve of this guy to paint himself the savior in this situation. To make me look stupid for trying to build a relationship with my brother. And for making his best friend out to be this monster. His own best friend!

His hand grips my shoulder, and he stares me straight in the eyes. “Don't be stubborn about this. I know what I'm talking about.”

My chin trembles again but for a completely different reason. I shake my inner thoughts and pull my shoulders up, shrugging him off as I do so. A look of confusion passes over his face, but it quickly dissolves into a grim, thin line on his mouth.

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