Page 9 of Icing Hearts

I got to school early to put a care basket in Tory’s locker and decorate it for game day. The cheerleaders are supposed to do it, but last year, I convinced Tabitha Nelson, his assigned cheerleader, to give me the job. She was dating a senior on the basketball team, so she really didn’t care about hockey anyhow. Even though she’s single now, she’s made no effort to pick up the task and I’m perfectly happy to continue. But I made her promise not to tell Tory or anyone on the Cheerleading squad.

When I walk into the cafeteria for lunch, I immediately look over at the hockey table. Four steps in and Tory’s gaze is on me. They travel in a pattern.

Eyes.

Lips.

Eyes.

Smirk.

That’s Tory. The way he subtly greets me. If I wasn’t looking, every single time… if his wasn’t the face I searched for in every room…I would miss it. And it’s not even a full smirk. More like a “smir.” It only happens to one corner of his smooth, plump lips. The gentlest uptick. His whole body stills. Then it’s: Eyes. Lips. Eyes. “Smir”.

And then he goes right back into whatever mundane activity he was partaking in. But I’m looking every single time. And he does it every single time. So, I see it every single time. Like my existence is his own little inside joke with himself.

Presently, he goes back to devouring one of the treats I put in his care basket. This week, I made protein cookies in the shape of his jersey number: twenty-four.

Once I have my lunch and I’m on my way to meet Jack and the girls at my lunch table, I hear Tory cuss loudly. I skip a step, lingering a bit to eavesdrop.

“When I find out who my locker fairy is, I swear I’m gonna open-mouth kiss them.”

“Good?” Vince asks.

Tory nods his head earnestly, swallowing his bite. “Unbelievable. Every. Single. Time.” The basket of goodies I packed him sits on the lunch table. It’s mostly intact. That’s what he does, he works on it little by little.

“What if it’s Trent?” Vince asks. Trent Jones is the only boy on the cheerleading squad, and I angle my head as I circle their table, eager to hear Tory’s answer.

“My statement stands,” he insists. “Whoever it is, I’m laying myself at their feet and they can have their way with me. Someone figure out who it is.”

“What if it’s your stalker? I heard she’s a manager now.”

Tory waves his hands in front of him as if refusing a gift. “I take it back, I take it back,” he says with a hearty laugh. “Knowing my luck, it would be her. She just can’t get enough of me.”

My heart plummets to my stomach and I feel my cheeks heat as I rush toward my seat, not wanting to hear the rest of their conversation. Then, I remember who I am and spin on my heels.

Chapter 5

Clara

Vince cusses as he sees me looming over Tory’s shoulder, which I tap aggressively. “Excuse me, but you could only be so lucky as to have me as your locker fairy, you…you…derelict!”

Usually, my quips are effortless. It’s the way I’ve kept the judgment at bay for my obsession with Tory. Most girls would be mercilessly mocked for such behavior. But not me. A few well-phrased insults rolled off the tongue with violent precision and no one bothered me about it after freshman year.

“Derelict? Look at you, all red and fuming. You just love finding excuses to let me have it, don’t you, Charity?”

“Shut up.” How original.

“Make me.” He leans back in the plastic cafeteria chair, spreading his legs wide, and does the eyes, lips, eyes, thing again. It renders me speechless, and I know he’s won this round. Not because formulating words when he looks at me like that seems unattainable at the moment, but because he is completely willing to let this escalate into a scene. And he knows I…am not.

Tory knows that if he trades in his lackadaisical, seated posture for one more vertical, all eyes will be on us as he stares me down. His word is gospel in these hallowed halls. He’ll be in control and able to present the situation any way he wants. A fate worse than death.

I grunt and storm off. I’m not even that mad, but hate letting him have the upper hand. Truly, I fell right into this one. Not to mention, I already feel a bit indebted to him after he got me the manager job. Being at a disadvantage when it comes to Tory, or anyone, really, is dangerous.

But I need the money. Desperately. Plus, I need to beef up my high school resume for college applications next year.

School takes nearly all my focus, so I haven’t been able to pick up any babysitting gigs, especially ones within walking distance. There will be absolutely no out-of-pocket payment for my college. I had a college fund, once upon a time, but that was drained by the end of sophomore year.Thanks, Dad. You’d think being the chief of police would dissuade him from spending most of his free time at the local off-track betting establishment. So, I need perfect grades, volunteer work, and clubs. Everything is in line to get me a full-ride, at least at a state school. I don’t need anything fancy, just somewhere away from home.

Away from him.

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