Page 20 of Chosen Boy

I stare up at him as our chest heave with anger. “Well, yeah. Obviously. But that’s not really an option, is it?”

“You’re so fucking impossible,” he growls, looking at me like he wants to kill me before turning away. “Fuck!” He slaps his hand on the hood of his truck, making me flinch.

He drags his hand through his hair in complete and total agony. Whatever Paige said to him, it’s clear it’s put him in a mood. And I know I’m not helping the situation. But, goddamn, he annoys me.

As frustrated as we both are, it’s probably for the best that he leaves. But as I watch him get in his truck and speed away, my heart sinks. And as I wait for brake lights to flash, which never do, I wring my hands together, wishing this night away.

Finally, he drives out of sight.

And probably right back to Paige.

And I’m both relieved that he left and sad that he’s gone. And that makes no sense at all.

9

Hunter

“Hi, love,” my mother’s voice greets me on the other end of the phone. “How’s your day going?”

“It’s going,” I breathe out. “Did you call earlier? I was at practice.”

“I did,” she says slowly. “I was reading theBrooks U Informer, and I saw something interesting. Something about the hockey players putting on some sort of show?” She pauses. “And I read that my son is coupled up with Sutton Savage. So, please, do tell me, is this true? Say it isn’t.”

Damn online school newspaper.

I never even gave it a thought that my mother would find out about this fundraiser. At least…not for a while anyway.

“Hunter, are you going to speak or keep me wondering if this is true?”

“I didn’t choose her as a partner,” I begin to plead my case. “Trust me, she’s the last person I wanted to be paired with. She’s fucking impossible to deal with.”

“Language,” she hisses. “I just don’t even know what to think. You know what her parents have done to us. And now, you are going to be, what? Besties with their daughter?” She sounds flustered. Just like I knew she would be. “I won’t allow this, Hunter.”

As tough as my parents are on me, Sutton’s parents make my mom and dad look like saints. While my mother can be hard and often controlling, Sutton’s parents are straight-up heartless. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen Helena hug her daughter before. My father and I are like oil and water. But even he’s a better man than Senator Savage will ever be.

“I don’t exactly have a choice,” I mutter. “And if I ask to switch, Coach will have my ass. And while I know you’d love to see me benched, I can’t afford to be on his bad side this year.”

“You need to be careful of her, Hunter,” she warns. “She’s pretty. Too pretty. And her last name is Savage. She’s a snake. People like her will do whatever they need to in order to get to where they want to be.”

“I get it,” I snap. “But for now, I can’t do a damn thing about it. So, just let me handle it and get it over with. Deal?”

“Fine,” she huffs. “How are your classes going? I logged in to your account, and you got a seventy-nine on your test last week. That won’t do, Hunter. Not if you’re going to carry on your family’s legacy. And, yes, I know that you want to play hockey. But I still don’t see that as a feasible dream. I looked up the statistics of making it to the pros, and I have to tell you, it’s daunting. I just want you to keep an open mind when it comes to carrying on the torch as a doctor. That’s all. I’m concerned you’re going to put all of your eggs in one basket and then things won’t work out.”

Yep, I’m a junior in college, and my mother still logs in and checks my grades.Talk about feeling like a fucking child.

In my mom’s mind, she looks at hockey as this far-fetched dream I have that will never come true. Same with my dad. They’ve attended a handful of my games since I was a kid, and they just don’t understand how I’ll make it a lifelong career.

My father is a surgeon. And my mother is a scientist. Sports aren’t exactly in their realm of thought.

“Yes, Mom, I know,” I sigh. “Is that all? I have some homework to do.”

“Haley arrives at the end of the week now that her dorm is finally ready. Try to check on her, will you?” Her voice changes, sounding concerned.

Haley spent the first few weeks of school attending online classes because there was an issue with her dorm. I know my mom worries about her. I do too. But I guess after what she’s been through, that’s expected. She not only had a stalker, but last spring, that stalker kidnapped her and physically assaulted her as well. It really changed her.

“You know I will,” I promise her.

My parents aren’t bad people, but they were absent a lot of the time while we were growing up. Their careers always came before being a parent. That left me worrying about my sister a lot. So, I don’t need to be told to have her back. Mom should know that too.

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