Page 57 of One Shot

“Are you kidding me, Laur? You can’t make excuses for his behavior. YOU did nothing to deserve anything that scumbag did to you. Do you hear me? Absolutely nothing. You should go to the police. You should have tried to—” I cut Tyler off.

“I don’t want him kicked off his team,” I mumble.

“He deserves to be in fucking jail, Lauren!” Bren screams. “He abused you mentally and physically for years. That is inexcusable.”

“And Lucas had a girlfriend that didn’t support his hockey career. If he finds out that I supported Nick more than I did Nathan . . .”

“Lauren, that is ridiculous. Lucas will kill that guy in a heartbeat if he ever finds out. Hell, I want to kill him,” Bren yells at me.

“Not that it matters, but Lucas’ history is nothing like yours. That girl didn’t want him to play hockey because she wanted his attention instead,” Tyler clarifies.

I pull away from Tyler to go grab some tissues.

“Well, now you know why I swore off dating and love and why I didn’t want to be interested in Lucas. I’m too afraid to be in a relationship again after thinking I was so in love and . . . everything he did to me.”

“Lauren,” Bren says calmly, “Lucas would be the most understanding person. I was very against him and you from the beginning. The first time you met, I told him not to get involved with you.”

I give her a death stare and open my mouth.

“Hear me out!” Bren holds a hand up to me before offering me more bacon.

“I knew you swore off dating and that you coming to West after Nick was a huge deal. I had barely seen you, but I knew you weren’t in a good place. You needed to focus on you, just like you said. Plus, Lucas doesn’t date either for very different reasons. I knew he would fall for you. I didn’t want to see either of you hurt.”

Bren’s gaze is filled with pleas forunderstanding.

“It’s not like he listened anyway. He asked me about your date and admitted he was into you,” Tyler says with a shrug.

“What?! When was this?! Why are you just telling me now?” I throw a used tissue at Tyler before grabbing another.

“I don’t know how to play middleman between you two. You’re both two of my best friends. He was relieved I wasn’t into you,” Tyler states

“Hold on, back to the serious stuff for a second. Sorry,” Jaylin tilts her head. “Does Nathan still play for East?”

My tears start to fall again as I nod knowing where this is headed. “Yes, and I haven’t spoken to him or seen him since the day of the accident. I’m not sure I’m ready to see him.”

“That’s okay, Laur. You don’t have to,” Bren replies.

“Skip that game. It’s not worth your pain. It’s okay,” Tyler expresses.

“Please keep this between us. I’m not ready to tell anyone else yet. But thank you for being here for me and not judging me.”

“There is nothing to judge you for, Laur.” Tyler pulls me into a hug again.

“Absolutely not,” Jaylin agrees.

“We love you just the same if not more,” Bren’s voice quakes with sorrow. “We won’t say a word.”

I sigh in relief, sinking into Tyler’s embrace more.

“Thank you. Now I have to decide what to do about Lucas. I like him. I really do. But I don’t think I’m ready yet,” I say into Tyler’s chest.

“It’s okay, Laur. You don’t have to decide now,” Tyler says.

I’m glad I don’t. My head and my heart are at war. But with opening up to my friends today and telling them a secret I’ve held so closely, I think my heart is starting to gain the upper hand.

Chapter twenty-seven

Lucas