Page 53 of Almost Ravaged

“Bryant is in the red.”

A man at the end of one table lifts a hand in greeting, his cut-off shirt highlighting his physique and dark brown skin.

“He’s a supervisor at the arena and helps me with scheduling.”

I nod a hello.

“Next to him is Arjun, then Freyja, then Grant. They work at the ice arena and the rec center.”

“Adventure center,” Grant, a white guy with a scruffy beard, corrects.

Cam lowers her head and shoots him a glare that would make me wither. “The adventure center is inside the rec, pal. You don’t need to remind us you’re not like other boys.”

Freyja, a white woman with gorgeous features and stick-straight posture, snickers and pokes Grant in the side.

Cam, who’s all smiles once again, turns back to me. “This is the crew. Minus a few others who are under twenty-one and couldn’t come out tonight.”

It takes a moment for the meaning of her words to click. Under twenty-one. Right. The drinking age is different here.

“I’ll grab you a chair.” Arjun’s melodic accent sounds both British and Indian. He tucks his shaggy black chin-length hair behind his ears and stands.

“Oh.” I take half a step closer. “We’ll need three, actually. My brother and friend are at the bar.”

Kai sits straighter in their seat. “They’re the hockey players, right?”

Every person at the table pauses, and every eye darts to me.

Uh. Okay…

Before I can decode the reaction, the guys appear at my side.

“Um, everyone,” I announce meekly, “this is my brother, Atticus, and our friend Tytus. They’re freshmen, and the team’s new D-men.”

The table erupts with chatter.

“You’re the kids from Canada?”

“Davvies and Tremblay, right?”

“You guys shut out the Sharks in last year’s junior A regional championship.”

“Coach has been talking about you nonstop.”

With a snort, Cam links her arm with mine. “Just about everyone here is a hockey nut. Bryant and Skylar especially.”

I follow her line of sight to where Atty is already settling in next to Skylar.

Ty shuffles around the table, squeezing between the people seated and those mingling nearby, and holds out a bottle for me. “They had Molson,” he says, a slight curve to his lips.

I reach for the bottle, but Cam intercepts it. “Beer? At Mae’s?” She scrunches her nose. “Next time, get a Long Island. It’s what they’re famous for.”

Ty, who’s still gripping the bottle, scowls at Cam until she releases it. As he hands it to me, I meet his gaze and mouththank you. He tips his chin in acknowledgment, then offers a shy smile that warms me from the inside.

“We’ve only been here a week,” I remind Cam, taking a seat between her and Kai.

Tytus circles back around the table, his every move holding my attention. Rather than sit in the empty seat next to Atty, he leans against the wall, props one foot, and crosses his arms, like a surly statue standing guard.

I wince internally, a niggle of guilt for keeping him out so late working its way through me.