Page 9 of Call the Shots (For The Arena #1)
JUNE
I’M NOT YOUR MOTHER
I didn’t think the biggest problem of working with a hockey team would be tracking down the head coach.
Returning from the bookstore, I groaned into my cell. “Coach Vernon has to be somewhere . He didn’t vanish! I have alerts on his socials, his ex-wife’s, his estranged kids’, but there’s nothing .”
“I drove by his house, the lights were still off.” Cleo cursed under her breath. “The figure skaters have been trying to get hold of him too. Without all of the coaches’ approval, there’s no renovations for the Colo. And we can’t hire outside help. Marrs won’t permit it.”
I stepped into Roman Villa’s lobby to see two hockey players pummeling each other. Elijah was perched on one of the couches, eating a bag of chips while he egged them on. I threw him a look of disbelief.
“What?” He held up the bag of chips. “Want some?”
“What’s going on?” Cleo asked, mystified.
“Two hockey players are fighting.” I took a step towards them and hurried back. “What should I do? Get a broom?”
“Let natural selection take its course.” Elijah tossed another chip in his mouth, leaving no doubt he was the one who started this. He shrugged when I glared at him. “They’re both forwards, I want to see how this changes the layup.”
Oh my god, I didn’t have time for whatever stupid fights were going on.
Classes hadn’t started yet but one of my professors offered an open house to discuss her course.
It was in an hour, and I had to drop off my stuff before giving my big apology.
Instead of submitting my final last semester, I emailed her ‘ sorry but im really tired. ’
At least I didn’t have to worry about Bear—I saw his dad’s car at the student center. Clearly, he was dropping by to visit his demon spawn children.
I headed up the stairs for the second floor but froze when I pushed open the door. “What the hell? ”
Cleo huffed. “What is it now?”
I watched, dumbfounded, as Laki dragged Nick down the hallway. Nick scratched at the carpet, desperately trying to gain purchase. “ June! ”
“He fucked my sister-in-law!” Laki roared. “It’s disrespectful!”
I inched my way down the hallway, phone to my ear. “Hockey players are horny, deranged dogs. How did we get involved, Cleo?”
“I don’t know. I’m thinking of postponing the wedding.”
“ What? No! Everything’s going to be…” I trailed off, staring at the wet puddle in front of my door. “Uh…”
“What now? ”
“Nothing,” I assured her, my voice high-pitched. “You’re not postponing your wedding!” I gave a quick goodbye and shoved my key in the lock. The door opened, sloshing out water to the hallway. My mouth fell open. “What the hell?!”
With a chugging sound, bubbly water poured from the dishwasher. How could a dishwasher even flood like that?! I struggled with the buttons, but nothing stopped it.
There was only one person to blame—and here I thought I’d have a nice roommate-free day. I shoved open Bear’s door to see him stretched on his bed, computer up to his chin, bulky headphones over his ears. His eyes flickered to me, and he frowned.
“Asshole, get up!”
He pulled off the headphones. “What?”
“You flooded the dorm!”
“Huh?” He glanced over the bed. “Oh, shit .”
Soapy water pumped out and I hurried to put things on high places before I burst into my room.
Unlike Bear, I didn’t enjoy throwing crap around, my floor was clean.
The only thing that made my stomach drop was the strapless dress that was supposed to be on its hanger.
It was always on my closet door—my weight goal dress.
The first thing I saw every morning, pink and perfect. It must’ve fallen off the hanger.
With a whimper, I picked up the wet lump of fabric. “My dress. ”
Bear barged in with towels. “Fuck, where do I put these?”
“Don’t worry about that, unplug everything!” I pulled boxes from under my bed. “What did you do? ”
“No idea!”
I stacked things on the kitchen island, swearing under my breath. During the summer, maintenance took forever, and Bear needed to make the call now . I was about to tell him when I saw Bear, holding up a polaroid.
His eyes slid from the picture to me.
Silence hung amid the unsteady ca-lunk of the dishwasher. I didn’t know what to say.
One of my naked polaroids was in Bear’s hand.
I had nine of them left, all old presents for Xavier that would never, ever get to the intended recipient.
That also meant they were pictures of Before June, laying on his couch, winking at the camera.
Before I whacked off my hair with the kitchen shears.
Before I holed myself up in my house for months. Before I was two sizes bigger.
I struggled to speak. “I—um?—”
Bear tore up the photo.
I watched in stunned silence as he ripped the polaroid into meticulously small pieces, a determined curve to his mouth. When he reached for the next one, it jolted me into action. I yanked the box away from him, the box I kept hidden.
“What are you doing?! ”
“Getting rid of these,” he insisted.
I swatted him away when he tried to grab another one. “Bear, no. ”
He tipped the box towards him. “What is all this crap?”
Inside were my journals from my high school years, the polaroids, some dried flowers Xavier gave me for our first Valentine’s Day, my employee badges from every organization I ever worked with, and my homecoming crown.
I covered the top with my arm. “Take care of the fucking dishwasher!”
Bear blinked at me, surprised.
“ Now, Bear!”
“What am I supposed to?—?”
“Call maintenance! Look it up! Hit something with a hammer! I’m not your mother, I shouldn’t have to tell you this!” I jabbed at the dishwasher. “ Go! ”
Still fuming, I grabbed a towel from my pile and cleaned the underside of the box, carefully wiping where the water wore away at the cardboard. I needed to pick up another one. Another cardboard box. Something easily disposable.
That’s what those items were. Easily disposable. But I couldn’t bring myself to throw them away.