Page 9

Chapter

Seven

HADLEY

Jasmine: You’re coming to Adam’s Halloween party, right?

Hadley: I don’t know.

Jasmine: It’s the best hockey party of the year! You have to come. Bring your roommate! It’s always a blast.

Hadley: I’ll think about it.

Devon: Hey, wanna grab coffee with me?

I rub my finger over Devon’s text. He sent it four days ago, so if I’m not officially at the ghosting stage, I’m flirting way too close to the line. I vowed to stop thinking about guys that are bad for me and say yes to better choices.

So why am I ignoring him and getting dressed for the Hockey Hall Halloween party instead? I don’t know. I convinced Kendall to come with me, though, so if I had any sort of agenda or ulterior motive—which I don’t—I know she will keep me in check.

I shouldn’t have Jonas on my mind, with his soft lips, sweet smile, and deep brown eyes. My stomach flips at the mental picture. He’s off-limits, and besides, he’s a jock. He’ll inevitably put someone else first and disappoint me.

But apparently this is a great party. Can’t be missed. So I’m sure everything will be fine. As I pull on the bottom half of my costume, my phone buzzes with an incoming text.

Kendall: I’m sorry to ditch you, but…

Hadley: No. Don’t even be that girl.

Kendall: JaShawn is being VULNERABLE. It’s my Kryptonite!

Hadley: He just wants to get in your pants.

Kendall: I don’t see the problem. He knows what he’s doing in there!

Hadley: Enjoy ;) But you owe me!

I sigh. I don’t begrudge her the good time, but I wanted Kendall as a buffer tonight to help me stay strong in the face of any potential temptation the hockey party may or may not provide.

At least Jasmine will be there. She’s Cooper’s girlfriend, and he’s Hunter’s best friend.

She’s around a lot, in their apartment and at hockey games, so I’ve gotten to know her pretty well.

She doesn’t know about anything between me and Jonas—not like there’s anything to know.

But she will be in my corner if I need moral support tonight.

After twisting myself into a pretzel, I finally manage to zip my jumpsuit. I ordered it online, and it fits like a glove. I tug on the boots—they are perfection—and fluff my hair in the mirror. I make a decent Captain Marvel, if I do say so myself.

I don’t want to mess with parking and driving home later, so I walk the few blocks from my dorm to Hockey Hall.

It’s ten days before Halloween, but I guess one of Hunter’s teammates is obsessed with the holiday. He has a big party every year, and their schedule conflicts later in the month. So he opted for an early party, and Jasmine invited me.

I’ve been out with her and their group a few times already.

The hockey guys are fun, even if I suspect Hunter told them all they are only allowed to have platonic feelings about me.

Which is fine, of course, because I don’t want to date a hockey player.

But there will be lots of people at this party who don’t play sports.

So if I meet a cute guy tonight who could show me a good time, I’d consider going home with him. If I can sneak him past Hunter.

I’m not the only person in costume making my way to Hockey Hall and heading to the third floor.

I share an elevator with Eleven from Stranger Things , a sexy witch, and Spider Man.

An inflatable dinosaur tries to fit but they need to take the stairs in that thing.

I follow the crowd and the noise to the party.

“Hey!” I greet my brother inside the doorway, eyeing his costume up and down. He tips his fedora to me and fingers the bullwhip on his belt. “Oh, I get it. Watch out for snakes, Indiana.”

He shudders. “Why did it have to be snakes?”

I crack up at his impersonation, remembering one summer when we were obsessed with Raiders of the Lost Ark .

“I like your costume, too. You match Jonas,” he says.

I try to play it cool. “Oh yeah? How so?”

“He’s a Marvel character, too. You’ll have to find him and take a picture.”

Hunter glances over my shoulder like he’s looking for someone, so I raise my brows. “Are you the official door greeter?”

“Uh, no.” The lighting is terrible in here—mostly strobes—but is he blushing? “I, uh, invited Natalie. Just checking to see if she’s here yet.”

“Oooh,” I tease in a sing-song voice. “I think you like her.”

He doesn’t deny it. I met Natalie a few weeks back.

She does social media for the hockey team, and I’m pretty sure Hunter has a crush on her.

She’s great, though—sweet and funny and not intimidated by him, which is exactly what he needs.

I got to know her better when he forced her to pick me up from the Sig Alph frat party.

I did not ask for nor need a ride, but I’m learning that’s par for the course with Hunter.

He’s overprotective, but it’s nice to have someone in my family who cares.

“Well, good luck with her tonight.” I pat his shoulder as I move past him. “And don’t screw it up.”

Wandering into the kitchen, I grab a White Claw and see some other guys I know from the hockey team.

Mateo is as obsessed with the game as my brother, but Caleb, Levi, and Drew are cool.

I’m in the middle of a conversation with them about Ted Lasso when I step back and accidentally bump into someone.

I spin to see who it is and come face to face with the twinkling brown eyes I can’t get off my mind.

“Hey!” Jonas smiles, and my heartrate trips up a notch. “I’m glad you made it.”

“At least I didn’t spill my drink this time.” I shake the White Claw in my hand. “No broken glass.”

“An improvement for sure.”

My palms get sweaty. Why do I feel tongue-tied all of the sudden? I give Jonas a once-over and notice his martial arts outfit. Hunter’s right about our Marvel coincidence. “Uh, cool costume. I like Wong.”

One of the side characters from the Doctor Strange storyline, Wong is straightforward and good. And surprisingly funny. He reminds me a bit of Jonas.

Except for the straightforward thing, of course.

Jonas’s gaze lights up. “Thanks. You match my theme. We’re both in the Marvel Universe.”

“Yeah. Captain Marvel is my favorite.”

“She’s hot.” He chokes on air for a second, coughing, and my cheeks heat. “I mean, I like her. I like a lot of things about her. Her strong sense of justice and?—”

“Jonas, it’s okay.” I cut off his misery.

Maybe I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what to say.

But for some reason, I want to keep talking to him.

His stare is intent, fixed on me like I’m captivating.

It’s intoxicating. “Um, how are you? How’s your semester going, and hockey, and all that stuff? ”

His face turns serious when I mention hockey. “Good, I guess. What did you decide about your major? Are you taking Natalie’s suggestion and trying everything?”

At Monday Movie Night a few weeks ago, a tradition in their apartment, I mentioned my woes with my major.

Natalie and Jasmine were great sounding boards and recommended I take a bunch of different classes next semester to see what I like.

I haven’t gotten to talk about it with anyone else yet, though.

“I still need to run it by my advisor, but yeah, that’s the plan. I don’t know where to start, though. Any suggestions?”

He rubs his chin. “Oooh, great question. Do you like math or literature better?”

I shrug. “I like to read, but I’m more into billionaire romances than great literature. I guess I’m okay at math?”

He nods. “You could take a business class, then, to see if you like that. Maybe a communication class? That major has a lot of options. Do you like history?”

“I’m not sure what I’d do with it, career-wise, but it’s interesting.”

Jonas gives me his soft smile. “The whole point is to try things and see what you like. Don’t worry about finding a career yet.”

His encouragement bolsters me. My chest warms, having someone who cares.

“Hey, I was thinking after our conversation in the library the other night. Have you ever thought about a study abroad semester?”

My mouth drops open. I haven’t, but that would be incredible. Oxford, or Cambridge, maybe—a chance to see my dream city in college. My chest warms at the thought. Could I make it work?

“You mentioned wanting to travel, uh, before,” Jonas says at my speechlessness, “So I thought it might be a cool possibility to consider.”

“That’s a great idea. I love it. What’s your major?” I ask, stepping closer to him. “How come I don’t already know this?”

“Nursing.”

I wince. “I can eliminate that option, no doubt about it. I’d pass out in the first five minutes.”

Jonas laughs, and the sound resonates in my chest. “It’s not for everyone, I s’pose.”

“What made you pick that one?” I would have thought he’d be a generic business major or something with sports management.

It’s dark in the apartment, with weird black lights giving off a purple glow. So I can’t be sure, but Jonas’s face changes when I ask the question. He becomes more closed-off and takes a step back.

“I think it would be cool to help people when they need it.”

He braces himself, like he’s expecting me to say something derogatory in response.

Unfortunately, I bet he gets that a lot.

Nursing is still a female-dominated field and it’s gotta be hard to be a guy in that situation.

There were only a few guys in my Intro to Education classes, and all of them complained about how difficult it is, how they’re made fun of or asked if they are only going into education to have their summers off.

Reverse sexism sucks as much as the next kind of prejudice, and I won’t perpetuate that.

So I pat his arm. “That’s awesome. You took great care of me when I cut my hand. You’ll make a great nurse.” I cock my head. “But is that your fallback plan, after your hockey career ends?”

“Uh—”

“Dude, it’s beer pong time!” Evan bounds up like a golden retriever and slings his arm around Jonas’s shoulder. “Oh, hey, Little Thompson. Didn’t realize that was you.”

I glare. “No, we’re not doing that.”

Evan’s gorgeous blue eyes widen. “No beer pong?”

I push his chest. “No ‘Little Thompson.’ I’m not dealing with that crap. Call me Hadley, or nothing.”

He smirks, and I should have seen this coming. “Okay, Nothing.”

Giving him one last push, I growl and stalk away. Evan is harmless, but I wish I was still talking to Jonas. Which is the exact opposite of how I’m supposed to feel. Where’s Kendall to help remind me?

Since I need some girl time, I find Jasmine and Natalie and chat for a bit.

But my mind stays on my conversation with Jonas the rest of the night.

He was a good friend tonight, and his gaze makes me feel like I matter.

I can’t stop thinking about the way his kiss lit me up inside, and how much I want a repeat.

That settles it. I need to go out with Devon, if only to get Jonas out of my head. Before I can overthink it, I pull out my phone and find his text.

Hadley: Yeah, coffee sounds great! How about tomorrow?