Page 7

neo

“That had to be the first game in a long time, where you weren’t constantly in the penalty box,” Bass chuckles as he works on tapping the keg.

“It wasn’t a real game.”

“Yeah, but you had the rest of us out there playing hard like it was a real one,” Bass retorts.

“What are you trying to say?” I raise an eyebrow, wondering if my friend is questioning my leadership. I’m touchy about that shit.

“I was just making an observation, asshole, relax.”

Bass hands me a cup of beer, and I take a sip of the cool amber liquid, savoring the taste. I only allow myself one cup of celebratory anything, so I need to make it last half the night. After that, it’s Gatorade for me. I learned my lesson back when I was a fat head freshman and celebrated a little too hard during training camp. Coach showed me no mercy that week. I puked for three days straight.

“We know you play every game, exhibition or not, like it’s your last. I’m just glad you’re actually going to party with us tonight instead of being a grumpy old man and staying up in your room.”

Tonight, the entire team, minus the coaching staff, are getting together in the ice house, which basically serves as a frat house for members of the team. We’re so revered by VCU alumni that a group of boosters bought the adobe-styled house for us to live in. Not all of us live here, though. The younger guys on the team live in one of the university’s athletic dorms, but they party here with us on the weekends and holidays. As their captain and head of the house, it’s my job to stay clear-headed and make sure nothing gets out of hand, so most of the time I’m in my room watching game tape.

“I’m not grumpy,” I grunt. “I just have stuff to take care of most weekends.”

“Just remember to take care of yourself too, Cap,” he says, using my team nickname.

“Where’s Shane?” I ask, changing the subject. Sometimes Bass tries to give guys on the team life coaching (particularly me) when nobody asked him for it and a change of topic is the only way to handle him.

“I think I saw him talking outside with Kennedy. You know how he is, probably driving that girl completely crazy with his passive-aggressive teasing.”

A part of me that lurks somewhere down deep lights up like a Christmas bulb.

“Kennedy’s here?”

“Yeah?” Bass responds suspiciously.

“Who’s she here with?”

“I don’t know,” he says disinterested. “Some new girl.”

I take another swallow of my beer and walk away from Bass. It pisses my friends off when I decide to end a conversation by simply walking out of a room, but they should be used to it by now.

It doesn’t take me long to walk through from the back of the house to the front, and immediately see Shane’s large limbs around the shoulders of two small women, Kennedy and Violet. Their backs are to me and my eyes hone in immediately on Violet’s ass.

It’s perfect, just like I thought it would be.

Fuck.

The last thing I need is to actually be attracted to this girl. This is supposed to be an information gathering mission only.

“Hey, Neo.” A random girl that I may or may not have slept with at some point last year is sitting on top of a wood cabinet in a skirt so short I can see the color of her red panties. “You were great tonight,” she slurs, definitely drunk or high on something.

“Thanks.”

“How come you never call me?”

“Hockey,” I say, offering my usual answer when the truth is I don’t do second dates. First dates are fun. Second ones are irksome.

A few other guests of the house rush over, wanting to talk to me about the game or have some sort of other random conversation, and it gets the attention of Shane and the girls.

“Oh, the Cap is here!” Shane shouts as I make my approach and more heads turn.

Every guy on the team gets their share of attention from students on a regular basis, but they especially love to rub my nose in it because they know it’s not something I particularly care for. I don’t play the game to be the big man on campus, it just happens to be a side effect of being the captain of the most popular team at VCU.

“I see you made it,” I ignore Shane’s smart ass greeting and speak directly to Violet, who again is dressed differently than every other thirsty girl in the house tonight. Her conservative black crew neck tee and dark washed jeans are deceptively sexy as the outfit hugs all of her curves but nothing about it screams, look at me . I wonder if she has any idea just how attractive she looks in it.

“Um, yes.”

She has that same look on her face. The one she had at the rink when it appeared as if she rather be anywhere else but there. It makes me wonder if Kennedy had to bribe her to come tonight.

“But you rather be reading?” I ask, half joking.

Her eyes blink a few times before she answers me.

“Is that going to be your go to line for the rest of the semester?”

My go to line?

I hold back a laugh.

“Sounds like you plan on reading at all my games this season,” I reply, offering a small, teasing grin. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. She’s getting more interesting by the minute.

“I brought homework to a hockey game. So what? I’m sure I’m not the first person to do it. I bet half of the people in there were on their cell phones ordering last minute Christmas gifts and not paying you all any attention.”

I take a step closer to her. Close enough that I can see she’s wearing clear gloss on her lips as well as a thin layer of eyeshadow with flecks of gold glitter that illuminatethe bronze skin of her eyelids. It’s not a lot of makeup, but just enough to accentuate what she already has.

“They’re always paying attention,” I tell her with a confidence that isn’t meant to sound cocky. It’s just facts.

“I hope this hockey thing works out for you,” she says in a patronizing tone that no one else on this planet would ever use with me and my dick gets hard.

“It already has,” I tell her and when she laughs in response, I don’t.

I can’t.

I’m too busy appreciating how spectacularly she glows in the soft light of the house.

Kennedy interrupts us just as it was getting good. “I told you that Violet isn’t here to make new friends, Neo. Just point us to the real drinks and not this watery beer crap and we’ll be on our way.”

“I’ll walk you to the drinks.” And I have no idea why my voice drops three octaves and my chest puffs up when I’m around this girl, but it does. Suddenly, I don’t want her walking through the house without an escort. I know these guys in here. She’s new, she’s gorgeous, and she’s available. That’s the only green light these fuckers need.

“Fine,” Kennedy huffs.

“Where are you going?” Shane asks, turning away from another conversation he was having as he watches us walk away.

“I’ve got ‘em,” I tell him, understanding the meaning behind the question. If he can’t have Kennedy, he damn sure doesn’t want anyone else in this room to have her, either.

My back stiffens as I walk through the room with the girls on either side of me, because while I know some of the stares are to acknowledge my presence, the others are directed at Kennedy and Violet…especially Violet.

Two of the team’s favorite puck bunnies, Gia and Rain, super fans of the team who happen to fuck some of us too, are manning the mixed drink bar. We have the usual bottles of gin, vodka and tequila and mixers available, but they’re also in charge of serving a holiday themed drink that’s made with peppermint schnapps.

“Do you two want the candy cane?” I ask them.

“I’ll take anything at this point,” Kennedy fusses.

Violet is still staring around the room, and I’m not sure what she’s thinking. My assumption, or maybe my hope, is that she admires the house because it’s not common for a university team or club to have the kind of house we do.

“Do you like the house?” I ask her, wondering if there’s something I can use to impress this girl if it isn’t hockey.

“It’s nice,” she says plainly, then turns her back to me. “Excuse me, but may I get a coke instead?” she asks Gia.

“That’s all you want?” Gia questions, giving Violet a hard once over, something I think all the puck bunnies do to new girls who visit the house.

“Yeah, is that okay?”

I give Gia a cursory warning glare, reminding her to act accordingly. I get that she’s possessive, but just because she sucked a few of us off over the last few years doesn’t mean she gets to be a bitch to guests of the house.

“Of course it’s okay,” she says with a saccharin smile. “I was just making sure that’s all she wanted, Neo,” she adds.

Kennedy rolls her eyes at Gia as she silently mixes her drink with the candy cane stick used as a garnish. The two have a history because of Shane. Actually, half of the house has history with Gia.

“This is a pretty fancy drink for an ice house kickback,” Kennedy says, giving me the side eye as she takes a sip.

“I go all out for Christmas.”

“I didn’t realize your grumpy ass had a favorite holiday,” she quips, tipping the glass in Mia’s direction to see if she wants a sip, but Violet shakes her head no.

“Who doesn’t like Christmas?” I say, remembering all the great Christmas mornings that my brother and I shared when we were young.

Violet wipes the top of the coke can with the edge of her t-shirt to clean it, pops the can open, then says, “I don’t.”

Just when I’m getting ready with a line of questioning to discover why this little book nerd is also a Christmas Grinch, Shane walks toward us with purpose, worry etched on his face.

“What?” I question him. Shane is rarely worried about much.

“I’m going to walk the girls over to the snacks,” he tells me.

“Why?” Wondering why he’s suddenly cock blocking me.

“It’s Bender.”