Page 35 of Penalty Box

Her lashes cast tiny shadows over her cheeks, softening her features even more. She fascinated me. The way she took all of this in her stride. How she didn’t shy away from my mess.

“I know. And thank you.”

Her smile fractured something in me. “Good.”

She stood, gently pulled the pack from my shoulder, and set it on the table next to me. “No more extra drills. Go home, and get some sleep.”

I watched her start to leave, my heart hankering after her.

“Hey,” I called out. “When are you, uh, platonically free to play doctor again?”

“Platonically?” She paused in the doorway, her smile wider now.

“Wholesome. PG-13 all the way.”

She backed out of the room, the shadows from the hallway almost swallowing her whole. “I’ll let you know,” she said, and then she was out of sight.

11

Cass

The Zamboni bay wasn’t exactly the ideal study nook, but it was quiet, secluded, and came with the added bonus of no one bothering me. Unless I counted the persistent drip of melting ice echoing from the rafters.

I was supposed to be checking the backup battery, but I’d already popped the casing open, noted the corrosion, and imagined the response I’d get to my request for a new one. That’s when I decided to push the admin aside and cram for my hydraulics exam instead.

Sitting cross-legged on an upturned crate with my textbook spread across my lap, I read and re-read the same paragraph for the fifth time. None of it was sticking. I exhaled sharply through my nose.

I needed to focus. I needed to absorb displacement values, directional control, actuators—

“You look like you want to throw up.”

My head whipped up to find Mason in the open doorway, bathed in pale overhead light, gym bag slung over his good shoulder. He wasn’t kitted up yet, but the base layer clung to his chest in a way that made focusing even harder.

“Authorized personnel only.”

He laughed, and sauntered in anyway, kicking a crate next to mine before sitting down. “Last I checked, I was authorized to hang out with you. As just friends.”

Yeah, right. Because ‘just friends’ periodically stuck their tongues down each other’s throats and dry-humped each other.

“I’m studying.”

He didn’t look like he cared. “I’m acting on my doctor’s strict order not to over-train. So, instead of doing drills before practice, I’m resting.”

I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to kick him out or jump him. I decided to do neither, and let things play out.

“You’re sweet, Mason, but you need to be sweet and rest somewhere else,” I said. “I mean it, this exam’s giving me sleepless nights.”

“It seems we’ve reached a stalemate.”

“No, there’s no stalemate,” I said, slamming my textbook closed. “You need to leave.”

“As the one who banned me from the ice, the onus falls on you to keep me company.” The gym bag dropped from his shoulder and he kicked out his feet as though he were reclining on a lawn chair. Obviously not about to go anywhere.

“You’re the neediest hockey player I’ve ever met.”

“Maybe,” he replied. “Or maybe I just think you’re hot when you get annoyed.”

That earned him a side-eye, which he pretended not to see.