Page 18

“Where’s Maddie?” Ace asks while I hang out with the guys in the man cave. We’re drinking a few beers with a hockey game on the screen.

I shrug at him because Madison hasn’t been here all day. I noticed her books were missing, so she must’ve gone to class. But I know she doesn’t have a night class, and she’s not back yet.

Ace doesn’t question me further, and I appreciate the space. I don’t need to talk about girls because I can’t ever fucking figure them out. I take part of the blame for her ghosting me. I took her to the ice rink in the middle of the night after flirting with her for the entire road trip and asked her if she liked me. I got too comfortable. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking asking her that after she nervously rambled her heart out. Of course, I scared her away. I take a sip of my beer, not knowing if I should text her to see if she’s okay or if I should just wait to see her tomorrow.

Since Ace noticed that she’s gone, I might be fucked.

“Should I text her?” I blurt. Knox looks my way, but I’m talking to Ace. Ace pushes Knox’s shoulder to keep him in check. Knox minds his business and watches the game.

Ace says, “Did she disappear on you?”

I sink deep into the couch. “I don’t know. It’s late now, isn’t it?”

He checks the time, and it is late. She should be here by now.

Ace says, “Isn’t she your girlfriend? Do you care about her?”

I blow out hot air and shake my head. “I don’t know.”

“Just fucking text her,” Knox says. “How did the road trip go?”

“Yeah, did something happen?” Ace adds.

I sip my beer, looking at these two fuckers I shouldn’t be taking advice from. “Nothing bad.”

Knox says, “Text her man.”

Ace shrugs at me, so I pull out my phone. They have no context about anything that’s happening between me and Maddie. I’ve kept my mouth shut. They must think that something’s wrong with me if my new girlfriend is fucking ghosting me. You know what? I don’t fucking care. I need the support. I stand when I pull up her name on my phone. “What the hell am I going to say?”

“For one, ask if she’s alright. Not like her to disappear, right?”

“Right.” I agree. I open our text message thread and tap away.

Grey: Are you ok?

“Okay, I sent it.”

“Sent what?” Ace asks.

“I asked her if she was okay. What the fuck else?”

“Oh my god,” I barge into Sydney’s room. Thankfully she’s not in bed yet. “I’m sorry for not knocking, but he just texted me.”

She’s sitting at her vanity with her laptop open. Her face twists into confusion. “Who?”

“Grey,” I shout.

She puts down her pencil and takes off her glasses.

“We never text,” I reassure her. Maybe once in the past, but that was it.

“What did he say?”

I show her the phone. “ Are you okay? ”

She looks at me like I’m crazy. “He’s probably worried, which is really sweet.”

I start pacing her room. “That’s exactly what I don’t need to hear right now.”

“What? That he’s worried about you?”

“Yeah,” I fake cry. “He just needed to give me space to think, and I’ll see him tomorrow anyway. Look at my freaking eyebrows. I can’t just tell him that my eyebrows are hideous, and I don’t want him to see me this way.”

Sydney shakes her head. “You can just tell him that.”

“No, I can’t.” I scoff. “Help me, Sydney. What should I say?”

She is completely judging me right now. “Tell him that you’re okay and you’ll see him tomorrow.”

“Okay, right. Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Maddie: I’m ok. Are you ok?

“Okay, I hit send,” I say to Sydney, staring at my screen.

“What did you write?”

I show her my phone and she laughs.

My stomach fills with butterflies. “Oh, no. Should I not have asked him if he’s okay?”

She points at the phone. “It just reads really funny.”

“Should I text him again?”

“Did you guys have a fight?” Knox asks. “Did she breakup with you?”

“No, nothing fucking happened,” I answer. My phone dings. “She wrote back, ‘I’m okay. Are you okay?’ ” I say, staring at the screen. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Knox says, “Maybe she just wants to make sure you’re okay.”

Ace nods. “A question to keep the conversation going.”

“So,” I say, drinking my beer. “I tell her that I’m pissed off she’s not here?”

Ace chuckles. “Damn, bro.” He grabs my shoulder. “Don’t do that. Do you really want to be that clingy fucking boyfriend?”

“Shut the fuck up, man,” I snap. Is that what I sound like right now?

Ace says, “Ay, it’s not a bad thing to like this girl a lot. Just don’t tell her that.”

Knox cuts him off. “It’s his girlfriend! Tell her that you’re watching the hockey game, and then ask her what she’s wearing.”

I glare at Knox. “I’m not fucking asking her that.”

Ace and Knox hit each other with stupid smirks on their faces. Ace asks, “Dude, do you know how to text? Keep it simple.”

“Yeah,” I scoff. “Like you fuckers know what you’re doing.”

Grey: Just watching the game. You?

I leave the cave as Ace calls out, “Grey and Maddie sitting in a tree.”

“Shut the fuck up,” I mutter under my breath as I walk up the stairs. I need to get away from these assholes and handle this on my own. They’re going to suspect that we’re not actually together and that I’m freaking out because I might really fucking like this girl. I hit send when I’m in my bedroom and pace my room.

“He wrote back.”

I hold the phone for Sydney to read. “Oh, he’s just starting a conversation.”

“No,” I take the phone back for my viewing only. “He’s trying to find out what I’m doing and why I’m not there.”

“Okay. What’re you going to tell him?”

I throw my hands up. “That’s why I’m in here. You need to help me!”

“Oh, just tell him that you’re hanging out with me because I needed help.”

I nod. “Great idea.”

Maddie: Sydney needed some emotional support tonight

I sigh. “Okay, I sent it. That’s perfect, Syd. It’s good. He’ll understand that.”

Grey: Are you coming here tonight?

I steal a glance at myself in the vanity mirror. These brows are practically glowing, jumping off of my face. The second he gets a glimpse of these Woolly bear caterpillars, he will have teasing rights forever. I cannot be the girl he briefly fake dated for a moment in time and be remembered by these embarrassing eyebrows. It’s not happening.

“Should I go to his place?” I huff. “No, don’t answer that. I can’t do it.”

“Just keep it simple,” Sydney says, watching me like a hawk.

“Right. Simple.”

Why does my text look so desperate? Truth is that I just need to know if she’s breaking the contract early because I could really do with that. No offense, Maddie. But I don’t like to lose. I think right now I win. I sit on my bed and wait for these three dots to pop up. Since when do I give a shit about a girl? Not once. But apparently now I do. This… with her… is different. I’m longing for icy stares and hearing her belly laugh from the bed while I’m doing homework at my desk. I think I fucked this up last night. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t persuaded Coach into letting me drive with her because we wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Maddie: No

I stare at the screen and blurt, “Why the fuck not?”

Grey: Why?

I wait, staring at the screen. My leg is fucking bouncing as I sit on the edge of my bed. I can’t get the road trip out of my head.

Maddie: Because Sydney needs me

I scoff, forgetting that minor detail that she just got done telling me. I’m too stuck in my head right now. Fuck.

Grey: Tell Nixon to take care of her

Shit. That was a douchebag thing to say, and I can’t unsend it because she probably already read the damn message. My heart is racing as I type out my next message.

Grey: Is the deal over?

“Oh, fuck, Sydney,” I mutter when Grey’s text comes through. “He’s asking me if the deal is over?”

“What deal?” she asks.

“The one where I stay with him for a month, and he doesn’t sleep with anyone for a month. The deal to fake date to make Matt jealous.”

She leans back in her chair, completely uninterested. But I need her full attention and help if I’m going to keep Greyson in my life.

“What do I do?” I demand. “Should I just tell him that my eyebrows are ugly?”

She laughs. “Yeah. Why does it matter?”

Seeing her mock me really hits a nerve. “Because this means he’s probably going to go find someone to hook up with, and I can’t have that because Matt will flock over to me once he finds out.”

She glares at me, and I feel like crawling into a hole. “Is this about Matt, or is it about Grey?”

I shrug. “I don’t know! Both!”

“See… you like him,” she teases, and I drop my shoulders to look up at the ceiling. I blow air into my cheeks, and she pops them for me. “Just admit that you like him, and I will help you.”

“I must if I get a hint of jealousy on my tongue when I think about him hooking up with someone.”

She smiles. “Okay. You’re out of the denial phase. Let the real fun begin.”

“Hardy har,” I roll my eyes. “What am I supposed to text him?”

“Tell him your eyebrows are bad because they are.”

It’s been a few minutes since I sent that last text, and I’m wondering what the hell is taking so long for her to reply. I can’t bear to wait any longer, so now that I know she won’t be coming to my place tonight, I’m off the hook.

When I walk back into the man cave, I shout, “I’m a free bird, boys!”

Knox glances over at me with concerned eyes.

Ace stands up to shake my hand. “Let’s go to that party.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

I check my phone. Maddie texted me a minute ago.

Maddie: My brow lady really screwed up my eyebrows

Okay, cool excuse. I turn off my phone screen, shove it in my pocket and follow Ace up the stairs.

Knox hollers, “What’s going on with Madison Wilder?”

“She’s not coming back,” I answer.

When Knox is out of sight, Ace says to me, “I know you like this girl, dude. You might have to rubberneck it if you want to keep her. But I know you’re not that kind of guy.”

“Bro, her excuse is Sydney. We both know that girl can hold her own and then she mentioned some bullshit about her eyebrows. I’m good to go. Let’s fucking party like old times.”

Chapter 19

The party at McGregor’s doesn’t fucking disappoint. Kegs in the backyard, a jacuzzi bubbling, and a mix of people from campus – not just hockey players.

Ace, Knox, and I make our way through the house, greeting a few people we know. We end up drinking a few more beers and talking with McGregor about our last game.

Poppy and her friend, Emma, appear in the conversation out of nowhere. And Poppy is touching my shoulders as the conversation continues. Her eyes are surrounded by gray powder when I look into them.

She says, “Where’s Maddie?”

I drink from my beer, glancing down at my hands. Normally, I like it when Poppy is all over me, but right now, I’m not feeling it.

“I knew she wouldn’t last,” Poppy says, leaning on me.

My eyes dart to Ace who’s staring at Poppy. And then he looks at me. I slightly shake my head to tell him to stop thinking what he’s thinking. I know he finds her attractive. He’s always egging me on to hook up with her. I think in some weird way, he’s happy that I’m scoring when he knows Poppy is fucking obsessed with me and won’t give him the time of day. When she tries to sit on my lap, I’m so fucking turned off by this woman throwing herself at me that I stand up and grab her by the wrist. She’s drunk, but so am I. She waggles her eyebrows at the group as I drag her through the crowd. I glance back to look at Ace, he’s just drinking his cup and minding his business. He probably thinks I’m taking her to a bedroom to fuck because that’s what I normally do, but I’m trying to get her alone in a quiet room so that I don’t have to reject her in front of everyone.

Her hands crawl on my shoulders as I tug her into an empty bedroom and shut the door. When she tries to kiss me, I look at the ceiling. With my height, she can’t reach my lips.

“What?” she whispers. “What’s wrong, Grey?” She’s tugging the hell out of my neck, but I can’t look down or she’s going to start kissing me. I walk away from her and sit on the bed. She takes this as an opportunity to sit on my lap. “Oh, I like this.”

My hands immediately grab her lower back, but my dick is limp. And that’s how I know I got it bad with Maddie.

“Don’t kiss me,” I retort as she tries to rub against me. “Poppy.” I grip her love handles with pressure as I watch her. There were many nights when I craved her and nobody else. She has always been my favorite hookup. If I had a choice in the litter, it was her. I used to enjoy the sexy outfits she wore, and the makeup that matched, but right now, there is no desire, no longing. Everything I liked about her has been washed away and replaced by someone else.

“Yes, Grey?” she smirks. This chick is hornier than a screwdriver. Her hands are all over me.

“Do you remember the last time we hooked up?” I ask, placing her hair behind her shoulder.

She smiles, trying hard to reach my dick with her crotch. It’s still flaccid.

I stand up and drop her on the bed.

She giggles as I stare down at her. “Of course, I remember.”

I whisper in a dark tone, “It’s the last time I’m fucking touching you.”

When I turn to leave, she shouts, “Are you fucking kidding me!” She stands up quickly and slams the door shut before I can exit. “What the fuck are you saying? You can’t tell me that everything with that girl is fucking real. I saw you kiss her and then you fucked me right after. That’s when we last fucked! And I know that’s why you brought me into this fucking room because she’s nowhere near, and you love fucking me.”

I can’t even look her in the eye because she’s drunk, and I know that’s the problem. If I did this in front of everyone out there, she would’ve made a scene. At least, she won’t humiliate herself in here.

“There was a point and time where I did, yeah.” The thought of anyone else but Madison deters me. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I look at Poppy and feel nothing. She’s just another girl at this point.

Poppy puts her hand on my chest and says, “So, why stop?”

I grab her hands. “It’s not happening anymore.”

I leave the room, hoping she’ll take a minute to herself. But she chases me out the fucking door. Jesus Christ. I wipe my face in frustration as I turn around.

Poppy shouts, “All you’re good for is fucking, Grey. You’re not boyfriend material. That girl is going to fucking leave you the second she gets to know who you really are. She’ll run back to Matthew Pearson, and you’ll come fucking running back to me!”

I stare at her, clenching my jaw.

She shouts, “Greyson Cress comes in three fucking minutes. And I just fucked him so good that he’s throwing a fit!”

“Shut the fuck up,” I snark.

She steps in my face and whispers, “You did good by bringing me into that room, Grey. I’m going to make sure Maddie knows that you fucked me so fucking good tonight.”

She licks my face, and I’m so fucking livid as I stare over her shoulder. But I keep my composure because she’s going to love it if I blow up right now.

“Do what you want, Poppy,” I whisper in her ear. “You’ll never be her.”

The death glare she gives me is the rise I wanted to get out of her. And this is exactly why we’re only fuck buddies. She’s out of her fucking mind.

“Fuck you,” she says.

I shrug and leave her standing in the hallway. I am patting myself on the back for handling that like an adult. Taking her upstairs to a private area was the right thing to do. When I walk down the stairs, my eyes lock with Crew Nixon. Mother fucker. His eyes dart to the person at the top of the stairs. Poppy.

When I walk to Ace, I take his drink. He shakes his head and asks, “That was quick.”

“Fuck off. I’m getting out of here.”

Knox lifts a brow. “You got what you needed and now you’re bouncing.”

I shake my head, sick and tired of my fucking reputation. Poppy has been the only chick I’ve hooked up with in the past month. I’ve been slowly behaving myself. My hockey career comes first.

“See you assholes later,” I say, taking a shot, and then heading out of the party. On the way out, Crew is still staring at me. That mother fucker is going to run straight to Maddie and tell her the second he gets home.

Instead of going to my house, I head to the auditorium. I need to release some stress because there’s no way I can fucking sleep.