Page 13

Chapter

Eleven

"What's wrong, Maddie?" Crystal reached over me to grab a wing.

"Oh. Nothing." I scooped my curls back from my face and stared intently at the bowl of ranch dressing.

"Uh-huh." Crystal dipped her wing, then leaned in. "It has nothing to do with the fact that Coach Wilson just walked in. With a hot brunette wearing a motorcycle jacket."

I didn't even pretend this time. Instead, I curled into her and hissed, "It's the girl he used to date in high school."

Crystal's eyes widened as she used both hands to eat her wing in the style of old cartoon characters eating corn on the cob. When she was finished, she set down the picked-clean bone and wiped her fingers with a napkin. "Shut up. You know her?"

I nodded, keeping my voice low so we wouldn't attract the attention of the rest of the team. "I hated her for all of grade nine."

Crystal made a cradle with her hands and dropped her chin into it. "Tell me more."

"She didn't deserve my hatred. It’s just that I was a little?—”

“Obsessed with Chase? Yes. I’m aware."

I groaned and curled into myself. "I don't know.

I had this weird secret world I was living in.

The one where Chase paid attention to me and noticed me, but it only existed outside of school when we were at home doing math at the island, which really only happened once or twice a week.

But it felt like those moments were bigger than everything else combined.

And even if he didn't so much as look at me in the hallway at school, it didn't matter.

It felt like it was our secret code, like we had something that nobody else knew about.

And then he left, and I realized there was no secret world .

It was just me. Alone. Fantasizing about a nonexistent relationship with Chase Wilson. "

I froze and glanced around the table. I said that louder than intended, but it didn't seem like anybody noticed.

Crystal turned my face back to hers. "He recognized you here, didn't he?"

I nodded with a slow exhale. "He knew who I was. Big whoop." But there was that moment in his office when our hands touched. That had happened before. One time in the kitchen when I'd reached for my glass of water to fill it up, he took it from me.

"You're helping me with my homework, Maddie. At least let me get you some water."

That one line made my whole week.

A pit opened up in my stomach. Another puzzle piece?

Chase hadn't asked me to his office because he wanted to spend time with me. He asked me there because he needed something from me. That was exactly why he‘d spent time with me in high school, too, wasn’t it? He wanted help with math?

No, back then he'd never explicitly asked me to do it, but I’d been more than a willing participant. On Tuesday, he asked for my help, and I, like an idiot, dropped everything and followed him like a lost puppy to his office.

And now here we were again. Him celebrating the B+ on his math test and showing up with Melody Sanchez on his arm.

I squeezed Crystal’s hand. "I think I'm going to head home. Can you get a ride with Rob and Shar?" Crystal frowned, but I didn't give her a chance to convince me to stay. I reached over and squeezed Sharla’s shoulder. "Hey. Can Crystal go home with you guys? I need to run."

She nodded and disentangled herself from Rob to give me a hug. "Have a good night, Maddie."

"Yeah. You too."

"Maddie!" Crystal called out, but I was already on my way to the door.

I almost made it. I pushed through the excited fans and kept my head low. But as I reached for the door handle, a hand gripped my wrist, tugging me back. A jolt shot through my arm, and I sucked in a breath as I turned.

Chase stood in front of me with a huge grin on his face. He glanced down at where he touched me and dropped my arm, then cleared his throat. "You weren't even going to say hello?"

My eyes flitted to Melody, who scooted in to stand beside him, threading her arm through his. I forced a smile. "You seemed occupied."

Chase’s mouth quirked. “You remember Melody?”

I did indeed. I remembered her more than he did, if our post-washroom conversation was to be believed. “I doubt she remembers me.”

She laughed, throwing out a hand. “Of course I do! You’re Chase’s little sister.”

Everything inside me crumbled. “Hm. Yeah, we’re not?—”

“Were you at the game tonight?” She clung tighter to Chase’s arm. “I heard it was wild.”

I nodded, glancing briefly at Chase before avoiding his gaze like it was the last Timbit on a road trip. “It was . . . pretty incredible. You weren’t there?”

She sighed. “Nope. Couldn’t make it, but Chase met me after.”

After. It took me two point five seconds to do that math. The game ended around eight thirty, and it was now ten forty-two.

The numbers didn’t lie.

I forced a smile. “So nice to see you again. I hope you have a great night.” I spun on my heel and pushed through the door.

_____

I woke up with a pounding head and a numb left arm. Blinking, I rolled and cringed at the sensation of prickling needles under my skin as the blood re-entered my limb. What the hell was that sound?

A shrill ringing sounded from the other room, and I finally connected that it was the telephone. I checked my alarm clock to see it was seven fifty-five in the morning, then groaned into my pillow before rolling out of bed in nothing but an oversized tee and my boy-shorts underwear.

Tash was up later than I was the night before, and she was going to kill me if that phone call was for me. If it was for her? I’d smother her with a pillow.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I muttered, stumbling barefoot over a laundry pile and stubbing my toe on the baseboard as I entered the kitchen.

I picked up the receiver and croaked, “Hello?”

“Oh good, you’re alive.”

I pulled to release the cord so I could sit at the table, then immediately regretted it. The chair was freezing on my half-bare butt cheeks. “Hi, Mom.”

She huffed like she’d been holding her breath. “You haven’t called all week. I was about to send a Mountie to your apartment.”

“Sorry.” I yawned. “I’ve been so busy.”

“Maddie. I’m your mother. I’ve known you since before you could pronounce 'hypotenuse.' A five-minute call won’t collapse your GPA.”

That made me grin. She was right, as usual. “I was asked to be on a committee. To help with student athletes.”

“What? When?”

“It’s been the past two weeks. I was looking for something I could do to?—”

“Make your application more impressive. For the Rhodes?”

I don’t know why it warmed my heart that she remembered. Of course she did. “Exactly. And the team has been struggling since Logan left.”

“Well, I heard about their big win last night. They mentioned it on the radio this morning—5-1, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Against Red Deer?”

“Yup. Ravens.” For a brief moment, I thought about telling her everything. The drama with Chase, the adjustments I helped make to their game strategy. But this morning, it all suddenly felt empty. It was stupid that I felt so gutted by nothing.

Chase probably hadn’t done any of this on purpose.

He probably had no clue I felt the way I did because I barely knew what I felt.

I needed to stop letting my emotions cloud my purpose.

I’d done what I intended to. I helped my friends.

I was participating in a worthy cause on campus. None of the rest of it mattered.

“I saw Cliff in Safeway yesterday.” Mom’s voice was soft, almost apologetic.

I blinked. “What?” It took me a moment to compute what she was saying. “Cliff as in Cliff Wilson?” That was Chase’s dad, and the mention of him in the midst of thinking about Chase was disorienting.

“We talked. I know I should’ve walked the other direction, but . . . I don’t know. He seemed sad.”

“Mom—”

“I know, I know, but it wasn’t all bad. He said Chase is coaching now. Something about a compliance job?”

Blood rushed in my ears. “Oh?”

“Yeah, I guess Cliff had some connection with a University or something and was able to get him the job.”

My heart sped, and I suddenly felt dizzy.

“I think he’s really struggled since high school,” Mom continued. “He and Cliff never got along—no surprise there—but everything with his mom?—”

“What about his mom?”

“Oh . . . I . . . well, I’m not sure if it’s common knowledge, but his mom is in prison.”

It felt like a fist punched through my sternum. “In prison? For what?”

Mom sighed. “It was a DUI. Really sad, actually. She ended up killing a pedestrian. I think she got seven years so—actually, she might be getting out soon.”

My stomach twisted. I pushed up from the chair, bracing myself on the table as the room seemed to spin around me.

“Anyway, the whole conversation reminded me how much we used to love going to Chase’s games. I miss it, Maddie. And I know you and your friends go to games all the time. I was wondering if maybe I could join you sometime?”

Panic zipped through my bloodstream. “Oh, to an Outlaws game?”

“Right! Wouldn’t that be?—”

“We should go to a Blizzard game. That would be?—”

“No, those tickets are so expensive, and watching the pros isn’t the same.”

I struggled to breathe. “Well, let’s talk about it. I actually need to?—”

“I was looking at the schedule. I think there’s a home game?—”

A knock sounded at the front door. “Hey, Mom? There’s someone at the door. Can I phone you back later?” Normally I’d be pissed at someone showing up at my apartment at eight ten in the morning on a Saturday, but right now, it was the perfect escape.

“Oh, sure. Promise you’ll phone soon?”

“Yep. Promise. Love you, Mom.”

The knocking started up again, more insistent this time. I dropped the phone back on the receiver and ran for the door. I flicked the dead bolt and turned the handle. Damn it, if that was Garrett I was going to ? —

The blood drained from my face.

Chase was out of breath, his sweatshirt sleeves shoved up to his elbows, hair damp and curling at the edges. His mouth parted as his eyes dropped, sliding over my braless torso and bare thighs.

My toes curled against the small patch of linoleum that was our entryway. I couldn’t force myself to move. How was Chase Wilson standing on my doorstep? Why was he here? Where had he gotten my address? The questions jammed my head so full, all I could get out was, “Chase? It’s Saturday.”

He dragged his eyes back up to mine, planting his hands on his hips. “Yeah. Saturday.”

I stared at him, crossing my arms over my chest as the cool morning air brushed over my skin making everything . . . perk up. “I—what—” And then it hit me. Saturday. “Shit,” I hissed.

“There it is.”

I pressed my fingers to my temple. Saturday.

Axel had mentioned it last night at Ranchman’s.

He’d said his math professor held open office hours during the week but on the second Saturday of the month he was available in the morning and I shouldn’t drink too much because he was hoping I’d be there, and I’d said, “For sure!” Then Axel had scribbled down the time and the room number and I’d shoved it in my purse then promptly forgotten about it because Chase was walking in with freaking Melody Sanchez.

“What time is it?” I spun in a circle, searching for a clock, but the microwave wasn’t visible from the front door.

“Eight fifteen.”

I spun back to Chase. “Is Axel already there?”

He nodded. “He searched my number in the staff directory. He tried your number and it was busy.”

I groaned. “He woke you up? Wait—why is your personal number listed in the directory?”

“Kind of not the point right now.”

“Right. I—Okay, give me five. I’ll—” I exhaled in a rush, glancing down the street. “I had to park three blocks over last night. I think someone was having a party?—”

“Just put some damn clothes on and get in.” Chase pointed at his truck idling on the curb.

“Okay. Right.” I slammed the door shut and ran to my room.

Thankfully, my jeans were draped over the end of my bed.

I pulled them on, then strapped on my bra and pulled a crewneck Douglas sweatshirt over my head.

I stubbed the same toe on the way to the washroom, brushed my teeth through my watering eyes, and ran out the door.