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twenty-eight

Mark

W alking down to the rink, my nerves are on edge.

I texted Derrick nearly an hour ago that I was going down there to tell Hunter everything he’d done.

I got zero text back, but I’m not worried about that.

Even though I’m here to clear my name, my only focus is Hunter.

I don’t care if he takes me back—or at least, that’s what I’m telling myself.

What I care about is Hunter believing this is fake.

It’s so far from fake, and I’m not going to let him keep thinking he means nothing to me.

My nerves heighten as I walk down the stairs and see Hunter in practice gear skating on the ice. Memories of us together on that very ice hit me in the chest. My footsteps must echo because he looks up, and his body visibly stiffens as he stares at me.

As I walk down to the rink, Hunter skates to the entrance, watching me. I want to know what he’s thinking but it probably isn’t anything good. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I open my mouth, but no words come out. My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it. “I just want to talk to you.”

“I don’t want you to talk to me. Go away.”

“Hunter, please I—”

“No! You fucking used me. You hurt my best friend. You’re a monster!”

“No I didn’t,” I’m losing my mind. “Please, just listen to me. It’s not what you think.”

“I never want to see you again. What aren’t you getting! You should be in jail.” His brow pinches. “Wait? Why aren’t you in jail? I told Sawyer days ago.”

I go to open my mouth to tell him everything when I hear footsteps behind me. “Well, well.” Fuck . I swallow, turning around to see Derrick walking down the stairs to the rink. “Damn, you sure are desperate.”

Hunter’s face darkens and it actually scares me a little. “What the fuck are you doing here? What are you both doing here? Haven’t you both done enough?!”

“Whoa, whoa.” Derrick laughs, throwing his hands up. “He called me here. Don’t blame me.”

“What the hell are you doing?” he hisses at me.

Here it goes. I just hope Sawyer’s in place. “I want to tell you that none of what happened between us was fake.”

“Oh, bestie,” Derrick coos. “Yes it was. I mean, honestly, you should thank him.” His face darkens. “I wanted him to hurt you. I settled on emotional damage, though. You’re welcome.”

“What the fuck is wrong with both of you?”

I cast a nervous look to Derrick. It’s now or never. “I want to tell you that I didn’t want to do this, but he’s been blackmailing me for months.”

“The fire you started at the Blue Lotus—”

“No, I didn’t!” I snap. “I didn’t, but Derrick has been blackmailing me to take the fall for months. I didn’t do it.”

“Ah, yes you did.” Derrick laughs. “Lit that place up like the Fourth of July.” He laughs again. “Get it? The firework?”

“Firework?” Hunter asks, confused, because he’s one of the few people to know how it really caught fire.

“Exactly. You know it wasn’t a firework,” I say to Hunter. Derrick’s brow pinches, then his face morphs—darkens. “I was hanging out with Derrick the night of the fire in the community field behind the restaurant, but I didn’t light it on fire. The only—”

“You were still with him! Derrick’s a scumbag.”

“I know!” I rush out. I feel like I’m losing my mind. “I know he is. Listen, when I first came here I—”

“I don’t fucking care,” Hunter grits.

“Just listen to me,” I plead. “When I first started hanging out with him, I didn’t have anyone else. Slowly, I started to realize what a piece of shit he was.”

“Ouch,” I hear him deadpan behind me.

Ignoring Derrick, I look right into Hunter’s eyes.

“I started to realize the trouble I was getting into, and I stopped hanging out with him as much. I knew he had a party that night on the Fourth of July and I didn’t want to go, but I got into a fight with my father earlier that day and I wanted to keep my mind off shit.

There were a couple of girls who were smashed.

I stayed there to keep an eye on them so they wouldn’t go off with him while they were drunk.

I sent two girls home that he was going to leave with, and he got pissed.

Went off. He started the fire.” Hunter’s eyes widen.

“Mark, stop lying. We both know you set the firework off—”

“It wasn’t a firework. They know it wasn’t the fucking firework!

” I snarl. “You got mad and went off to take a piss. You think I’m fucking dumb.

That’s your problem. I’m not fucking dumb.

You’re so damn arrogant! The chances of a firework even starting that fire are near impossible.

At the time, though, I didn’t understand why you would do something like that. ”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Jane.” I glare. “It’s because Jane tried to press charges against you!

Although you got off scot free, people still look at you, huh?

It’s not the same as before, is it? You were proven innocent by default, but some people still give you a look, don’t they?

” Derrick’s eyes narrow on me, but I refuse to be intimidated.

“That’s right. It’s not the same and you’re mad because someone finally called you out.

While you didn’t pay like you should have, your reputation has a stain on it, so you set fire to their restaurant. ”

“It was a firework.” He clenches his teeth.

“No it wasn’t.” I smile. “I know for a fact you poured gasoline around the perimeter. You lit it on fire with the baby-blue lighter they found at the scene.” His brows rise in surprise.

“That’s right. I know. You took my fucking watch to blackmail me when you came running through the woods and grabbed my arms. You took that picture early on in the night so you could place me at the scene.

You already knew what the fuck you were going to do.

That’s right. I know. You fucking used me! ”

Derrick scoffs, shaking his head and trying to keep his composure. “Nice try.”

“They know. The cops know. I know. I didn’t start that fucking fire!” I look back to Hunter. “For months I’ve tried to catch him slipping up to tell me. It’s the only reason I’ve been talking to him, I swear. Yeah, he blackmailed me, but none of what happened between us was fake.”

“I don’t . . .” Hunter looks to Derrick. “I don’t believe you.”

I step closer to him. “That first night at the vending machine. It was before all this bullshit . . . before he blackmailed me. Before you kicked him off the team, right? I felt something that night and I know you did too!”

“I don’t believe—”

“The morning after, you went to your coach to get him kicked off . . . before he blackmailed me. That’s when.

You can deny it all you want but I know you felt it too.

That night we met. The next morning. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.

I didn’t even know it was you until I walked back to my dorm and you were standing in front of my door.

I had my phone out. You remember? I tripped, staring at my phone.

You caught me. I was looking up the captain of the hockey team and then realized it was you. ”

“Mark—”

“Everything is real, Hunter! I don’t care if you don’t forgive me, but do not believe this was fake.

Don’t you dare tell me what I feel for you is fake.

It’s not fake. I fucking love you and if you don’t forgive me, fine, but don’t you dare believe you mean nothing to me. You mean everything to me!”

I hear laughter behind me. “As touching as this is, no one is going to believe either of you.” Derrick steps closer to me. “You’re going to burn like that bitch’s restaurant.” Derrick smiles. “We’ll see if you go up in flames as easily.” He grins.

“I know you did it,” I grit back.

“Yeah well, unfortunately Mark, no one is going to believe you.”

“You did do it,” Hunter growls. “You piece of shit. You hurt Jane and then—”

“Jane should have listened. I told her I was sorry for what I did! She went to the cops anyways! If she hadn’t, her mother’s restaurant would still be in one piece. She wants me to burn, I’ll watch her burn first.”

“You tried to assault her.” How fucking delusional can one person be. Blaming her? What the fuck!

“I didn’t do anything to that bitch that she didn’t want!

” Hunter lunges at him, tackling him onto the ground and punching him.

Derrick blocks one shot, knocking him off and wiping his mouth.

“They fucking deserved it! All of them. She was my girlfriend and she fucking betrayed me! Setting fire to their restaurant was a fucking mercy. I should have lit their home on fire with her still in it!”

“Good stuff.” Sawyer comes out of the stands with his phone facing us, and Derrick’s panicked eyes dart between us all. “I got it all!” Sawyer gives him the middle finger.

Derrick lunges at my neck, but Hunter moves faster, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and flinging him back onto the ice rink. “Don’t you fucking touch him.”

Derrick’s head hits the ice. He gets up slowly, touching his head as red stains his fingers. “You’re going to regret that.”

“Get out of here,” Hunter snaps at me.

“I’m not leaving you here.” I look up at Sawyer. “Go! Go show that to someone. Go to the police. Someone! Get help,” I yell. Sawyer listens, running as Derrick goes to follow, but Hunter stands in his way.

“Move.”

“No.”

Hunter is built, but Derrick’s height and bulk makes me nervous. Hunter stands his ground. It’s now that I remember Hunter’s on skates. He keeps upright, though, as natural as if he were walking. “You piece of shit. You’re nothing. They’ll never let a gay fucking athlete into the NHL.”

“That’s not true.” Hunter stands his ground. “Recently a handful of players have come out and still have successful careers.”

“Destroying my shot will not get you yours.”

“I don’t give a fuck about getting in,” Hunter snaps. “I give a shit about not letting assholes like you always have your way. You’re a piece of shit, and you’ll pay for what you’ve done to my friends.”

Derrick lunges for Hunter. He wobbles before they both slam down on the ice. Hunter gets on top, throwing punch after punch. I wobble onto the ice, slipping a bit as I slide to them.

“Mark, stay back.” Hunter looks at me, and I feel awful as it distracts him.

Derrick knocks Hunter off, having an easier time than I am walking over the ice.

Derrick punches him, and Hunter tries to block.

I move as fast as I can before I jump, landing on Derrick’s back and wrapping my arm around his throat, squeezing.

Trying to get me off him, Derrick lifts off Hunter and lands on his back, crushing me into the ice.

The air’s forced out of my lungs. Hunter rights himself, skating over to me, but Derrick knocks Hunter off his skates and he falls with smack.

Derrick kicks him in the side. “Hunter!” Derrick brings his booted foot down on Hunter’s knee.

He screams. I claw my way toward them. My body aches, but I only have one thought in mind—Hunter.

I struggle to my feet then use all my weight, spearing Derrick down.

His head hits the ice. I pin him by the neck with my knee.

“Right there.” I look back and see security guards rushing toward us. I look back at Hunter who’s grabbing his knee, holding it.

“Help him!” I scream. Derrick comes to, struggling against my knee as I press harder. “It’s his knee.” Everything happens so fast.

Campus security takes Derrick.

I rush to Hunter, not knowing what to do. “It’s going to be okay, baby.” Hunter is groaning, pinching his eyes shut. “I got you. Help is coming.” Finally, EMS come and take him away.

Then I’m being carried away, still unsure about my role in all of this. Questions are asked and answered, and finally my nightmare is over.

All the while I can’t stop thinking about Hunter.

His knee.

What if he broke something?

I feel numb.

It’s over.

I’ll be okay. Hunter will be okay. I have to believe it. Everything will be okay. Hunter will be fine.

I hope.