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“We don’t slut shame,” Rae insists.
“We Nora shame because she’s a bitch,” Saffie interjects. Yeah, she’s definitely lit.
“She’s only a bitch to people she doesn’t like,” I tell her, not even bothering to hide the smile her pinched, “I hate Nora,” face brings to mine.
“So anyone who isn’t you?” Saffie fires back. “Because she for sure doesn’t like me. She acts like I’m going to steal you away from her.” She snorts a little laugh and rolls her eyes.
“Are you?” Her gaze flies to mine, brows drawn low over her stormy gray eyes. My question lingers in the air wavering there like it’s being carried by the beat of the music. The thump thump of the bass wars with the beat of my heart in my ear. I can feel the looks of the other girls bouncing between us, but I’m dialed in on Saffie. Like we’re in the face-off circle, and I’m waiting for that puck to drop.
Her mouth opens and closes and opens again. “Eww, no. I have a boyfriend, remember?” she says, snarkily.
“Oh, I remember. Does he?” I glance around like I’m expecting him to appear. “Is he here? I’d love to meet him?” My smile is smug. Sparring with her is like foreplay, and I love it. Only instead of popping off, she stands up, a bit unsteady, and walks away without a word. Rae’s right behind her, giving me a solid shot to the shoulder as she passes.
“Real nice, Levi,” Millie says, her voice heavy with disdain.
“What?” I’m seriously confused.
Millie just shakes her head at me. “Didn’t you notice she’s drinking? Like, a lot.”
“And?”
Kenna leans across the couch, her blue hair falling over her shoulder. “It’s her dad’s birthday, and her man is out partying. Butt dialed her on accident, she thought he was calling to check on her, but he didn’t even say anything to her about it.” She winces. “She’s only seen him twice since she left St. Claire, and both times, it was because she went there.” I typically don’t give a shit about gossip like this, but I’m soaking up every word like a thirteen-year-old girl.
“Yeah, and the last couple of weeks have been really rough on her with the game and now her dad’s birthday,” Lakyn adds, her eyes narrowed into slits. “I think we need to take a road trip and beat his punk ass.” There’s so much heat in her words I think she might be serious.
“So that’s why she’s drinking? Because her boyfriend is a dick, and it’s her dad’s birthday, and he didn’t say shit about it?” I just want to make sure I understand.
“Are you even listening, Levi?” Millie asks, totally out of patience with my ass.
“I was listening, but then I got a hard-on when Lakyn mentioned going to whoop his ass and forgot what Kenna said,” I tell her, grinning and not entirely full of shit. I’d fight him. Not because he didn’t call on purpose or whatever, but just because. I don’t even care what kind of person that makes me.
Kenna giggles, and Lakyn points at me and winks. “Yes! That’s what I’m talking about.” Every team needs an enforcer, and clearly, Lakyn is theirs. She’s down to fight for her friends, and I dig it.
“Oh my god. First, gross, Levi. Second, be serious. She’s wasted and sad. That’s never a good mix, and you just made it all worse,” Millie accuses.
“I made it worse?” My voice rises to be heard over the music. “I’m not her fucking boyfriend. I didn’t forget to call her.” I shrug, glancing over my shoulder to see if I can find where they went. I don’t, not her or Rae. Fuck. I school my features into a bored look just as one of the girls from Sorority Row walks by me, letting her painted fingernails skate across my back. I watch as she glides past and stops at the other end of the couch. She blows me a kiss right before she lifts her shirt and flashes me her red lace-covered tits. Usually, I’d be vaulting over the couch and burying my face between her perfect D cups before I even got her up to my room, but not tonight. God, what the hell is the matter with me? First Nora, now this chick who is obviously down to fuck. And for what? The ice princess? “Fuck me,” I mutter as my bored expression becomes just that.
“Eww. Put your titties away!” Kenna shouts, jerking her thumb to the side. “Girl, bye. We’re talking,” she says, shooing her away before I can object even though I’m pretty sure I wasn’t going to.
“She seems nice,” Millie says, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. Her eyes making their usual trip around the inside of her head.
Fucking with her, I smile. “I thought so.” She would have been way nicer to me than Briggsy, that’s for sure. Not wanting to talk about Briggsy and her boyfriend anymore, I stand. “Well, as much fun as this has been, I’m gonna go up to my room away from you bunch of cock blockers.” Pointing at Millie, I use my big brother tone. “Don’t get into any fucking trouble.” Now that Maeve is splitting her time between the evil twin and their friends and Benny, I worry about Millie even more. The girl needs a keeper.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t have to worry about that here. There are snitches everywhere,” she huffs.
“Watch out for your drunk-ass friend too. Come get me if she needs a ride back to her dorm.”
“Be careful, Levi. If I didn’t know you any better, I would swear you care about what happens to her,” Lakyn says as she twirls one of her long braids around a finger, her smile smug.
I don’t offer up a response because I can’t deny it, but I’m not about to admit that to them either. With a finger wave over my shoulder, I pick my way through the crowd and up to my room. Alone. Probably for the first time since I moved into Hockey House.
Chapter 14
Levi
Fresh from the shower, I run the towel across my chest and shoulders, catching the droplets left by my hair. Hockey season is in full force, which means the flow is too. And everybody knows that a hockey player is only as sick as his flow. Tossing the towel over the chair, I pull on my boxer briefs and a pair of FU Fire sweats. My body is loose and relaxed after the hot shower and self-love I had to resort to tonight. Contemplating sending a text out to Nora or one of the other hookups I have saved in my phone, I jump a bit when there’s a banging on my door. “The fuck.” I laugh at being startled. I’m thinking about ignoring the knock, not really wanting to deal with anyone tonight no matter what I was trying to convince myself I wanted to do just a moment ago.
“Levi, it’s Rae. Open!” Her voice is muffled, but I can still hear its urgency. Knowing that she wouldn’t come up here and chance me being with anyone if it wasn’t important, I hurry to the door and throw it open. She’s not there but standing at the landing, looking over the rail down to the bottom of the stairs.
