AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You okay?” he asked.
I nodded because my mouth was dry, and my words felt stuck in my throat. My whole body was alight with energy, and every time we shifted to the music my stomach dipped and then soared like a flock of birds taking flight. If this was what it felt like to dance with Reed, kissing him, now I had developed feelings, might be a terrible idea. I was starting to doubt Mia’s plan, and realizing just how much it would hurt if we kissed and he didn’t feel the same way.
I threaded my arms around his neck as we danced, and my fingers lightly brushed against the scar there. The faint line was clearly healed, so it must have been there for years. I swallowed as I remembered all the possible explanations people had come up with for the origin of Reed’s scar. It was a rumor I hadn’t yet asked him about, but one I had been thinking about more than any other. While he’d disproved most of the rumors I’d heard over the last few weeks, either by telling me the truth directly or just by showing he wasn’t that kind of guy, the truth about his scar still remained a mystery.
I slowly peered up at him, and as our gazes locked, a familiar warmth spread through me. “What happened here?” I murmured, my fingers brushing against his scar once more. I couldn’t help but notice his reaction.
A subtle shiver rippled through his body. He closed his eyes for a moment, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to reply.
“There are rumors…” I added when he hadn’t said anything for a few moments.
“I didn’t know people still talked about it,” he murmured, opening his eyes to look at me again. He cleared his throat. “What have you heard?” His voice was lower, huskier somehow. I couldn’t tell if it was in reaction to my touch or if perhaps he was worried about the story behind his scar.
“Several things,” I replied. “One of the explanations involved a girl and an ice skate…”
He visibly swallowed as he returned my curious gaze. “I guess they got one right for once…”
My stomach twisted uncomfortably as I saw anxiety in his eyes. Was this really one of the few rumors that was actually true? I’d heard Reed got his scar because he’d broken some poor girl’s heart and she’d thrown the skate at him in a rage. I’d hoped that, like most of the other rumors, it would turn out to be false.
“What happened?” I asked, but I was no longer certain I wanted to know.
We’d all but stopped dancing as we spoke, and Reed kept glancing around like he was worried we’d be overheard. “I’d rather we didn’t talk about it here.”
Was the truth really that bad? I was about to ask him why, but the sound of shouting coming from outside stopped me. Everyone on the dance floor froze and looked in the direction of the noise. It was muffled at first, but then one bellowed word rang clear: “Cops!”
It echoed through the room like an alarm, rippling across the dance floor until total chaos erupted. Everyone burst back to life and started scrambling for the nearest exit. A mix of panicked voices and excited laughter filled the air, and I felt like I was caught in the midst of a stampede.
Reed caged me in his arms, barging his way through the frantic crowd and back out to the den. I was surprised to find that all the guys from the hockey team were still there. Had they not heard the commotion or seen the people racing to get out of the house?
“Are the cops really here?” Matt asked as he fell into step beside Reed.
Before Reed could reply, Matt’s question was answered as a familiar flash of red and blue light illuminated the next room. It must have been coming through a window. The police were in the front driveway.
“I guess so,” Reed grunted. “But don’t worry, man. I’ll help you sort it out. We just need to make sure every Devils player that’s here gets out without being seen.”
“They want to help, too,” Matt replied.
“They’re not helping anyone if the entire team gets benched for our game next week. Get them out of here, now.”
While the rest of the kids at the party seemed to be enjoying the adrenaline rush of running from the cops, it appeared the consequences of getting caught were a lot greater for the hockey team. Matt nodded firmly at Reed before gathering the other members of the team. Reed was still on a mission though, and he kept a hand placed firmly on my lower back as he guided me over to where Paige and his brothers were waiting.
He chucked his keys at Parker, who grabbed them easily out of the air. “Take the girls home.”
“What? No way,” Parker replied. “I’m staying to help.”
“I don’t have time to argue, Parker,” Reed said. “Take them home, and make sure none of you are caught.”
There was a sinking feeling in my chest as I realized Reed wasn’t coming too. Of course, he wasn’t. There was no way he would leave Matt to face the cops alone.
He stared Parker down as he waited for his younger brother to agree. Parker must have known Reed was serious because he caved far quicker than I expected, and he gave Reed a serious nod. “Okay, you got it.”
Relief flashed in Reed’s eyes, but then he winced. “Wait, my truck’s parked out front…”
“Take mine instead.” Grayson handed over his keys. “It’s parked around the corner. Paige knows where it is.”
“You’re staying?” Paige asked, her eyes were wide with concern although she didn’t look surprised.
Grayson nodded. “Someone needs to keep Reed out of trouble.”
