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I pull the drawstring of my hood tight and sink further down into my seat in an effort to disappear. The arena is almost at capacity for the game, and people sitting nearby are pointing at her and whispering among themselves.
“Mandi!” I snap. “Knock it off.”
“But he hasn’t seen me yet.” She bangs her hands on the glass and yells his name again.
Okay, I’ve had enough. I grab her by the sweater and yank her down into her seat.
Mandi’s eyes grow wide with shock. “What was that for?”
“For acting like an ass!” I hiss.
“What? But—”
“Listen to me,” I cut in. “You know about fashion, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I know just a little bit about guys. Have you ever had a boyfriend before?”
Mandi turns a deep shade of red. “Of course I have.”
I cock an eyebrow.
“Okay, well, not a full-time one. But I’ve been on some dates since I’ve gotten to college. My parents wouldn’t let me date in high school. They’re very strict.”
“You’ve told me. Listen, I know you can flirt because I’ve seen you do it. But you need to pull back when it comes to stuff like this. Eli’s used to girls throwing themselves at him, Mandi. Do you want to act like them? If he notices you, smile. But don’t do jumping jacks and turn cartwheels trying to get him to look over here. Don’t humiliate yourself that way.”
Mandi lets out a huff and stares out at the players as they take shots on the net. “You’ve had boyfriends?”
“A few.”
Two counts as a few, right? Very few, but more than her.
“We could help each other out, Holland. If you teach me stuff like this, I could help you with your fashion.”
“For the last time, I don’t want any fashion help.”
Mandi sighs. “You’re so stubborn.”
“I know.” I smile my first real smile of the night. “It’s my very best quality.”
When the game finally gets underway, I have to admit it’s more exciting than I thought it would be. I’m pretty clueless about the sport overall, but I know Oakmire’s dominating the hell out of Verdeer, because it’s been ten minutes and they’ve only got one shot on goal compared to Oakmire’s six shots. And one of those shots was Eli’s.
I know this because I temporarily lost hearing in my right ear when Mandi screamed his name at an ungodly decibel level.
It kinda sucks, because it would have been helpful to go to the game with someone who knows the rules and could explain things to me. Mandi doesn’t know anything about hockey either, so she’s useless in that capacity.
Unfortunately, to me it just looks like a blur of colorful jerseys racing up and down the ice. Still, it’s fun to watch, and the crowd is all jacked up.
I know Oakmire has a popular football team, but I didn’t realize that hockey was quite so popular. These fans are nuts.
When I sneak a look over at Mandi, I can tell that she’s not really concentrating on the game. She’s wholly focused on Eli and Eli only. Whether he’s on the ice or the bench, she’s watching.
Though I have to admit, I’ve been sneaking my own peeks at him, so she’s not alone on that front.
He’s already tall, standing at six-foot-two (I looked him up on the team’s website), but on his skates, he looks huge. When he’s on the ice, he’s fast as hell, and his passes to other players are always on point. I’ve also seen him ram a few guys into the boards tonight and steal the puck away from them.
“Isn’t he just so good?” Mandi asks as we watch him mix it up in the corner with a Verdeer forward. “He’s so talented.”
