My last school was football heavy, which was never my thing. It’s why I was never a traditional cheerleader. That and the fact that I love being on the ice. I guess most people would consider being on the Ice Crew the same sort of thing. We’re there to hype up the crowd but also to clean parts of the ice during time outs and stoppage.
When I was younger, before Dad owned his mechanic shop, money was always extra tight. In the winters, we’d spend our time going skating together. No matter what was going on in my world, once I stepped onto any sort of ice, I felt free. All you needed was a lake and skates. And also hope that you didn’t skate over a fisherman’s ice hole.
It’s encouraging to see such a turnout for hockey. It makes me smile. Even if Luke Locke is staring holes into me. Oh, Georgia filled me in on who he was. The same boy my sister told me not to judge too quickly. Too late. It’s hard to erase first impressions.
As much as I love the spirit around the sport, I most certainly don’t care for most of the players, if not all, and half the Ice Crew. I don’t care if Georgia told me it was fine to be all chummy with them. That she’d understand.
I tackled her to the bed and made her take it back. Why am I more pissed about them than her? If Georgia told me one of them stared at her wrong, they’d be on my shit list. Why? Because we’re best friends, and her bullshit is my bullshit just as much as my bullshit is hers. That’s how I play it. I’m not making nice with everyone. A friend to everyone is a friend to no one.
My dad told me to always stick to the girls, and Georgia is my girl. Dad wasn’t one to chase off boyfriends or tell me not to date, but he did chime in on having a girlfriend and remembering that who you hang out with is who you are. Be loyal to those that deserve it. Those are the friendships that you need to nurture. Those are the people that will be there for you in the darkest of times.
Georgia and I are actually closer than Paislee and me, and that’s saying a lot since we’re pretty close. We don’t have the kind of friendship where one of us would say to the other, “I warned you, so don’t cry to me when it happens.”Nope, we’ll give the warning and still be there to pick up the pieces until we can get it through the other’s head.
I can be cordial, but I don’t have to be friends. A few might have a couple things coming. I do need to keep in mind that my sister works there, though. That means I can’t get caught. I’m a reflection of her, and this is her livelihood.
The coach drones on, and I have to force my attention there. Luke is glaring a hole into me. I hold one right back, but hell, he’s intense. Why do the hot ones always have to be assholes? Bullies are what they are.
Georgia warned me about Luke after our encounter, telling me that anyone that pisses him off pays the price one way or another. I asked if he’d ever made her pay. She shook her head no, but it doesn’t matter. He hangs with the hockey players, meaning he’s been privy to a lot of it. Some of those boys are worse than the girls when it comes to gossip and being petty.
Luke is not only hot, he’s freaking breathtaking. Boys aren’t supposed to be breathtaking, but that’s what he is. Even when I was laying into him, I couldn’t help the feeling of intense attraction.
That messy short hair and nose that has a slight bump, likely from being broken a few times, only adds to his attractiveness. He doesn’t have pretty boy eyes. No, they are as dark as my hair. If you stared back long enough, you might see deeper into him.
He’s also tall, which is nice as a tall girlie myself. In the looks department, he pushed all the right buttons. Ones I didn’t even know were able to be pushed. I mean, I haven’t even gotten to his thighs, and it’s only afternoon, but he’s got a five o’clock shadow. If I didn’t know better, I’d guess him more likely to be a teacher here than a student. Hell, a lot of the boys around here don’t look like students. They make them big out here, I guess.
When everyone starts to cheer, I jerk back to reality. I jump up and down, joining in. I get a stank-ass look from Lana. I give her my best fake smile. I’m not going to pretend she’s not staring at me with that expression. I’m not one of her minions. She’s going to get from me what she gives and a little extra on the side.
I go to jump off the stage to head over to Georgia, but one of the girls stops me. “Lana is calling for a meeting.”
“She can call for a meeting?” I ask.
“All the time,” Kory informs me. When she gives a slightnoshake of her head, I know she’s annoyed by this too.
“I thought only the coach and the captain could call for one. Head Coach Murphy hasn’t had us vote on one yet.”
Kory rolls her eyes. “She always gets it.”
“So you all vote her in when you don’t want her there?”
“I didn’t say that.” Kory is quick to correct me.
“You didn’t have to. I read between the lines.” She starts to talk again, but I keep going, seeing an opening here, and I’m going to take it. “We don’t have to, you know.”
Her brows rise at that and then slowly drop.
“It’s not that easy.” When she responds, she shifts closer and drops her tone. “No one is going to not vote for her. If you’re one that does, after that, she’ll make your life hell.”
“Why does she have to know?”
“We just call out our votes when Coach asks.” This is getting better and better.
“What if it wasn’t done that way anymore?”
“Then maybe she wouldn’t be captain.” Kory smirks, and I know she’s in. She leans in closer, telling me a few people who would be willing to vote against her. The more she talks, I start to think that I don’t want to be the captain. I just don’t want Lana to be either.
When Lana calls for everyone to follow her, Kory rolls her eyes my way so that I can see before following her. I don’t. I jump down off the stage and head straight for Georgia, who is now off to the side standing alone with her arms wrapped around herself.
“Hey,” I chirp at her with a bright smile. She appears so unsure right now.
