Page 96 of Embrace

“Coach.”

“Off your phone, or I’m taking it. Don’t make me feel like a high school teacher.”

I hear Scarlett’s muffled gasp on the other end of the line. “You’re at practice? Let’s talk later.”

The line drops dead before I can respond to her panicked goodbye. I’ve never met a girl so adamant that I stay focused on hockey.

I slip my phone into my bag. “Sorry.”

“It’s not his fault, hisgrandmais super hot.”

I glare at Cole, who ducks away. “Hey, Coach? I have a suggestion for fourth line,” I say.

“No!” Cole shouts. “Please don’t. My parents are coming to watch me play. I’m sorry, Cap.”

Kilner clears his throat, and it’s enough for us to shut up. “Since you all have so much to say today, who’s going to tell me about last night’s bar fight?”

Ah, crap.

•••

Practice was brutal,and I could barely shower without recoiling in pain. I stare at the bruise forming on my abdomen in my bathroom mirror. If I weren’t so petty I wouldn’t have had this, but then neither would Cole, and he deserved it.

I’m picking up Cassie in a few hours, but I’m getting ready early. I stopped by the library after practice, hoping to catch Scarlett studying there. The librarian told me she’d already been there this morning and hadn’t been back. I was planning on accidentally bumping into her there so I could get this confusing feeling out of my head. To maybe see her before the date, as if it would give me a reason not to go.

I’ve only half buttoned up my dress shirt when Cole walks into my room with a tray of colorful cupcakes.

“What do you want?” I mutter, closing my textbook and packing my bag.

“I made you cupcakes.” He smiles with all of his teeth.

I stare at the half-crumbling, terribly iced, flat cupcakes he presents to me. “Are they poisoned?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think Scarlett will go for me if she knows I killed you.”

He sees the look on my face and takes several steps back. “It was a joke! I’m sorry, okay? I should have never said yes to kissing her. But I didn’t even know you guys were banging.”

“We’re not,” I mutter. “I’m going out with your sister.”

He already knows about that, but I mention it just to piss him off again. It doesn’t work, though, because apparently he’s been with so many of Cassie’s friends that he doesn’t get a say in who she goes out with anymore.

“Right. So I’m off the hook?”

I take one of his cupcakes, biting into the blue frosting only to taste the salty bitterness of too much baking powder. I spit it back out.

“Good? I used your recipe.”

That makes sense. “Just for that, you’re on laundry duty for the rest of the year.”

“No way, I’m not touching those jock straps.”

I don’t listen to anything else he says when my phone vibrates, and Kiyomi’s name appears on the screen.

“Kiyomi?”

Cole leaves the cupcakes on my dresser and tiptoes out of my room, closing the door behind him.

“Hi, pip. How’s it going? I didn’t get a chance to call you since the hospital. I know that was a lot.”