Page 91 of Hot As Ice

Understanding dawns on her face like a car crash happening in slow motion.

“Wait.” She blinks again. “What?”

“Yep.”

“What do you mean ‘yep’? What the hell is going on? That blind is about you and Hunter?” She screeches that last question.

I wince.

“Stevie. Oh my god. Please tell me it’s not true.”

“I can’t tell you that.”

She takes a deep breath. “We need to sit down.”

We move to the couch and I don’t even understand how my legs are working. I feel a bit numb after crying for an hour. Becca sits me down and sits down next to me, her face still in lines of shock.

“I don’t understand,” she says.

I put my head in my hands. “It’s so stupid. It’s all my fault. I should’ve never agreed to it.”

“Agreed to what exactly?”

“A sex contract with Hunter.”

Becca recoils, clearly still not processing that any of it is true. Ugh, I don’t want her to look at me like that. I don’t want anyone to, but especially not her. Or, god forbid, my mother. I think I need to dig a deep hole and crawl inside it forever.

Becca takes my hands. “Can you please start at the beginning?”

I sigh and tell her the whole story, and as I give her all the details, her face gets more and more sympathetic. I look away, not deserving her sympathy. Not even wanting it.

“Do not feel bad for me.”

Her thumb rubs the back of my hand. “I know someone who works at the paper. I’ll beg them to print a retraction or⁠—”

“Oh god, no, don’t do that. I need to just, I don’t know, wait for it to blow over, I guess. Maybe someone will do something even dumber or more scandalous than that. Becca, I’m so embarrassed.” My face crumples and I start crying again.

She hugs me, rubbing my back. “The good news is they did not name either of you. And the hockey players are always dating someone, so it could be about anyone. Most people are not going to figure out that it’s you and…” She trails off, because she knows it’s not super convincing. People are going to figure it out, and I’m going to be shamed off campus. She hugs me tighter and I just let myself be comforted.

“Have you talked to Hunter about it?” she asks after a while.

I sniffle. “No.” I pull away and go to the kitchen to blow my nose and wipe my face with a paper towel. When I get back to the living room, Becca is seated cross legged and looks very determined.

“What are you thinking?” I ask her.

“That you’re kind of a badass.”

I cringe. “Badass?”

“Yeah. You’ve been boning a hot hockey player and getting paid. That’s baller.”

I stare at her for a second then burst out laughing. “You’re insane.”

“I’m sorry, but I bet so many girls would love to be in your shoes. I just wonder how it got out.”

I blow out an exasperated breath. “Hunter obviously blabbed about it to someone.”

Becca looks skeptical.