Page 97 of Hot As Ice

“Good enough. It doesn’t take much to piss off men. They’re so emotional.” She puts her phone down. “I’d come with you, but I have an essay due tomorrow.”

“Is that why you’re scrolling on your phone instead of writing it?”

“Procrastination is my whole life philosophy.”

“Got it. So, the t-shirt?”

“Oh, right.” She gets off her bed and rummages in her closet. “Lucky for you I washed it just the other day.” Becca has the most organized closet I’ve ever seen, so it takes her only two seconds to retrieve the shirt. “Here you go!”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

She scoffs. “Stop. No, you don’t. But I expect a full play-by-play of what happens tonight when you get back.”

“Obviously.”

She grins wickedly as I leave her room. I get dressed and make sure my makeup looks extra perfect. I smile at myself in the mirror, feeling more powerful and in control than I’ve felt all year.

I told Derek to meet me at the arena, and he’s already standing by the entrance when I get there. His eyes light up when he sees me. Then he laughs when I open my jacket to reveal my shirt.

“Nice,” he says as I approach and give him a quick hug.

“Thanks.”

“Why do I have a feeling you’re trying to make trouble tonight?”

“’Cause I am. I’ll be honest, you’re kind of part of my plan to make Hunter Cruise jealous.”

He arches an eyebrow, eyes sparkling. “The captain of the team? Hell yeah, I’m in. Just tell me what to do.”

We smile at each other. “This is gonna be fun,” I say.

He puts his arm around my shoulders as we walk into the arena. Some people stare at my shirt, and some of them, mostly the men, look annoyed. It’s hilarious. Why should a dumb shirt trigger anyone? And yet it does.

I splurged and bought tickets close to the action, guaranteeing Hunter sees me as soon as he skates onto the ice. My stomach is in knots and I feel hot all over as we take our seats. Derek bought some popcorn and soda. He looks like a kid in a candy store, and I’m so glad he’s down to cause a little chaos tonight. I sip on my Sprite and wait for the players to arrive.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Cruise?” Derek asks.

I wonder how much he knows. God, I’m sure he knows everything. There’s no way he hasn’t heard all the rumors. I face the rink and shake my head. “It’s a mess,” I tell him.

“Are-are the rumors true? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just, you know, have been hearing weird stuff the past two weeks or whatever.”

I blow out a breath. “The rumors have been really hard to deal with.”

From the corner of my eye, I see him nodding. “Shit’s been crazy.”

“Yeah, it really has. I’m just waiting for it all to die down.”

“Mhm. But you’re here tonight stirring the pot a little bit.”

I roll my eyes and grin. “I’m trying to take back some power, I guess.”

“Understandable.”

“It really sucks being notorious. People have been really mean to me. This one guy tried to proposition me, as if I’m a sex worker. He wouldn’t leave me alone for days. He kept showing up randomly wherever I was.” I take a deep breath, hating the feelings that rise up when I think about the insanity of the last two weeks. “It’s been so awful.”

“I’m sorry, Stevie.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”