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The music finally cuts off and Brady looks extra unimpressed, but I don’t care. I just don’t care anymore about playing nice. I refuse to take shit from this obnoxious jackass for another second.
“What’re you two arguing about now?” Brady huffs, raking a hand through her hair.
Aaron shrugs his shoulders and throws me the most incredulous look. “I don’t know, Coach. Anastasia seems to have an issue.Again.”
Heat is prickling at the back of my neck as I struggle to stop my temper from flaring. I’ve always associated my impatience and temper with who I am as a skater. I’ve always put it down to my competitiveness—the overwhelming need to be the best—but it clearly isn’t. I didn’t once feel this surge of rage when I was practicing with Nate. Even when we fell down or we bumped heads for the tenth time, I took it all in my stride and we laughed it off.
I’ve been resting my hands on my hips in a bid to not punch him in the throat, but the skin under my fingertips is becoming sore from squeezing so hard. I know what this is about and that’s probably why I’m so upset.
“Are you struggling to lift me? Is that what the noises are about? Do you need to work out more?” I seethe.
“What? No,” he splutters, the pink of his cheeks spreading quickly to the tips of his ears, but then his expression hardens. “Give me a fucking break, Stas. You can’t put on weight and not expect me to need a little time to adjust.”
There it is.
“You bench over one hundred pounds more than what I weigh in the gym with ease. I watched you do it this morning! You added more freaking weight! I’ve gained twelve pounds of muscle, that’s it! What do you need to adjust to?”
“I need to adjust to your fucking attitude, for one.”
“You’re such a dick.”
“I can’t practice with you when you’re like this. I’m going home, we’ve got to perfect this and you’re wasting my time.”
“Bye, then!”
“Children, please!” Brady snaps.
I don’t hear whatever else she says because I skate off into the middle of the rink, shaking off the rage.If he wants to put being petty over being prepared, I’m not going to stand in his way.
FORTY-SIX | NATHAN
I’mface down on the couch in the living room when whispering disturbs my wallowing.
I look up, finding JJ, Henry, and Robbie each cradling a cup of coffee in their hands, muttering between themselves like old women at a bingo hall.“What?” I grunt.
“Has she dumped you?” JJ says, breaking away from the mother’s meeting to sit down in the chair across from me.
“No?” I snap, moving to sit up properly on the sofa, since apparently, this is about to be a house discussion. I knew I should have stayed in my fucking room out of the way, but the gym kicked my ass this morning, and I couldn’t face climbing the stairs.
JJ puts his mug down on the coffee table and holds up his hands defensively. “All right, don’t cry,” he says sarcastically. “If she didn’t dump you, why are you so fucking miserable?”
Henry throws himself down next to me, shooting me a half-suspicious, half-sympathetic look, and Robbie appears seconds later, with a mug of coffee for me.
I definitely feel like I’ve been ambushed, but I suppose I should feel grateful that I’ve got friends that give a shit when I’m clearly in a bad mood. Sinking into the couch, sighing heavily, I down my coffee to drag the time, because where do I fucking start.
“She says I’m not listening to her. She’s upset with me, but she’s also incredibly understanding when I’m being a prick, which makes me feel worse. And I miss her.”
“But you’re not listening to her, so surely you’re not surprised she’s upset?” Robbie says bluntly.
“Iam!” I insist. “I’m hearing her loud and fucking clear that she’s giving that shithouse another chance. I listened when she said she was moving out.I listened when she said she was going to fucking couples therapy with him.”
“For someone so smart, you really are a fucking mooncalf sometimes, Hawkins,” JJ says, shaking his head at me, his normal mischievous grin nowhere to be seen. For once, he’s being totally serious. “She’s the most determined person I know. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that she’s going to get everything she wants in life because she’s willing to make sacrifices. What would have happened if you didn’t get drafted?”
“I—”
“Nah, don’t give me a bullshit answer.” He laughs. “You’d have used your trust fund to do absolutely whatever you wanted, and for good measure, you’ve got the family business to fall back on. Stassie doesn’t have a trust fund. She doesn’t have a family business. If she doesn’t make it in skating, she’s probably going to be stuck teaching or worse, in a job she fucking hates.”
“Why are you giving me a lecture on my own girlfriend, Johal?”
