AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, Holden, you are.” He arched a brow, and I knew I wasn’t escaping this conversation without giving him something.
“Fine.” I let out a heavy sigh. “Last night, she overheard a conversation she wasn’t supposed to hear and got all snarky with me. Austin told me to apologize, so I tried to fix it this morning, offered to give her a tour around town, and she iced me out.”
“Hold up.” He drew up short again, and I slowed my pace. “You’re telling me there’s a girl in Lakeshore who is immune to the Noah Holden charm?” Laughter pealed out of him. “First, the Beta Pi chick, now Austin’s sister. This is too much.”
“The Beta Pi chick”—Melissa or maybe it was Melanie—“wanted my dick. My dick was just undecided about her.”
Mason’s brow lifted. “And Aurora? What did you say?”
“Something about her not being my type.”
“So, big deal?” He frowned. “She’s Austin’s sister. It’s not like you’d hit on that—yeah, you totally would. She a DUFF or something?”
“Dude!”
“What?” He shrugged. “It happens.”
“She’s not a DUFF, but she’s got that geeky band camp thing going on.”
“Yeah, but is she Michelle Flaherty geeky or Willow Rosenberg geeky? Because that’s an important distinction to make.”
“You’re not helping.” Now all I could imagine was Aurora doing very dirty things with a flute.
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” His mouth twitched. “This one time, at band camp—”
“Stop.” Please fucking stop. “Even if I did want to hit that”—and I didn’t—“she’s Austin’s sister, and she has this whole ‘I don’t date hockey players’ mantra.”
Which, the more I thought about it, suggested Austin didn’t have the entire story straight about Aurora and her ex. But it was none of my business.
“The ones you have to work for a little bit are the best kind.” Mason smirked.
“Like you ever work for pussy.”
Mason Steele had that brooding, mysterious angle girls couldn’t resist. He rarely spoke to anyone outside the team, yet girls lined up for their turn with the Lakers’ left-winger.
“We done?” I asked, checking the distance on my wristwatch.
“Yeah. I promised Scottie I’d stop by later.”
“How’s he doing?”
“He has good days and bad days.”
Mason’s younger brother, Scottie, was autistic, and thanks to puberty, he was going through a pretty rough time. Mase said it was all the new and unfamiliar hormones wreaking havoc with his well-structured life.
“You should bring him to the rink. Let him watch us practice.” One of Scottie’s special interests was hockey. More specifically, the Lakeshore U Lakers. He knew more about the team than me and the guys put together. I’d even go out on a limb and say he knew more than Coach Tucker. He could recite game stats like he was recalling the days of the week or the months of the year.
It was fascinating. But we all knew how hard it was on Mrs. Steele and Mase.
“Maybe, yeah.”
In typical fashion, he ended the line of conversation. And I didn’t push. I never did. Mase knew where I was if he ever wanted to talk.
“You ready for this season?” he asked as we walked back to Lakers House. I didn’t have a room there anymore, but I still came over all the time.
Freshman year had been a blast. The constant parties and pranks and general mayhem, but when Austin and Connor asked me if I wanted the empty room in their house just off campus, I had jumped at the chance.
