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“I’ll try, I promise,” I say, feeling regret for withholding the fact that I rekindled some of my sexual relationship with Elijah. A mother doesn’t need to knoweverything, after all.
“I love you, and happy early Halloween,” she says.
“I love you too. Goodnight, Mom.”
24
ELIJAH HAYES
Iwake up freezing thanks to the open windows, which I quickly close. It’s Halloween morning and for some reason, I’m not feeling it already. Maybe I’m a little stressed about playing Connecticut. Superstitious about losing on Halloween. Not to mention that the stadium is always less than half full-on Halloween games, despite the efforts the stadium goes through to decorate.
I’m definitely going to need Xanax today. Even though it’s a prescription, I hate that I rely on it sometimes, not wanting to be labeled as that guy. That guy who pops Xanax at any inconvenience, that guy with family trauma. Mom made sure to give me a good talking to about not fucking my sister while she’s away. I love Mom, but she can be so fucking clueless sometimes.
I told her back then that I wouldn’t stop seeing Taylor because of the affair. That was before Taylor up and left me the day after graduation. Maybe I have a thing for cold-hearted women.
Trying to be festive, I change into casual jeans and a long sleeve shirt paired with my skull-pattern hoodie. I shove my laptop and books in my bag before heading down the stairs to the laundry room to grab my jersey. Taylor apparently flung it on the floor when she put her bedding in the dryer. The jersey was wrinkled and was sitting on a pile of lint. Whatever. I shove it into my bag as I head out the door to my Jeep.
The time goes by faster in class when you’re not daydreaming but actually focusing on the subject. People walk around campus in their Halloween costumes and various spooky outfits. I pass by the fliers Olive and Stephanie must have left around campus with my address that states the “Halloween Fall Bash” starts at 7:30 and ends at midnight. Booze included. I hadn’t even thought about the damn party since the night I fingered Taylor. God… she was so wet.
When I bump into Braylon, he’s laughing his ass off and points up at one of the posters of me in my Royals gear. Someone drew a mustache and dick on me. Real clever. Braylon pats my back, running away without saying a word. That fucker probably did it.
Given that Halloween is happening on a Wednesday this year, I’m guessing most people won’t be showing up to class tomorrow. Me included.
I walk into the gray cafeteria and take a seat next to Levi who sits across from Olive, Stephanie and, of course, Taylor. She wears a black and yellow striped shirt that makes her boobs look gigantic. Her long silky hair wraps around the curves, accentuating them more.
“Aren’t you so excited for the party tonight, Elijah?” Olive asks, jumping up and down in her spot. I don’t know how anyone can tolerate her excessive energy.
“I am, baby,” Levi says and grabs her hand. Stephanie smirks as she crosses her arms. Is this a thing now? Are they a thing? Did Levi seriously score two girlfriends at once? Fucking Levi?
I look over to Taylor who doesn’t seem the least bit phased about our friends in a throuple.Maybe I should be in women’s studies, damn.
I eat lunch in silence and drink my protein shake, watching Taylor eat her homemade sandwich and baby carrots that snap in between her teeth with each bite. Then, I go to class after giving Levi a pat on the back.
* * *
The people who decided to show up to the Halloween game are trickling in through the stadium. The speakers play Halloween music, whatever that is. Just what we need to get pumped up. We skate out to the rink and the music dies down until the stadium is perpetually silent. Less than half the seats are filled. Coach is standing behind the glass with his arms crossed, staring dead into me. I lock eyes with the Connecticut’s center as the ref tosses the puck into the air.
Connecticut catches it a second before I can and skirts past me, ramming himself into my side. Fuck. I clench my abdomen, slamming my stick into the ice as the adrenaline fills me. I dash after him, but he makes it to the defense line before I can blink. He hits it to a winger and Braylon practically body slams the dude to get the puck back. Shit. This is going to be harder than I thought.
I skate to center. Braylon swings it to me but not before their center can intercept, skating past me faster than I thought possible for a man that size. He meets my eyeline and smiles at me deviously under the plastic dome of his helmet. I already know I want to rip his head off. Why haven’t I seen his face before? Is he new?
He weaves past me and bounces the puck off the wall, sending it to our goaltender, Manuel. Luckily, Manuel is a beast and stops it from getting into the net. I can hear the gasps and screams from the crowd as Connecticut has already taken a shot for a score so early in the game.
Our defense gets it back out to the middle, but we have a hard time getting the puck past their red line even once in the first period. Braylon is two minor penalties deep by the time Coach pulls us and sends second line out.
“Who the fuck is that?” I say, watching their first line center skate into the sidelines.
“Jeremey Chen, freshman,” Coach says without moving his eyes off the rink.
“Bullshit!” Braylon yells.
Coach turns around, practically seething, “What’s bullshit is two penalties, Braylon. What, can’t keep up with a freshman? Get your head in the fucking game.”
Braylon snarls and stands up, pressing his chest against the plexiglass. I knew I had a bad feeling about this game.
The second line is exhausted in half a period and the third line is sent out. The brutes pound their chests as they skate out onto the rink, managing a point against the three points Connecticut has already scored since I’ve been sitting out.
“The reporters are going to be on my fucking ass with Chen,” Coach rumbles.
