20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Wes

I look hot as fuck.

Let me just state for the record that whoever came up with the concept of modesty never wore a fitted dress suit. Because if they did, they would be apologizing for coming up with such a ridiculous concept. When you look good, you look good. There’s no harm in acknowledging the effort paid off.

“Holy fuck. You’re looking good, man.” Appreciation shines in Nico’s eyes as I walk out of my room. See what I mean?

Fitted dress shirt. That’s all I’m saying.

“Thanks. Trip picked it out.” I spin so my roommate can have the whole view. Not going to deny, the back is just as good as the front.

“The girl’s got good taste. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear purple before.” I glance down at the plum material stretching across my chest. Never in a million years would I have considered this to be my colour, but Trip picked it out so here we are.

“This is a first for me. You should have seen the salesgirl’s reaction when I tried it on.” Forget the store helper, as soon as I saw Trip’s eyes darken when I walked out of the changeroom, I was sold.

“Uh huh. I’m sure it was the salesgirl who was the deciding factor.” Nico smirks at me from his lounging position on the couch.

Curse that man’s BS radar. Gets me every goddamn time.

Shifting the cushion beneath him to get comfortable, Nico amiably throws out the question he’s been dying to ask all along, “How did it go anyway? Is she coming today?”

I nod, “She is, and yesterday went well.” Talk about understatement of the year. The more time I spend with Trip, the more I wantto spend time with her. Now that I’ve gotten a taste, I can’t seem to get enough.

When was the tolerance supposed to kick in again?

Nico quirks an eyebrow at me, “That’s all I’m getting? It went well?” I throw him a wink as I walk to the bathroom to do up my tie.

“Let’s just say, Trip falling into my dressing room and getting us kicked out was not the worst way to spend an afternoon.” Nico bursts out laughing.

“That is the worst hookup cover story I have ever heard.” My fingers are too tied up to flip him off, so I shrug instead.

“It’s the truth. Although I did find out Trip can be quite the firecracker when she wants to be.” I chuckle to myself, thinking about her comeback to the snarky blonde.

Nico watches me silently from the couch.

“You scare me when you don’t talk. What’s up?” If his penetrating stare burns a hole through my new shirt, I’m going to be pissed.

“You like her a lot.” It isn’t a question so much as a statement.

I do one last double-check to make sure my tie is secure, then walk over and sit on the couch opposite. Two lacrosse players are two people too many for residential furniture.

Straightening himself up to mirror my position, Nico waits for my response. Exhaling slowly, I confess the truth we have both known for a while, “I do, man. I really do.”

Dark eyes scan my face, picking up on cues no one other than my best friend would know to look for. “You don’t need to worry, Wes. You are a good guy. You won’t ruin Trip the way Jerrell ruined Lace.” The sound of his name does nothing to ease the churning in my gut.

“I just… don’t want to hurt her.” My voice cracks as memories of my sister’s incident come rushing back.

Lacey always struggled when it came to boys. Her tall stature and natural dramatic flair – taught by yours, truly – made it so boys were too intimidated to talkto her, let alone ask her out. That all changed the summer she turned sixteen.

Just like the flowers I buy for her birthday every year; that summer, Lacey began to bloom. Her long, dangly limbs suddenly became lean and elegant, while her theatrical tendencies became perceived as confident rather than awkward. Lacey came into her own, and it was only a matter of time until she brought some lucky bastard home.

When the new kid on the block – a preppy kid named Jerrell Thompson – started showing up at the local parties, we all took interest. Fresh blood doesn’t come around very often, especially blood that comes from money. Jerrell became a target for every hetero girl and every homo boy – Nico included – but the new kid already had his own target picked.

My sister.

They were together for six months, two of which Nico and I took turns vetting the kid like drill sergeants until even we succumbed to his charms. Lacey seemed over the moon, and as a big brother, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It wasn’t until after the incident that the truth about Jerrell’s harassment came out.

And by then, she’d already tried to take her own life.

I will never forget the sight of my baby sister lying in a hospital bed, tubes coming out of her body after the doctors had to pump her stomach to get rid of the pills she took. I will never forget the feeling of overwhelming guilt that still lingers to this day. As a big brother, I had one job to do. And I failed.

I failed to protect my little sister.

Squeezing the bridge of my nose to counteract the burning sensation in my eyes, I feel the couch cushions dip as Nico sits himself down next to me. A warm arm wraps around my shoulders and I curse as a single tear leaks out.

“Listen to me, Wes.” Nico gives my shoulders a shake, dragging my weary gaze up to his.

“What happened to Lacey is an anomaly. A horrendous one at that, but still an anomaly. There were a lot of different factors that led to Lace taking those pills, factors which aren’t even relevant in this thing you have with Trip.” Pausing to give me a questioning look, I nod for him to continue.

“Look man, all I’m saying is you have got to let go of the past. You can’t let the illusion that you failed as a big brother barricade the road to every potential romantic partner. Pretty soon your dashing good looks will be gone, and you’ll still be all alone. And who’s going to want to take on your wrinkly ass then? Sure as shit not me.” I burst out laughing and the smile on Nico’s face tells me that was his intent all along.

“I want you to be happy. Hell, I want you to find someone who makes you happy. And you can’t do that unless you move on. Just because Lacey got torn apart doesn’t mean you’ll do the same thing to someone else. Trust yourself, man. And trust your partner.”

“Thanks, Nico.” Satisfied I’m back on stable ground, Nico unwinds his arm from my shoulders and pushes himself off the couch. Ruffling my hair before he walks away, Nico finishes his speech with a line that would make any award-winning coach proud.

“Now, cheer up, Rookie. There’s no crying on game day.”

Lou

Game day.

Otherwise known as my first date with Wes. Well, our first official date. Stella spent the better part of last night listing all the reasons why this isn’t technically our first romantic liaison, but the first outing asked by an interested party who happens to be one of my closest friends on campus, annoyingly attractive, and good at kissing. That’s it, that’s all.

I hope you caught the sarcasm.

“LOU! Can you believe the season opener is finally here?!” My roommate’s enthusiastic outburst causes the students mingling around the cafeteria to pause their conversations and shoot questioning glances our way.

The tiger ears and matching tail Stella is sporting on top of her signature black tank and joggers combo might also have something to do with the stares. She managed to rope me into wearing the orange and black stripped face paint, but I put my foot down when the furry add-ons came out. Stella’s school spirit may know no bounds, but mine only goes so far.

“Considering you spent half an hour painting my face this morning, yes, I can believe the opener has finally arrived.”

What is unbelievable though, is the fact we’ve already reached the end of September. Feels like just yesterday I was anxiously packing all my belongings in cardboard boxes.

“Pfft,” Stella bats away the comment with a wave of her hand. “I know you secretly love the tiger stripes.”

Rolling my eyes with a smile, I turn to scan today’s breakfast menu. I don’t even bother reading the new vegan items featured on the chalkboard, my meals tend towards the carbohydrate side of the board. It’s not that I don’t like the nutritional section legumes fall under; it’s just given the choice, bagels and fries are going to win over spinach and kale every time.

Thankfully, Taber’s mandatory first-year meal plan takes all diets into consideration. From vegan options to deep fried goodness, this university is one of the rare few who genuinely cares for its students’ gastronomical wellbeing. Whether you’re in the mood for salty fries or a freshly made salad; Taber’s cafeteria has you covered.

We slowly inch closer to the counter when Stella’s phone rings.

“It’s Mo. Can you order my usual?” I nod and she excuses herself from the line. Walking a few steps from the queue, a wave of excitement radiates from my roommate as she answers the phone. I smile at the blatant display of sibling love. Something I’ll never experience but always admire.

“NEXT!” I shuffle forward, placing an order for an extra slathered Screaming Bagel and an extra-large Protein Punch. Elderly eyes asses me from behind the counter, a questioning stare that’s either judging my face paint or the calorie count of those two meals combined. Given the fact she deals with university kids day-in, day-out, I’m going to go with the latter.

“NEXT!” Jumping the slightest bit, I move aside for the next person to shuffle forward. Mrs. Cafeteria may be a tad judgemental, but she’s got efficiency down.

I grab our order and wander over to where Stella’s standing, phone still pressed against her ear.

“… you’re here now? But I thought you weren’t coming until later… No, no it’s fine. We’ll meet you in the bleachers. See you soon.” Jabbing the end button, her furry tail swishes through the air as Stella turns to face me.

“Sorry about that, Mo turned up early for once in his life.” Sighing with exasperation, she grabs the protein shake I’m holding out to her. “A protein punch is just what I need right now. Thank you so much.” Pausing to take a gulp of her shake, Stella gestures towards the nearest door.

“Let’s go hunt down my brother and snag good seats. We need to get a good view of the field, you have a certain rookie to cheer for after all.” I groan good naturedly and link my arm through hers.

“Apparently number twelve is the one to lookout for.” Stella gives a little squeal and I laugh, trying to unwrap my breakfast with one hand.

Unfortunately, the coordination required to eat food single handily is apparently above my skillset because next thing I know, cream cheese is smeared all the way down my shirt and all that’s left in my hand is a depressingly plain bagel.

Handing me her napkin, Stella is barely able to keep her laughter in check, “There is a really dirty joke about cream that I am not even going to touch right now.” Eyeing my non slathered bagel from every angle, I sigh in resignation.

The weather is unseasonably warm for the end of September, and the sun beats down on our faces as Stella and I hike across Taber’s surprisingly large sporting arena. Situated in the far-right hand corner, the lacrosse field is easily the farthest distance I’ve had to walk this year. The best part of going to a smaller university is not having to walk more than twenty minutes from anywhere on campus. This trek is definitely pushing the edge to that time zone, making me thankful I never considered joining a varsity team.

As we wind our way to the wooden bleachers lining the edge of the field, clusters of people begin to form. I knew lacrosse was one of Taber’s more popular sports, but I hadn’t realized how many students would show up to support the team. Orange and black greets me at every turn, the shirts and banners screaming school spirit are as vibrant as the crowd is loud. I even spot a few girls who have the same tiger ears as Stella, but no one else has the flaming orange tail. Stella is in a league all on her own with that one.

Among the sea of stripes, flashes of silver stand out. I’ve never known a school to only be represented by one colour before, but apparently Silverwood Sabers is fond of their metallic mascot.

A black poster catches my eye, and I gasp. The vibrant drawings contrast greatly with the dark paper, making it easy to understand the concept. A tiger lies bleeding out on the ground, severely wounded, with a saber stabbed through his middle. The level of detail in the fallen predator is enough to make my stomach churn.

Looking at the artist holding the poster, the unease grows. The boy looks to be in his late teens, with a pale complexion that almost looks sickly under his shockingly white, blonde hair.

“Skylar Vin,” Stella nods towards the poster holder. “He’s been coming to watch these games as long as me. His older brother is infamous in the USport circuit.” I shudder, tearing my eyes away from the gruesome art.

“What’s he famous for?”

Stella grimaces, “Infamous. Vector Vin holds the record for highest number of players he’s put in the hospital. He’s big, he’s mean, but most of all he’s angry. And that makes him unpredictable.” I whip my head around in horror.

“Has he ever injured a Taber player?”

“A couple, yeah. Mo’s never been hurt, thank God, but our goalie last year got messed up pretty bad. He walked away with a dislocated shoulder and two broken ribs vowing he’d never step on a lacrosse field again as long as that monster is loose.” My eyes flit back to Skylar and his sign, the gory details filling me with more dread than before.

Stella continues, “The worst part is that our goalie got off easy. A defenseman from Coaldale had to get immediate leg surgery after Vector pummelled him to the ground. The guy shouldn’t be allowed to walk in public much less play a contact sport.”

Bile rises in my throat as I look to the empty field. The freshly painted white sidelines suddenly look more like bars on a gladiator cage than a lacrosse field.