14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lacey

My brother scores a goal and the crowd goes wild.

The players wearing orange and black jerseys go running for a celebratory huddle, jostling Wesley for tying up the game with a seventh goal in the last quarter. Nico pushes up his helmet and lets out a cheer from his position in the crease, the excitement on his face easy to see from our front row seats.

Even Mighty Mo, Taber's graduated lacrosse legend and Nico's partner, looks pleased from his assistant coach position on the sidelines.

The energy of the crowd washes over me, the excitement in the air palpable from every Taber supporter in the bleachers. Stella is jumping up and down beside Skylar, her enthusiasm rubbing off on nearby spectators. Cody is grinning beside her, shaking his head as the players break off and run back into their positions .

"I swear to God, half the shots Wes makes are pure luck."

Stella snorts, "It's not luck, it's strategy. That man studies lacrosse videos in his spare time."

Trip laughs, "It's true. I caught him googling new training drills last week."

Skylar stays silent beside me, his fingers nervously tapping his thigh. Besides a quiet murmur of acknowledgement to Cody and Stella, he hasn't said a word since we sat down.

I lean over and nudge him gently, "What do you think?"

"Of the play?"

At my nod, Skylar lifts a shoulder, "Stella was right, it was a strategic move. He purposefully waited until the other forward made a breakaway so the defensemen would be preoccupied when he made his shot."

I'm stunned, speechless, and that's before Stella turns and gives him a nod of acknowledgement.

"I'm glad somebody else understands lacrosse."

Cody barks out a laugh, "Says the woman who has never stepped on a lacrosse field."

"Doesn't make it any less true."

Taber's old lacrosse captain shakes his head, "Next date, we're playing lacrosse. Then we will find out who knows more about the sport."

Stella smirks, flicking a braid over her shoulder, "Get ready to have your ass whooped, Ellsworth. Better start working on your losing skills now. "

He grins, "Good thing I'm not the sore loser in this relationship."

The couple starts bickering and I shift closer to Skylar. Reaching into his lap, I take his hand to stop the nervous fidgeting. I stroke his thumb gently, silently offering some reassurance.

"You know a lot about lacrosse. Did you ever play?"

Skylar shakes his head, squeezing my fingers, "This was always my brother's territory. I just picked up some things from watching his games."

"Did you watch a lot of them?"

He flicks his eyes to mine, "I watched every single one."

I bite my lip, thinking about the number of players Vector has put in the hospital. Skylar does everything he can to avoid violence and yet his brother goes out of his way to inflict it.

After meeting Amber and seeing the scars she carries around, it makes me wonder how the two brothers could have chosen such different paths.

"That must have been tough."

"Some were." Skylar huffs out a quiet laugh, "But someone had to take responsibility."

Before I can question his response, the ref blows his whistle and the game resumes. Wrapping my hand more securely around Skylar's, together we watch the Tigers run around the field, the varsity athletes moving with accuracy and speed as they whip the ball across the field .

"What strategy are they doing now?" I whisper softly in his ear, noticing the shiver that runs through him.

"This offensive play is called an invert, it's pretty common among the university circuit."

Skylar points to different players lined up on the front line, casually explaining the formation and objective behind it. He does it in a way that is plain and simple, leaving no room for confusion or complexity.

It blows my mind how much of a patient person he is. From the hours he spends on his art to the way he lets me linger around a bookstore, Skylar's ability to wait is incomparable. I've never met someone who feels comfortable letting the silence grow if only so I can have more time with my thoughts.

He's cautious yet meticulous. Precise yet undemanding.

It makes me wonder what he'd be like as a lover.

The thought has discomfort spreading over my skin like a rash. I haven't been able to properly read a sex scene for the last two years, and now that Skylar is on the scene, it's starting to bother me. At this rate, I would be better off being the virgin my roommate paints me out to be.

I'm a freak and not in a good way.

Skylar shifts beside me, interrupting my spiralling thoughts, "Here he goes again. Any minute now, number twelve is going to fall back so six can swing left and pass it back…"

Just like he predicted, Wesley drops back and sprints to the open position the other forward player helped to open up. With a flick of his wrist, the player passes the ball and my brother takes the shot. The goalie dives in the crease, stretching out his hand to make the save, but the ball drops right before he can make contact and rolls into the net.

The timer on the final quarter sounds and the crowd goes wild once more.

"Tequila coming in hot!"

Nico deposits the tray down on the table and Wesley lets out a groan.

"You are not allowed to buy the drinks anymore. I hate this shit."

Nico smirks, passing him a shot, "It's not my fault you have the tolerance of a fourteen year-old girl."

Trip laughs and snags one from the tray, "He's got you there."

Wesley reaches over and lifts his girlfriend from her chair onto his lap, "You're lucky I am so confident in my masculinity or I would be weeping right now."

She rolls her eyes, "You should try being less confident. Maybe your lacrosse helmet would fit better."

I laugh and Skylar glances at me with bright eyes. His anxiety has gone down a lot since the game ended and the group separated so Stella and Cody could partake in their own celebration.

I'm pretty sure that's code for sex, but I decided not to question it .

"God, I love it when you're mean to me." Popping out a couple of dimples, Wesley pulls her close and plants a kiss on her lips.

Nico pulls a face and claps his hands before things can get too messy. I love Trip to pieces, but she really does have the worst habit of encouraging my brother's love of PDA.

The Tigers won this afternoon, so the atmosphere is light and festive as students and parents chat amiably amongst themselves. The bar itself has a honky-tonk feel to it, with hunting trophies lining the wall behind the bar and a hockey game playing on the television.

It's easy to forget Taber is a conservative small town when I'm living on campus. The miles of corn fields and rusty pickup trucks seem like a different world compared to the manicured lawns of the university.

"So, Skylar." Tossing me a wink, Nico passes him a shot, "What are your intentions with our gorgeous girl over there?"

Oh my God.

Fighting the blush taking over my face, I cross my arms and glare at Nico's smirking one. My brother finally extracts his mouth from Trip's and shoots me a sympathetic glance.

"We drew straws on who got to be the bad cop."

Nico grins, "At least I was kind enough to buy tequila."

Skylar picks up the shot and throws it back. Carefully setting the glass down on the table, he makes eye contact with Nico.

"I'm going to need a few more of those."

Wesley laughs then stops, squinting at Skylar's straight face .

"I can't tell if he's joking."

Laughter bubbles up in my throat as Skylar glances at me, his mismatched irises sparkling past his stoic expression. The dim lighting of the bar makes his white hair and cheekbones stand out that much more, but Skylar's angelic features aren't what captures my attention.

It's the flicker of happiness hiding just beneath the surface.

Skylar

Lacey's brother is not what I was expecting.

Neither is her friend Nico, for that matter. Despite the earlier jokes, both of them seem more inclined on getting me to like them rather than conducting an interrogation.

Wes, Lacey's brother, reminds me of an overexcited puppy with a larger-than-life personality and a dimpled smile. It took less than a second for me to figure out who was Lacey's biological relation given the midnight curls and bright green eyes both siblings inherited.

Her brother might be the loudest member of the group, but Nico isn't far behind. Wearing a flashy dress shirt and a permanent smirk, the handsome Latino seems to spend most of his time using ridiculous innuendoes and sexual comments to trigger a reaction.

If I had to pick a favourite, Trip would probably be it. She's quieter than the two guys, her remarks dry and witty without being over-the-top. The unsuspecting humour aligns most closely with my own, and besides Lacey, she seems to be the only one not concerned about my lack of expression.

"…and now we fuck on the regular." Nico grins at me, completing his recount of the volatile relationship he has with the team's assistant coach.

I stare back at him, wondering if he normally shares such intimate details with strangers.

"Congratulations."

"Fuck. You're a hard nut to crack." Nico leans back in his chair, studying me from across the table, "Do you ever smile?"

"Skylar smiles all the time." Lacey reaches over and wraps her hand around mine, "You just have to be lucky enough to see it."

She squeezes my hand and I stare at it, feeling the weight of my shortcomings. Everyone has been going around the table sharing their favourite memories of university, and each one resulted in peals of laughter and bright smiles from everyone except me.

"Or, maybe Nico is just a bad storyteller." Wes uses the joke to break the awkward silence and Nico lets out a gasp.

"Take that back. Take that back right now or I'll call housing services the next time you two decide to get freaky in a study room."

"Don't be a hater. We were studying anatomy."

Nico smirks, "More like the outline of Trip's cervix."

Lacey wrinkles her face in disgust. My eyes drop to the mass of freckles lining her scrunched nose, the faded marks making me want to pull out a pen and connect them all .

Wes holds up his hands in surrender, "Hey, I was just making sure I would pass the class."

A couple of dimples pop out when he looks at his blushing girlfriend, the affection he holds for her evident from the way his hand keeps sneaking under her shirt.

"How did you two meet?" I direct the question at Trip, trying not to stare as her boyfriend gropes her under the table.

"Me and Wes?" At my nod, she glances at him, "Do you want to take the lead on this one?"

"Hell no. I love it when you take the lead."

Wes throws her a wink and I politely look away when he pulls her ass further onto his lap. The social butterfly and the sarcastic introvert seem like an odd pairing but they certainly have physical touch down.

Trip rolls her eyes before leaning back against his chest and giving me a smile.

"We met during move-in day our freshman year. Wes tried to help carry my boxes and we ended up flat on our backs with my underwear blowing across the front lawn."

Lacey laughs, "My brother always has the best intentions but they never seem to work out the way he plans."

Wes pauses the groping session to draw the cross on his chest, "The universe likes to keep me on my toes but she always delivers. Amen."

Trip rolls her eyes again, "As you can imagine, I had no interest in this clown until he started showing up everywhere, insisting we were friends. "

Nico interrupts with a smirk, "He was pathetic but persistent."

She shrugs, meeting my curious gaze, "Eventually we started hanging out and here we are now."

"One year later and desperately in love is what Miss One Trip forgot to say." Shifting on the chair, Wes leans forward and kisses her.

Lacey lets out a soft sigh and it doesn't take long for me to spot the heartache swimming through her gaze. My chest tightens when I think about the romance novels she loves to read, the meet cutes and happy ever afters she keeps safely stored in her little dorm library.

After everything she's been through, it seems cruel that my flower has to watch her brother secure the storyline she always dreamed about.

Nico's phone rings and he snatches it from the table, "Sorry team, but I've got to split. I've got a charcuterie board stamped with the name Maurice O'Brien waiting for me."

Pushing back his chair, Nico walks over to give Lacey a hug, "You better head out before Wes and Trip get any nastier."

She huffs out a laugh, "Say hi to Mo for me."

"I will." Nico plants a kiss on her head before turning to me, "I said I was going to be cool and do a bro hug, but I can't bring myself to do it."

Without missing a beat, Nico saunters over and wraps his arms around me .

"It was nice meeting you, Expressionless Wonder. Ten bucks says I'll break a smile out of you next time."

I freeze as the warmth of his body envelopes me in a cloud of cologne and confidence. Lacey catches my eye over his shoulder and gives me a reassuring smile.

Blinking back the sudden surge of tears, I can't bring myself to speak as Silverwood's rival goalie gives me a glimpse of what it feels like to have a normal family.

Nico gives me one last squeeze before pulling away, "Alright. It's time for me to get my freak on. Go make terrible decisions for papa."

Blowing one last kiss to the couple making out across from us, Nico turns and makes his leave. Lacey lets out a light laugh before glancing over at me.

"Are you ready to get out of here?"

I stare at her, tracing the face that has become my safe haven these last few weeks. I thought she was exquisite the first night I saw her, but nothing could have prepared me for the compassionate soul sitting next to me.

"Absolutely."

Lacey's dorm is exactly what I was expecting.

Tiny but efficiently furnished, a large desk takes up most of the floor space between her single bed and the far wall. Her closet is tucked in behind the door and the remaining space is allocated to succulents of every shape and size imaginable.

"You weren't kidding about having a greenhouse."

I shuffle along the few feet of carpet, peering at the row of plants and romance books stacked precariously between her textbooks. As small as the room is, Lacey managed to make it completely her own with an explosion of colour on every surface available.

"I probably shouldn't have brought all my plant babies here, but I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them at home." She bends down and carefully extracts a dead leaf from one of her plants.

Trying not to stare at her bent over form, I turn my attention to the romance books lining the desk's top shelf. Each spine is cheerful and bright, identical to the ones we saw in the bookstore the other day. Reaching up, I grab the pastel pink one and study the polaroid pictures decorating the front cover.

"Is this your entire book collection as well?"

"Oh no. This isn't even a tenth of what I have back home."

My lips tug upward at the confession. Opening the book, I flip through the pages and catch a glimpse of sharp black smudges. I frown, flipping back through the pages until I find the intrusive mark.

Thick, black lines cut through the words, and my first thought is there must be some sort of a printing error. I lean in closer, trying to pinpoint the starting point when I notice the shaky and uneven curvature .

As if someone purposefully crossed them out.

Slowly setting the book down, I grab the next one on the shelf. The same markings reside in this one too, repeating continuously throughout the book. My heart starts to pound as I stare at the destroyed pages in front of me, the harsh slash of the permanent marker holding only one thing in common.

Each one was used to cross out a sex scene.

"Can I get you a drink or something? Sorry, I should have asked earlier…" Lacey's voice dies off when she sees the books lying open on the desk. Letting out a nervous laugh, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, you found my annotations. It's a silly habit I got into, but it's very popular with the romance community right now."

I turn and stare at her, "These aren't annotations, Flower."

She bites her lip, avoiding my gaze, "Some of them are."

I flick my eyes back to the words crossed out on the page in front of me. The jagged lines are thick and merciless, refusing to let a single letter bleed through.

The whole thing is so… angry.

Slowly raising my gaze to her guilt-stricken face, I can barely breathe as I take in the consequence of someone else's actions.

"What did he do to you?"