Chapter 3

2 Weeks Later

“Why are we here again?” I asked Cade, still making my way into the party even though I didn’t want to be there.

“Because even though it’s only been two weeks since I’ve seen you, it feels like years. A lot has happened and we need to celebrate.”

“Uh, Cade. Did you forget that I saw you every day at the gym?”

“Exactly,” he said as though he’d just caught me out. “The gym. Every single day. That’s all you did with your forced time off. If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were some super lifelike robot that was made just to foil anyone’s plans of scoring a goal.”

“Okay.”

He shook my shoulders, laughing. “I really thought the suspension would loosen you up, but it looks like I’m going to have to do that myself.”

“We don’t have time to loosen up, C. We have the draft in two weeks.”

“And what are a couple of gym sessions going to do now because the teams aren’t going to take into account how well you foam rolled your thighs in the last couple of weeks. On that point, Do you ever wonder if rolling your muscles that much might make you more prone to injury?”

“How the hell did you pass biology class?”

He pushed his tongue out, licking his lips. “I think we all know how I passed.” He wriggled his eyebrows. No words. I had no words for my best friend because yeah, he had a thing for dangerous situations, and faculty members, apparently.

“Why did you bring me here?” I changed the subject because frankly, I didn’t want to hear about him getting a blow job from our teacher. There were just certain things in our friendship that I didn’t need to know. Besides, I was more suspicious about his intentions tonight because there was always a reason with Cade. He didn’t do anything without an ulterior motive, and he certainly didn’t drag me to parties unless he had a good reason for it.

Cade grinned. “Mandy asked me to come.”

Mandy? Mandy? I tried to think about all the girls from our class, but I couldn’t remember a single Mandy. However, that could just be down to me. It wasn’t like I paid much attention to girls at school. There was only one that would get my attention.

“I’m surprised you’re chasing her. I didn’t think you wanted to be tied down with a girlfriend since we’re leaving in a few weeks.”

He shrugged. “I’m not planning on getting a girlfriend. It’s just a little fun before we go. Something I think you’d benefit from. You might be surprised at how much you like it.”

“I’m good thanks.”

Cade narrowed his eyes and pointed at me. “You know. I think that’s why you’re a good goaltender.” I responded with a glare, so he continued and pointed at my arms. “Because you’re all pent up and angry. The only release you get is at the gym, and I don’t think that’s nearly enough for a testosterone-fueled athlete like you. But then again, sexless and angry seemed to work wonders for your save record this year. Leading the state. That’s impressive.” He chuckled when I didn’t say anything. “Not to mention the way you messed up Henry’s nose. That was insane. The guys haven’t stopped talking about it. Have you seen it?”

I groaned, rolling my eyes as we walked into the house because I was frustrated that breaking a teammates nose would be my final legacy at the school. Before that, I was just the quiet goaltender that kept himself to himself. Now people saw me as something different. Something a little more unhinged. The music was blaring, and just as we got to the front door, something caught my eye. Well, more like someone .

“Is that Madison?” I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Madison was standing in the middle of the room dancing and waving at every guy that walked by. Tiff was next to her, watching Madison closely. I blew out breath, trying not to look like I was about to lose my shit, but I was almost certain it would happen if the guy currently talking to Madison didn’t walk away. Was he the only person in the school that hadn’t heard about Henry’s nose?

“Ah, yeah. She’s here again.” Cade sighed, shaking his head in annoyance.

“Again?” That was strange. I rarely saw Madison at parties. She’d gone to one or two before, but none with this many seniors, and none where she was dressed like that. She had a tight, purple skirt on and a white cropped shirt, showing off her toned, tanned stomach.

“Yeah. In the last two weeks, my sister has decided to change things up and prove to the world that Henry’s an asshole.”

“How’s she doing that?”

“You’re looking at it.” He held his hand up toward his sister and dropped it.

“And you’re just going to let her walk around like that?” I glanced at her bare stomach, ignoring the tingling feeling in my fingers because I wanted to touch her so badly. “You know, I read shirts like that are bad for the kidneys?” And my health if we wanted to get specific, because I was worried I might have a heart attack just looking at her.

“Kidneys?” Cade glared at me with narrowed eyes. “You let me worry about my sister’s kidneys. I'm sure they're fine, and I'm not allowed to comment on her style, anyway. My mom says I have no right. She thinks it’s a phase and the more we comment on it, the more she'll do it.”

“So, she's changed her style?”

“And her personality, apparently. She's been flirting with every guy that looks at her for the last two weeks.”

Flirting?

With other guys.

It looked like I might have to set a few people straight before I leave.

“Is that another thing your mom told you, you had to ignore?”

Kyle, some junior, pretended to bump into Madison, and when she looked over her shoulder, he gave her an apologetic smile. I could almost hear his smarmy opening line from here. Did he seriously think he had a shot with her? Seriously. Kyle was like a second-rate kicker on the football team. No one paid him any attention, and here he was, thinking he was good enough for Madison.

“So, you’re just going to let Kyle shoot his shot, then?”

“I mean, I’ve got a theory that if I show I care too much, she might try to date a teammate again just to provoke me.”

My brows furrowed because that logic didn’t make any sense.

“You don’t have siblings. Trust me, it’s a thing. Always trying to find new and creative ways to annoy the other one. But, anyway, if I can keep her thinking we’re on the same side, then she’ll be honest with me. That way, I know exactly which idiot thinks he's good enough for her, and I can speak to them before things get serious.”

He gave me a pointed glare, and I had to admit, I was surprised. Cade was playing the long game, something I never expected him to do. How he could stand there and watch Kyle taking in his sister like a piece of meat, I’d never know. Especially since I was ready to push everyone out of the way and give Kyle a little makeover for it.

Madison laughed at him and touched his arm.

I winced and looked up to the ceiling. “You know what? I’m going to get some air,” I said, turning and without another word, I walked out of the party with the sole intention of never walking back in. I didn’t need to see that shit.

“Dash! Wait.” When I heard her voice, I stopped moving. She had the ability to do that. “How the heck do you walk so fast?” She huffed out under her breath and nearly bumped into me as I turned around.

Her hands were on my chest and her eyes widened in surprise as though she wasn’t just calling me. “Dash,” she said with this wistful edge to it. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and took me in. I couldn’t help myself. I took her in too. With the purple and white outfit on, she looked like she was ready to support my new team, the Covey Crushers. Dammit. Why did she have to look so hot?

She was my teammate’s sister. Only, he wasn’t just a teammate. He was like a brother to me, and checking out his little sister should have been wrong, but that fact was apparently not getting through my thick skull.

I raised my hands, nearly touching her to help her gain her composure, but stopped myself, figuring her hands on my chest were enough to balance her. “Madison. What are you doing here?” I twisted my lips, stopping myself from asking why she’d left Kyle behind.

“I'm here for a good time.” Her voice had this light, sweet quality to it, and I had to admit, it was nice to see her so relaxed and happy considering the last time I saw her, she looked as though her world was crumbling down.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to haul her over my shoulder and bring her back to my car just so I could drive her home because it wasn’t my place. It also wouldn’t make any sense. Hiding her away from the world wasn’t fair when she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, but that was exactly what I wanted to do.

Biting her bottom lip, she leaned in and poked my chest. “Plus, I kind of wanted to come because I was hoping a certain person would be here.”

“Who?” I was already scanning the area for Kyle.

“You,” She said so sweetly, that it took me a few seconds to register it. I looked down at her big blue eyes and damn, was that all she had to do to make my heart stop?

Shit.

I was so gone for this girl. We'd hardly spoken in the four years I'd known her, and yet, I was willing to beat up any guy who looked at her the wrong way. “I, uh,” She let out a hesitant chuckle, looking to the ceiling before she mumbled. “Oh, man. This is so embarrassing.”

“Spit it out, Madison.”

She dragged her eyes to look at me and I could see a sense of mischief twinkling behind them.

“Everything was such a rush after the Henry debacle.” Her voice was shaky but that was the only hint that she might be nervous about speaking to me. “What with you getting suspended and me having to avoid crying in the hallway for an hour like some bad break up song.”

“You were crying in the hallway for an hour?” My chest inflated and I immediately wanted to find Henry and break his nose all over again, but when Madison stepped toward me and rested her hand on my arm, I calmed. I couldn’t help it. Something about that strawberry shampoo she used always made me feel like I was home.

“Relax. I’m fine now.” She pulled me into a hug, and I wrapped one arm around her, careful to keep my hands on her back, nowhere near her butt.

As she pulled out of my hold, She kept one of her hands on my arm and let her thumb rub across my jacket. Then she let out a surprised breath before looking up at me with surprise. “Were you always this tall?” She asked with a slight grin.

“I grew six inches in the last year,” I answered factually because I couldn't help but watch her reaction. Her lips were so pouty, I wondered if they felt like pillows to kiss.

When her eyes widened, I suddenly thought I’d said that last part out loud. “You’re telling me, D.” Pulling at my jacket, she looked me up and down again. “I don't know when this happened, but you're like a big, hulking man now.”

“I am going to college in the fall, and I’m eligible to play professional hockey right now, so I guess that’s a good thing.”

And then there was this silence between us because that point seemed to weigh down the conversation like a heavy stone. We both knew I was leaving. With Cade. This wasn't new information, but what did feel new was the way she was looking at me. It almost felt like the same way I'd been looking at her for years, but she never noticed.

I hated myself for even thinking like this because I’d been able to push my crush to the furthest recesses of my mind all of high school, but now she was here. Looking at me like I hung the damn moon, and I was finding it hard to think about anything else other than kissing her.

Don't do it.

Don't fuckup the plan you and Cade have.

“You're welcome,” I said in a lame attempt to stop thinking about her.

She tilted her head, confused. Did she forget why she came over to speak to me in the first place?

“For breaking Henry's nose. The guy had it coming. I only wish I' been able to punch him in the gut a couple of times before I got caught.”

“Honestly, it was the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Slack-jawed, I stared at her awestruck face. Did she just say romantic? Did she know how I felt or was she having love-struck ideations after everything that happened? It had to be the latter. I was the only one thinking things I shouldn't.

“If that's the most romantic thing to have ever happened to you, then you're looking at the wrong kind of guys.”

She squared her shoulders, pressing her lips together. Somehow, I’d managed to piss her off. “What do you mean? Why wouldn't I want a guy that would defend me and make me feel like I was special?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

This conversation was skating a dangerous territory. A territory I knew I needed to get out of immediately.

“Have you seen Cade?”

Her hand finally dropped from my chest, along with her gaze falling to the floor. She couldn’t look at me, and I guessed it was because what I said felt a lot like rejection. It wasn’t. I was just given nowhere else to go.

“He's inside, but I think he went up to a room with some girl. It's probably something you don't want to interrupt and it's definitely something I don't want to see.”

“Okay,” I replied curtly, looking over her head and back into the party. I couldn’t exactly leave after asking that question but going back in there felt like torture. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Sure.”

Without another word, I walked past Madison and shook my head. She wasn’t flirting with me. That was just all in my head. I was just too far gone for her to think straight anymore. At least, that was what I let myself believe.

I took a step toward the door, but I couldn’t leave. Not after that. I needed to watch Madison, and make sure she was okay, especially if her brother was busy.