7. Archer

T hree weeks. Three fucking weeks. That’s how long Daemon Forbes has been avoiding me. And I know what you’re thinking, how can someone who plays on the same hockey team as me, possibly avoid me, but trust me it’s possible. From showing up right as practice starts, to leaving as soon as it ends, he has been going out of his way to not be in my vicinity in any way. Even during practice, and our last game, it was like I didn’t exist. Every taunt and barb went unanswered, and even when he had no choice but to pass me the puck, I swear he didn’t even look at me. Apparently, when it comes to Daemon Forbes, I am now invisible.

I even went as far as to go back to that damn coffee shop on Saturday afternoon, but of course he wasn’t there. If I didn’t still see him because of the team, I would swear he had ceased to exist, and it’s fucking ridiculous. I don’t know what the fuck his problem is? I mean, clearly it’s me, but that’s fucking bullshit, I am nothing if not delightful, and that prick is lucky to have me as a fucking teammate. Who gave him the right to fucking ignore me?

A thought that has plagued me for days now, and I wish I could pretend I didn’t know what has happened, but I do. I know because we have been here before. This is just like freshman year all over again. We had some sort of moment or connection, and afterwards it’s like I don’t exist. I don’t know why he does this, but worse, I don’t know why I care.

Stomping into my last class of the day, I try to push it all out of my mind, but even the hot chocolate in my hand isn’t cheering me up. When I reach my desk, I throw myself into my seat with a grunted huff, slamming the second cup I have on the desk that sits directly next to mine.

“Well, hello to you too,” my classmate Hallie drags out beside me, accepting the usual hot chocolate I have been bringing her the last couple of weeks.

Hallie Rose Sanders is probably one of the only females I have ever been just friends with, and though our friendship is new, I don’t think she will ever understand how much I appreciate it. We became friends when we started this Econ class together, but I see her around a little more since she is friends with my teammate, Josh Peters, and his sister, Madeline. They often come to games together, and since I saw Madeline leaving my best friend’s room a couple of weeks ago, and having interrupted a heated discussion between the two of them twice now, I think it’s safe to say I will be seeing more of the girls around.

Not once has she ever looked at me like I am just a piece of meat, and though she is a regular fixture at my hockey games, it’s because she loves the game, not the players. She doesn’t care about how many girls I have fucked, or if I score the winning goal in a game, and she rolls her eyes anytime I try and flirt with her. So yeah, our friendship might be new, but it’s real, and the girl is one in a fucking million, and whoever does end up with her will be one lucky bastard.

“Don’t sass me today, Hals, I’m grouchy,” I tell her, but all she does is laugh at my theatrics, not helping my mood in the slightest, especially when I spy Brianna giving me death glares from across the room.

“I didn’t think grouchy was a part of your personality settings,” she muses in response, emptying out her class supplies from her bag, and lining them up on her desk. “Asshole, yes, moody, maybe, but grouchy?” she adds in question, and I groan at her attempt at humor.

“I’m serious, you little witch, I am pissed off and nothing can cheer me up,” I tell her matter of factly, and she finally turns to me, giving me her full attention.

“What’s the matter? I thought you’d be uncontrollably excited today, with Nova’s party coming up,” she muses, sipping her hot chocolate, and all I can do is groan, because she’s right.

Nova is turning twenty-one this weekend, on Halloween of all days, aka the best night of the year, and Alexander and I are throwing him an epic party. It’s all we’ve talked about for weeks, with non-stop planning, and that is what I should be focused on, but instead my mind is on him . The one who shall not be named anymore, and it’s fucking ridiculous, but Hallie is right.

Why am I worrying about someone who wants to pretend I don’t exist? Not when I have my best friend to worry about, especially since I invited his new found dirty little secret, Madeline Peters, to join the party. It’s going to be chaos, my favorite thing in the world, so who fucking cares about Daemon Forbes?

“You and Maddie are still coming, right?” I finally say in response, changing my mood, and Hallie rolls her eyes, but smiles.

“Do I have a choice?” she asks, shaking her head as our professor arrives, and I study my classmate a little closer, and she stares at me knowingly.

Being Maddie’s best friend, it’s not hard to guess that she must have way more inside knowledge than me when it comes to whatever is happening with my best friend and hers. Nova is still under the pretense that he is swearing off women this year, but I saw the way he looked at Maddie when I caught her leaving his room, and the way he has been hoarding his phone like it’s the most precious thing in the world to him. So he might be in denial, but that’s where I come in.

“Nope, I’ll see you and the princess on Saturday at 7,” I grin, just as our professor calls for the start of class, and I move my focus to the front.

The rest of class passes in a blur, and by the time I make it back to the house, Alexander is already there waiting for me with his party checklist. And when I say checklist, I mean a full printed checklist that he has dubbed our holy grail for the last two weeks. He’s even attached it to a clipboard, and when I asked where he got it from, he hit me with it and told me to sit down and stop asking stupid questions, so that was the end of that. Now anytime I see the damn thing I just know I am in for it.

“Finally, Gray, I’ve been waiting on you all day,” is how he greets me when I walk through the door, and I roll my eyes as I dump my bag at the bottom of the stairs, wishing I could just collapse in my room.

“I’ve been in class you asshole, and I know your schedule well enough to know you should have been in class too,” I scoff back, moving to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, and like a damn puppy he follows.

“Class? How can you think of something as ridiculously mundane as class at a time like this?” he asks in true outrage, and when I turn to respond I startle a little, finding him directly behind me.

“Not all of us are born to billionaires, Alexander,” I remind him, and now it’s his turn to scoff.

“Oh piss off you wanker, your four parents aren’t that far behind mine, they even share a fucking tax bracket. Now stop wasting my time, we have things to discuss, so I am going to put on a pot of tea and then we can go over this guest list,” he explains, tapping his clipboard, and all I can do now is go and take a seat in the living room to wait for him.

There is no point trying to escape to my room, the little fucker would just invade it like the true Brit he is. So instead, I just throw myself onto one of the sofas and wait. It isn’t long before he appears with his clipboard tucked under his arm, and his tea tray secured in both hands, which is how I know he truly means business.

I force myself to sit up, accepting the cup of fucking tea he has made me, not really caring for whoever is on the guest list, but the quicker I let him discuss it, the quicker we can get this over with.

“Okay, first I secured the girls volleyball team, the cheerleaders, and both sorority houses,” he starts, appraising his list. “Then I hit up the swim team, and the drama club.”

Quickly realizing exactly where this is going, I can’t help but interrupt. “Did you invite anyone that isn’t a female?” I ask, and he looks at me completely perplexed.

“You mean besides our entire team?” he confirms in question, looking back at his list. “Of course not, why the hell would I invite more men than women? That would just be both pointless and boring. Everyone knows parties are only so people can get laid,” he rambles on, but my mind is still caught on what he just said.

“You invited the entire team?” I repeat in confirmation, and his gaze snaps back up to meet mine. “As in, our entire hockey team, all lines, every player? As in, even the people we don’t really like?” I rush out in question, and he nods slowly.

“Every player except Josh Peters,” he confirms, tapping his list, as he reaches out for his cup of tea, and holds it up in mid air as if offering himself a silent cheers.

“Why, everyone except him?” I can’t help but ask in confusion.

I mean, there was an altercation between Nova and Josh the other day in the locker room, after Nova got into a fight with a player from the opposing team for calling Maddie a slut. Of course, this sent her brother through the roof, but his anger was towards our own teammate, but that’s nothing new. They are always at each other’s throats thanks to their past, but since they play on the same team, they try to play nice, most of the time anyway. And yeah, Alexander and I aren’t exactly friends with him, given our relationship to Nova, but we’ve all been to plenty of parties at each other’s house before, I don’t know why this one would be any different.

Alexander shrugs. “Because Nova hates him, and it’s his birthday. Plus, you invited his sister, and I don’t think he needs to see half the team drooling over how hot she is.” His explanation is simple enough, and I want to accept it, not push it, but I can’t stop where my mind is going.

The question swirls around in my brain on repeat, until I force it out as casually as I can manage. “What about Forbes?” I ask, hating the way his name sounds coming from my lips, but I hate even more that I want to know the answer more than anything.

“What about him?” Alexander replies, taking another sip of his tea.

“Did you invite him?” I snap far too quickly, and my friend looks at me with assessing eyes, before he nods again.

“Yes, I invited him. I know he’s a grumpy wanker, but I thought, maybe if he came he could get laid, and it might cheer the prick up,” he explains, and having no rebuttal for that, or the images his words just conjured, I just take a drink of my own tea and let Alexander push on with his agenda.

I’m pretty sure he goes over the rest of the guest list, decorations, food and music, but I barely hear a word he says. No, the only thing on my mind is that Daemon Forbes is coming to my house this weekend, and if there is one place he won’t be able to avoid me, it’s here.

Game fucking on.