6

"Your subtleties, they strangle me."

It Ends Tonight, The All-American Rejects

Joshua

The practice was gruelling. Despite the season being two months away, our coach insisted on daily after-school training sessions.

My legs burned, so I skated to the edge of the rink and took off my helmet. My hair was getting in my eyes. I brushed the stray hairs away before pouring water into my mouth from my bottle.

Noah breezed past me as he stole the puck from Kellan. He didn't seem fatigued in the slightest.

I'd convinced the coach to let him try out since he'd started the school year late. It took a lot of bargaining, but he got a shot and had our coach in awe of his skill. Me included.

I poured some water on my face to cool myself down. The cool air in the rink was doing nothing to minimize the hot flashes.

I paused, mid-drink, as Sawyer waltzed down the stairs. She had an unfamiliar book clutched against her chest. She gnawed on her lip as her eyes danced around the rink until they settled on me.

"Finally, a familiar face." She said once she was in earshot.

"Happy to help."

I leaned over the barrier so that we could talk better.

"I've been trying to text Noah, but he's not answering."

"He's practicing."

Her eyes widened before falling into a squint.

"Of course he made the team." She said with a sigh. "I'll talk to him later."

"You could stay." I said before she could even move an inch. "Watch us practice."

"Is that even allowed?"

No.

"Of course." I said before leaning closer, as if I was about to reveal something confidential. "Make sure coach doesn't notice."

She giggled.

"He won't even notice I'm here."

I almost called it a day, but my urge to impress her was too strong. I placed my helmet back on and skated to Noah and Kellan.

"What's my sister doing here?"

"She's watching us practice."

"Why?"

"I invited her."

To distract him from his burning questions, I stole the puck from him and kicked my legs into the ice to launch an attack on Miles, our goalie. My cheer echoed throughout the rink as I raised my hands above my head in victory.

I looked over my shoulder to find Sawyer already looking at me, clapping her hands. I beamed with pride.

The rest of the practice was as adrenaline-filled as possible since I wanted to impress her. From the wide grin and excited applause, I think I succeeded.

She was already waiting for me at the barrier as I skated over. I tossed my helmet to the side and shook my unruly hair.

"You're fantastic."

"Thank you." I said. "I have to be since I'm captain."

I had to throw that in there.

"I can see why."

My cheeks were sweltering. I cleared my throat and squared my shoulders.

"My friend Kellan is having a party Saturday night." I said. "You're welcome to come."

She bit her lip, and I felt an unfamiliar feeling of anxiety wash over me. Had I been too forward?

"It sounds like fun."

It's as if she had taken the longest pause in history before delivering the verdict. I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Great," I said. "You can ride with me."

Her attention moved over my head. Noah was approaching.

"What's going on?"

"I just invited Sawyer to the party on Saturday."

Noah looked as if he might regurgitate his lunch.

"Why would you do that?"

I shrugged.

"She's new here, too. It would be nice to introduce her to more people."

"I'm not too comfortable with that." Noah said. "Sawyer's never been to a party."

Her eyes were as wide as a hockey puck. As if the leak of information mortified her. I would be.

"We'll both be there," I said, trying to diffuse the tension. "She can hang out with me."

It felt awkward talking about her, as if she wasn't even there. Noah's nostrils flared before his shoulders dropped.

"Whatever." He said before sulking to the locker room.

Her glare was so intense it could set the building alight. I could just tell she was going to murder him later.

"So, Saturday?" I asked to regain her attention.

She shook her head as if waking up from a trance before smiling.

"Saturday sounds fun."

??

There was chaos the second I arrived home. Asher was blasting Blink-182 from his bedroom. It was so loud that it was giving Duke anxiety. His barks contrasted with the beat, making a grating noise in my ear.

I sought refuge in the kitchen, in dire need of a snack. The moment I opened our pantry, it was like the classic horror movie jump scare. Gracie was on the floor with a bag of Hickory Sticks in her hand. She had her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

"What are you doing here?"

She replied, but her filled mouth muffled her words. I scrunched my brows, waiting for her to finish chewing.

"There's too much noise out there." She said. "Duke was in here with me, but then he ran out."

I sighed and held my hand out for her. She grabbed it and I hoisted her up and out the door.

"Have you thought of asking Asher to turn it down?"

"I did." she said with a roll of her eyes. "He never answered."

I marched up the steps as if he could hear my stomps over his music. The door shook off the hinges from my impactful knock. Still no answer. I felt around for where he would leave his spare key above the door. I hadn't used it for months. He'd shown me a few years ago when we were still close. When we were still best friends.

I shook away the thought when my fingers brushed over the metal. I'm surprised he didn't move it. It slid easily into the lock, and I opened his door. The noise amplified as I stepped inside.

He was nowhere to be found.

I switched off the wireless speaker and searched the empty bedroom for any clue to his whereabouts. My eyes fell on the open window.

Typical.

"He snuck out, didn't he?"

I nodded my head before turning to Gracie.

"Forget about it," I said. "Let's go make a snack. Hickory Sticks will not hold us until dinner."

Her grin cracked her face before she rushed down the stairs. She was so fast I'm surprised she didn't face plant.

Before I locked Asher's room, I surveyed it one last time. I put the key back where I got it and rushed to join Gracie.

I had to cover for him once again.

??