After the song is done, we collapse on the couch.
“That felt so good,” Holland says. “I really needed this tonight. Thanks so much for coming over.” She yawns and it leads to a chain effect.
Paris looks at the time. “Shit, it’s midnight.”
“Damn, I better be going,” Blossom says.
Everyone stands and we help Holland clear the coffee table of glasses and empty wine bottles.
We head to the door.
“How you getting back to campus?” Holland asks me.
“Walking.”
“No way. Let me call you an Uber,” she says. “You shouldn’t walk alone this late at night and in your state.”
“Yeah,” Rebel agrees. “We just live around the corner. I would offer you a ride but I think we’re all too drunk to drive,” she giggles.
“I’ll call an Uber,” I agree because they’re right. Even though I hate spending the seven dollars.
“I already called one,” Holland says.
“But don’t you need to put my address into the call?” I ask.
“Shit, right,” Holland says and then she starts typing into her cell phone. “Where do you live?”
I give her my dorm info.
“This was fun,” I state.
Holland leans in for a hug. “You’ll need to come over again soon.”
“Thanks,” I say.
We pull apart and I head down the stairs on the front porch. Blossom, Rebel, and Paris are waiting at the curb.
“It was nice to meet you, Poppy,” Blossom says.
The other girls chime in and agree.
“Nice meeting you too,” I say.
Rebel asks for my cell number then shoots me a text. “Now you have my number too. I don’t live in Westfall anymore, but I’m here enough and if you ever make it to New York, we can hang out.”
“Sounds like fun,” I say and then my Uber pulls up.
I give them all hugs and we part ways. I enter the car feeling giddy. I never had friends like them before. Back home my bestie was a loner who spent too much time playing video games, and my other one was busy reading fantasy novels. The most fun we had was hanging out by the convenience store and eating candy but that never lasted long. I also realize that these are my brother’s friends. I hope he’ll be okay with me intruding. The real problem dawns on me when I think of how I can hang out with them and Declan and behave like nothing is going on between the two of us. That is going to be challenging. That’s for sure.
SIXTEEN
Declan
Coach Ramirez has Ryse and I running drills with our goalie, Wyatt James. The rest of the team is across the ice, speed skating and stickhandling.
“McAvoy, I want you blocking all of McGuire’s shots. Make it so James doesn’t even have to block,” Coach says.
Coach sets us up on center ice for face-off. These exercises always feel weird because it puts Ryse and me on opposing sides. Ryse grins at me like a jackass as Coach gets ready to drop the puck. When I look back at him though, I don’t see an opponent. I don’t even see a teammate. I see a friend who I’m lying to. A friend I’m stabbing in the back by hanging out with his sister. Well, we’re more than hanging out. As guilt for what I’m doing with Poppy seeps into my pores, Ryse is able to steal the puck. He skates off and I’m on him but that little distraction is going to cost me. He makes it to the net before me and shoots the puck at James but James successfully blocks the shot.
Dammit.
Coach blows the whistle. “Wake up, McAvoy. That is not the type of offense we want.”
“Sorry, Coach,” I mutter. I have to do better. Whatever is going on with Poppy and I has nothing to do with Ryse.
“Okay, let’s set up again,” Coach orders and we skate over to center ice.
This time I’m alert and when Coach drops the puck, I snag it away from Ryse. I veer left as a fake then head right and I stickhandle the puck close enough to the net that I score on Wyatt. I feel bad about scoring on him but it’s better he works on his technique with a teammate.
“Good,” Coach cheers. “Again.”
We repeat the same exercise another five times. Ryse gets the puck two times, which leaves us at a 3-3 tie.
“Okay. Let’s practice shooting to the net,” Coach says now. “You ready, James?”
Wyatt nods and we practice more drills to help Wyatt with his technique.
After practice we head to the locker rooms.
“What’s up with you?” Ryse asks.
“Me?” I ask, feigning like I don’t know what he’s talking about. In reality I’m sure he caught on to my distracted state. As teammates we are very tuned in to one another, like a fine oiled machine but when one of us is off the rest of us feel it too.
“Cut the crap,” Ryse says, flinging a towel over his shoulder. “You go out every night. You haven’t been around the house. Are you drinking again?” he asks with concern.
His question hits me hard because over the years I’ve had really good friends on the team. Friends who care to inquire about me and I’ve never given them anything but a bunch of lies. These guys don’t really know the real me and it’s starting to get to me.
“I’m not drinking, Ryse.” I pat his shoulder. “I promise.”
“What is it then?” he asks, and he waits with his hands on each side of his hips.
“Just stuff with my family, honestly,” I say, and it’s more information than I’ve ever given to anyone on this team. It makes me feel like shit about Cole and Wolfe. Those two always had my back and I feel like maybe I didn’t reciprocate enough.
“Is everything okay with your parents?” he asks.
He reminds me just how deep my lies run. I don’t know what to say.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” I answer because I can’t exactly say that I am a huge fat liar and that I only have a mom and a sick brother, who is trying to make it out of a bad situation.
“Okay.” He shrugs but he watches me for a beat. “It isn’t a girl, is it? I mean, I know you rarely hook up.”
I watch Ryse too and I see his sincerity. The fact that he cares and something inside me snaps. “Did I ever tell you why I don’t like to get around?” I ask him because this is something I haven’t lied about to anyone. It’s something I keep locked inside me. No one knows about it and I don’t know if it’s Poppy’s influence or the fact that I see my friend in a different light now that I know his life hasn’t been a bed of roses.
He shakes his head.
“I had a girlfriend back home. I was always upfront with her about where we stood. I told her I couldn’t give her the commitment she wanted because I was headed for a Division 1 team.” I don’t elaborate because my family was dysfunctional and they needed to come first. Ryse listens intently. “We were together junior and senior year. I took her to bed, even though I warned her I couldn’t give her more and I planned on leaving Detroit. She told me she was okay with everything. I knew she had some issues and so I was always upfront. Always careful, but she wanted me. She seduced me into sleeping with her and then when I told her I was leaving Detroit she flipped out. We went to a party and she took drugs. She overdosed. We had to call an ambulance and she made it through, but she scared the living fuck out of me. I learned that she was having mental health issues and never shared them with me. So now I just prefer to lay low. You know what I mean?” I say to Ryse.