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“Watch your mouth, asshole. Honestly, you should be thanking me for tonight,” Shane continues, and I cock my head to the side out of confusion, my loosely balled fist itching to hit him dead in his perfect ass jaw.
“Explain yourself quickly, pretty boy,” I warn.
While Shane, Bass and I are known as the Ice Mafia Triad for how well we work in tandem on the ice, we all have personal nicknames for each other and out of the three of us, Shane is definitely the prettiest. We always joke that when the three of us go pro, he’ll be the one with the most endorsements because of that face of his.
“What I just told Kennedy is making her get on a plane and fly back to the East Coast for Christmas.”
“So?”
“So, the new girl will be in Valencia City all Christmas break alone.”
Shane’s eyebrows wiggle, and when the revelation of what he’s just said hits me like a ton of bricks, he gives me a light tap on the back.
“Merry Christmas, Cap.”
violet
It’s beenseveral days since Kennedy left hastily for the airport, muttering under her breath something about someone’s “whore of a mother”. Although we’re roommates, and had a gym class together once in high school, I don’t know her well enough yet to dig into her personal business. If and when she’s ready to tell me what’s going on and what Shane has to do with it, she will.
Elijah and I spoke earlier in the week, but the conversation felt very stilted. It almost felt as if he wanted to tell me something but was holding back. Since then, I’ve been holed up in the apartment catching up on my Econ reading but need a break. I’ve avoided as much Christmas fanfare as I can by staying inside, but I need to see other human life before I go completely bonkers.
I decide a good thing for me to do is to visit campus and use the time to learn my way around while there aren’t as many people in town. Walking across the picturesque campus, I take particular notice of the Mediterranean-styled buildings and the name on each one. Most of them seem to be named after people I’ve never heard of—probably alumni since I know very little about this school.
“You lost?”
The small hairs on the back of my neck rise. I’d recognize that sexy, self-important voice anywhere. What are the chances that I’d run into him today?
“Just exploring campus,” I say, hesitantly raising my eyes to meet his.
“I’ve never seen someone so eager to rush getting back to school,” he says with a serious face that’s totally unreadable.
“You guys have a shorter break than most schools on the East Coast and the semester is creeping up on me.”
“Most schools on the East Coast? Careful, that almost sounds very elitist of you.”
“I think you’re projecting your own insecurities.”
Two girls, a few feet away from us, walk by and are gawking at the two of us. Once Neo notices them, he rubs the back of his neck with his hand as if he’s suddenly uncomfortable.
When one girl raises an arm and waves at him, Neo doesn’t respond right away, so the two girls decide to approach us.
“Hey, Neo.”
“Vikki.”
“Oh, so youcansee me?” she mocks. “I wasn’t sure you knew it was me since you didn’t return my wave.”
Suddenly, I remember that name. The girl he was fighting over at the kickback.
Vikki and her friend now focus their attention toward me. “Hi, I’m Vikki and you are?”
“Let me speak to you for a minute,” Neo cuts her quickly off, pulling her to the side.
“Why?” Her tone suddenly shifts and I wonder if she’s just embarrassed or totally frightened. “I’m just trying to get to know your new friend. Is she a freshman?”
Vikki’s friend sucks her teeth as she stares me down in a veryMean Girlsmovie sidekick kind of way. I re-adjust my handbag over my shoulder to get ready to go. I want no parts of whatever this drama is particularly because the last time that girl’s name came up, he almost killed a guy in front of a house full of people.
“You, don’t move,” Neo asserts the moment I try to take a step forward.
