Page 3 of Cheap Shot

Her resolve cracked, and her lips curved ever so slightly. “I’ll try not to.”

“Good.” I picked up my purse and pulled the strap over my head.

“If,” she said, and I paused mid-step and turned to face her, “you come with me to a party tonight.”

I didn’t bother hiding my cringe. A party wasn’t anywhere near the top of my list of things to do. Surprisingly, after everything that happened last year, I was fine with crowds and people. The loud music and talking didn’t even bother me. It was the smell of alcohol that triggered unpleasant reactions. Which was a very polite term for nausea, headaches, tunnel vision, and the occasional panic attack.

“What kind of party?” I mentally crossed my fingers she was going to say a nice, quiet get-together with our floor. Maybe a poetry jam session at a local cafe?

“One of the football houses hosts a party to kick off the school year every year. Everyone goes. It’s this whole thing.”

I blinked. A football party? Her? She was a walking, talking contradiction. Who was she, really?

“I don’t know...”

“I’ll stay with you the whole time. We can go, make a few rounds, I’ll introduce you to some people, and if you’re not feeling it, you can leave.”

That was a pretty tempting offer. Although, I was even more nervous at the idea of meeting her friends. I doubted I’d fit in with them; then again, I’d been wrong about her so far.

I played with my strap. I didn’t transfer here to hide in my room for the next three years. This was supposed to be a fresh start, untainted by my past.

What better way to settle in and make friends than going to a party and meeting people? I didn’t want her first impression of me to be that I turned down her offers. She might not ever invite me again.

“There will be plenty of cute guys there too.” She wagged her brows like it might entice me to say yes. I shrugged, and she cocked her head. “Plenty of cute girls too.”

I let out a chuckle. “Guys, but thanks for checking.”

“Either way. You are sure to meet someone there to at least hold your attention for the night.”

A few hours of distraction was just what I needed. I wasn’t ready to jump into anything serious, but it could be fun to hang out with her and her friends. It seemed like a safe way to ease myself into socializing.

I forced a smile. “I’ll think about it.”

“Fine.” She picked up her phone.

I checked my watch. I really needed to get going, but things still felt strained. “I’ll be back in two hours. We can grab some food, then head over if you want.”

She didn’t look up, but I caught the hint of a smile. “Okay.”

I turned and hurried into the hall, hoping I wouldn’t regret this decision.

Chapter 2

Reid

The scuffed white and yellow wall was coming faster than I preferred. I knew from over a decade of experience that this was going to hurt. I slammed into the board with more force than necessary for a practice scrimmage.

A grunt escaped me, but I managed to hold back the string of curses going through my mind. Ethan Clarkson, my best friend and teammate, appeared over me with his gloved hand outstretched. I took it and let him help me up before turning and glaring at Andrew.

“Really?”

The dim defenseman shrugged and skated away.

“You can’t expect too much from him. We just have to be grateful he didn’t hit someone on his own team,” Ethan said as we headed back to center ice.

He had a point. Andrew wasn’t at West Penn for his academic achievements. The oaf was tall and solid. The perfect combination for his position. As long as he received crystal clear directions, he was a threat, but leave anything open to his interpretation, and we were screwed.

“Hey, Andy,” Benjamin Cruz, our captain, called from the other end of the ice. “Try not to put our lead scorer on the injured list. We do actually need him around.”