Page 66 of Cheap Shot

“Haley,” Cassie whispered and wiped her cheek with her free hand.

“I was treated like the grieving girlfriend. My professors excused me from my finals, and the whole campus watched me like they were waiting for me to break down. I fought to make it through the next semester, but after that, I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t stand the pity or shallow condolences. No one knew who those guys really were or what they were capable of, and I didn’t want to be the one to ruin their memories for their families. They’re dead, so what does it matter?” I shrugged and sniffed.

“What happened at the party the other night …” Sadie sucked in a breath. “We should have been watching out for each other.”

“I shouldn’t have left you.” Ella let out a choked sob.

“I was able to get to a safe place.” I didn’t want them to beat themselves up about that. We all made mistakes that night, but it was Jay’s fault. Not any of theirs.

“But you saw Jay at the café.” Krystal’s eyes were wide. “We won’t let that happen again. From now on we will go everywhere in pairs.”

The rest of them agreed.

“I appreciate that you guys, but that isn’t fair to you all. I’ll just be better about being aware of my surroundings.”

“I hate that it’s even something we have to worry about. We should feel safe here.” Sadie rubbed her temples.

I couldn't argue that, but it was a reality for us.

“We need to talk about something happy now,” Ella said.

I smiled. Feeling an enormous sense of relief. I liked not keeping things from them. My friends. “I do have another story for you guys, and I’m going to need some advice.”

Chapter 22

Reid

I was done letting Ethan dictate my life. He was my best friend, my brother, but after what Haley told me, I was over it. He had no right talking to her, or anyone else, like that. There was something going on with him that he wasn’t sharing, but that wasn’t an excuse to treat others like garbage.

Haley needed to know she could trust me. She deserved people in her life she could rely on, and I was determined to be one of those for her. Whether or not Ethan approved.

I’d tried to stay away. I’d tried to do what he asked, but it was impossible to ignore her. Especially when we kept running into each other. It was like fate was tugging us together, completely blowing off all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together.

I wasn’t sure if I was the best person for her, but I wanted to try. She’d shown me what it meant to be strong and courageous and have true perseverance. She reminded me that there was more to life than hockey. That other things could matter just as much, if not more. She made me stop and reevaluate what mattered to me and why. I didn’t take things for granted, like my friends and brother and support system. I knew I would never be alone in the world, but I never stopped to appreciate that. She trusted me and made me want to be worthy of that precious gift.

I wanted to give us a chance to see if it could work. If there was anyone that understood how much time and energy I had to dedicate to hockey, it was Haley. She might not like it, but she wouldn’t be surprised by how much of my time it took like so many other girls struggled with.

The other major obstacle was Ethan, but a year from now, we could be anywhere. We wouldn’t always be teammates, and he couldn’t dictate my life forever. If Haley and I were meant to be together, there was nothing he could do to stop us.

I just had to make sure he understood how much I cared about her. Which was harder than it seemed. I was fired up, ready to have it out with him, but I didn’t see him until practice. He never came home last night, so the tension in me continued to grow.

When I stepped into the locker room for a morning practice and found him laughing and joking with Becker and Benjamin, I scowled. I wanted to run up to him and shove him off the bench, but that would only get both of us in trouble. I needed to control my temper as much as possible.

“Reid, there you are.” Matt jumped up and hurried over to me from his locker.

“What’s up?” I set my duffle on the bench and turned to him.

He stepped in close and glanced over toward Ethan. “I’m telling you this as a friend.”

I narrowed my eyes. What was he getting at?

“And I don’t want to see you and him have a falling out.”

Me and who? Before I could ask, he continued.

“Kevin and I saw you with Haley last night, walking back onto campus looking pretty friendly.”

We hadn’t even held hands. There was nothing he could say about us walking together.