Page 4 of The Penalty Box

His hands find a way around me, returning my squeeze.

“You’ll come, right?”

I pull back and smile down at him. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Although I wouldn’t call myself a hockey expert, I do try to attend all of Liam’s home games. In nine years he’s been playing hockey, I don’t think I missed a handful of them, and that’s because I was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed.

Hockey is important to Liam, and Liam is important to me. That kind of math is pretty simple to me. If only the stuff they teach us in our math class could be as easy.

“There will be a party afterward. You should come.”

“I’m not sure…”

Parties are just not my scene. Not that I have anything against them in particular, occasionally I do like to go out, dance and have fun, but overall, I’d rather stay home and watch a movie than go out partying.

“Pretty please?” Liam gives me his puppy look.

For a guy, he has quite long and thick lashes, and when he looks at me like that, with playfulness and a touch of longing, it’s really hard to resist him.

“You going?” I turn to look at Jessy. She’s been texting somebody for a while now.

“Yeah, of course. The girls are going, too.” The girls, meaning her cheer friends. “You should come. When was the last time you came to a party anyway?”

Sighing loudly, I catch Liam’s knowing smirk. “It’ll be fun.”

Chapter Two

LIAM

“Dude, are you sure you’re just friends?” Jack asks.

“Dude, if you ask me that one more time I’ll punch you in the face.” Nobody can say I didn’t give him a fair warning. “Evie is notjustmy friend, she’s mybestfriend. There’s nothing more going on between the two of us. How many times do I have to say that?”

I seriously don’t get why they can’t let it go already. The older we get the more people seem to comment on that. Why is it so strange that we are friends? Just because she has tits—not that I notice or anything—and I have a dick doesn’t mean we can’t be best friends, for fuck’s sake. I mean, it’s not like they haven’t commented on it before, but since the school year started they can’t seem to let it go. It’s driving me nuts.

“Until you start to believe it.” Mike laughs from the other side. “Because we sure as hell ain’t buying it.”

Running my hand through my hair, I sigh, exasperated with the two of them. Why am I friends with them again? “I do believe it. You two don’t seem to be able to understand simple sentences. Maybe you should have your head checked?”

This only makes Mike laugh harder. Not Jack, on the other hand. “She’s cute, though,” he says absentmindedly as he gets out his equipment from the locker.

What the...My head snaps to the side to look at him, not believing I heard him right because...Cute? Evie? Are we still talking about the same person? As in my best friend, EvieEvie?

That’s what I want to ask, but I hold it in. Even I know it’d be a jackass thing to say. The point is, I’ve never looked at Evie like that. She’s always been just... Evie.My Evie.

The girl next door.

My best friend.

Practically sister.

Not really,the voice reminds me.Not by a long shot.

“And she grew a nice rack over the summer.” Mike’s grin grows bigger, his brows wiggling suggestively as he cups his flat chest.

Oh, hell no.I slap him over the head.

“Hey, what was that for?”

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