Page 79 of Starstruck

I knew they were trying to help, and if this was a normal situation,if we were real, they might have been right. But Tristan doesn’t want to be here, he doesn’t want attachments. He wants his home, and his music, and that’s it.

I’m the one who messed up. I’m the one who broke the rules that Iset. I’m the one who needs to find a way to stop this before I fall into oblivion and wreck my heart before I’ve ever figured out how to properly handle it.

Which was why, as they girls leaped of the beds to get their bagsand prepared to give me a haul of everything they’d bought while I was here sulking, I thought of what Rory had done.

Well, not exactly what she’d done. I knew I wasn’t ready for that.

Not yet.

But if focusing on someone else helped Rory forget Ryan, maybegiving my attention to someone else will help me get over Tristan just in time for him to leave.

Part of me hesitated as I pulled up our text conversation, but Icouldn’t carry on like this, and drastic times called for measures just as drastic, however cruel it was.

Henry

Today at 18:01 PM

hey, are you still going to the lions game tonight?

chapter twenty five

hand me your burdens mister

“You’ll be fine; you haven’t lost a game this whole season.” I say to Finnthrough the glass, his red face and the worried glare in his eyes pulling on my heart strings. I don’t know why he always gets like this before games, but it’s like something is telling him he’s gonna screw it up.

But I’m convinced Finn could go out on this ice black out drunk andstill get the Lions higher in the table with no problems.

He tilts his head at me, before sucking in a breath. “Is she here?”

I shake my head, my eyes dipping, before finding his green ones. “Nope, it’sjust me.”

Relief swept across the parts of his face that I could see that weren’t covered byhis helmet. I don’t know why he was so worried about having Rory’s eyes on him. She was the person I’d constantly want around me if I was nervous. Her smile had powers, I was sure of it. Whenever she let it shine it was as though the world breathed a sigh of relief.

But as I studied him, recalling what had happened atmy birthday dinner that I hadn’t been there to witness, I remembered why Rory not being here was probably for the best. For both of them.

Finn cast his eyes to the stands for a second, before nodding his chin at me.“And Sommerford.”

I angle my head around to find Henry still minding our seats, he catches myeyes as I look at him, handing him a small smile before I turn back to Finn. “It’s just a friends thing.”

Finn shrugs, his gear rattling as he does. “You don’t have to explain anything tome, Gold’s, whatever is going on with you and Tristan—”

“I know,” I rushed. “Has he said anything to you?”

Finn shook his head as another Lion skated behind him. “Not really; the onlyconversation I can get out of him is two or three words when he comes back to the dorm at midnight, and then he just crashes.” Finn peered around before he glided closer. “As long as you're okay, yeah?”

I nodded. “I’m fine, I promise.” Right then Jesse skated by, his goalie gearmaking even me feel claustrophobic. “Hey Jess.”

“Gold’s,” He nodded his helmet at me, before tapping Finn on the shoulder.“C’mon, dude, Burton wants us for warm up.”

Finn eyes me before I shoo them both. “You’ll be fine; now go destroy them.” I said, clasping my hands together, before bothJesse and Finn fist bumped me against the glass and skated off to join the rest of the team.

I smiled at them as they did, before I turned back and headed up to my seat tojoin Henry. He was more than happy to be here with me when I asked him earlier, replying almost instantly.

I was fully wedged between two thoughts as I hopped back up the stands of therink, almost positive that Tristan had gotten it wrong about Henry, or that Henry just had a great way of hiding this emotionless side of him. I thought it was impossible that the boy I was walking up to now, with a golden smile plastered on his face and the biggest blue eyes I’d ever seen, was this mastermind who could only want girls for one thing.

“How they doing?” Henry asked, pulling down my seat for me as I claimed it.

I nodded at him, stealing back my oversize takeout soda and taking a sip.“They’re fine; Finn always gets like this before games, but they’ll pull a win; they always do.”

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