Page 21 of Facing the Line

Jonas: Yes? Why do you ask?

Evan: Haven’t seen you in forever. Wanna hang?

Jonas: I’m headed to Second Chances later. Come join me?

Evan: Sounds good.

“Dude, what’s up with you? You’ve been weird lately.” Evan gives me a sidelong glance. “Extra weird.”

I stare into the deep brown eyes of Mazie, a Spaniel mix. The thing I usually enjoy about volunteering at the Second Chance animal shelter is that the dogs don’t ask me any questions. Well, that and there are cuddly animals who love unconditionally and soothe my soul. Basically, I like everything about it.

A few months into my freshman year, my beagle, Thor, passed away back home in Chicago. He had been my best furry friend since I was four years old, and I was devastated. I stumbled upon the animal shelter while scrolling pictures of dogs online, and I’ve been showing up here weekly ever since. Evan’s joined me a few times when he needed volunteering hours, but I’m not sure why he came today. Interrogating me, most likely.

I sigh and pat Mazie on the head before clipping a lead on her collar. In the pen across the hall, Evan does the same to Zippy, a hyper terrier mix. They both need walks and some play time outside.

I thought I’d done an okay job of hiding my emotions, but Evan is my best friend. Sure, he reminds me of one of these dogs sometimes, but he’s more perceptive than I give him credit for.

“Remember Cinderella?” I ask him as we exit the shelter. Both dogs immediately pull forward on the leashes, thrilled to go for a walk in Gillespie Park a few blocks away.

In spite of this excitement from the dogs, Evan still manages to gasp and raise his brows. “Did you find her?”

“I did.” I had told him about her in a moment of drunken weakness when he confronted me about being mooney after we won the Frozen Four. His love of Boilermaker bomb shots gets me in trouble every time. They are like truth serum or something.

“And what happened?” His voice goes up an octave as he stops to wait for Zippy to sniff a fire hydrant. “Did you ask her out? Did she say yes?”

Do I tell him who she is? For some reason, that feels like a violation of Hadley’s privacy. So I shake my head and give him a half-truth. “She hates jocks. She was pissed because I didn’t tell her I was on the hockey team.”

He blinks. “How did she miss that, when we were celebrating our Frozen Four win?”

Mazie decides to cut Zippy off, getting their leashes tangled. Evan and I get them straightened out and I explain, “I’m not sure. I guess I kinda deflected when she asked. Now she says she can’t trust me.”

Shaking his head, he brushes his blond hair out of his eyes. “That’s total chick bait. Why wouldn’t you bring that up?” But it’s a rhetorical question, because he keeps talking. “Well, it’s her loss, man, and I’m sorry. I know you liked her.”

His words help me acknowledge I’m disappointed about Hadley. Disappointed she’s off-limits, but more that she doesn’t want me. It was fun to have the hope that came with Cinderella—a mystery girl out there that I shared a connection with. I still like Hadley, I’m attracted to her, but the mystery has a bittersweet ending.

“Thanks.” We enter the park, ready for a loop around the pond. Mazie barks a warning at the geese along the shore and Zippy chimes in, too, making conversation impossible.

Once they calm down and we continue our walk, Evan gives me a sly glance. “You know, I thought the other night Hadley might be into you.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. I can’t deny the spark of longing that pings in my chest at the thought. “Yeah? What makes you say that?”

I probably should have played it casual or denied everything, but I’m dying for his answer. Makes me pathetic, I know, but it’s the truth.

Evan shrugs. “I’m not sure. Something about the way she was standing while she was talking to you. More than she was interested in what you had to say—like it was the most important thing going on right then.”

He’s right, Hadley draws me in every time we talk. Being the focus of her attention is a heady thing. But regardless if he is correct, I need to walk a fine line in this conversation.

“She’s a cool girl. I like her. Maybe if she wasn’t Hunter’s sister…” I trail off and shrug. “But she is, and he’s pretty clear about that. I have four sisters of my own, so I understand and respect where he’s coming from.”

Zippy stops short to smell the grass, and Evan nods. “I’m just glad my sister is old and married.”

“How old is your sister? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?” He nods. “Not sure Beth would appreciate that comment.”

“It’s old when you’re already married. But you don’t have to tell her I said that.”

Beth tries to make it to one game a year, so he doesn’t have to worry I’ll spill the beans. We finish our loop around the pond, and I point in the direction of the shelter.

“Should we head back?”

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