Page 85 of Home Game

I felt myself brighten. “Yeah, okay.”

“So, do you know how to skate?”

“No.”

“Come on, let’s go.”

I scrambled off the bed. “Where are we going?”

“You can’t live with a hockey player and not own your own pair of skates.”

An hour later,Ryan and I were standing in Sports Mania, a huge mecca of a store that sold every kind of sporting goods imaginable. If the clerk could have, he would have bent over backward serving Ryan. I sat on the bench, and Ryan knelt in front of me, tying up a pair of black skates for me. I studied the top of his head. His hair looked so thick and soft and my fingers itched to touch it.

“How do they feel?” His blue eyes glanced up at me.

“Weird.”

“Try walking on them.”

I unsteadily got onto my feet. They didn’t feel normal at all. I walked up and down while Ryan and the clerk studied me. “Do they pinch anywhere?”

I walked awkwardly back to Ryan. “I don’t need skates.”

“How am I going to teach you to skate if you don’t own skates?”

“Can’t I rent a pair?”

“Not a chance.”

A little kid, with stars in his eyes, nervously approached Ryan. “Hi Ryan, can I please have your autograph?”

While Ryan chatted to the kid, I undid the skates. By the time I had my boots back on, another dozen people crowded around Ryan. I decided to look around the store. Not that there was a lot to look at. It was all snowboards, skis, bikes, and everything else I had no use for.

I wandered around the clothing section. A lot of yoga pants and athletic wear. I bet Bianca wore stuff like this. I bet she had matching workout clothes. She was exactly the chick I imagined Ryan would date. What if they fell in love? They could work out together. The thought depressed me. I had a feeling that I would move out sooner than later.

I looked at the winter coats. They looked so warm and inviting. I looked over my shoulder. No sign of Ryan. I slipped on a pink waterproof, goose down filled jacket that had the most beautiful fake fur-lined hood. Maybe I could afford it? It would be amazing to have a coat this warm while living on the streets. I looked at the tag and my heart sank. It was three hundred dollars making it completely out of my price range. With a sigh, I shrugged out of it and put it back on the rack.

I wandered back to Ryan, whose group of fans had diminished. He glanced at me.

“Ready to go?”

We walked to the counter, and the clerk rang in the skates. “That will be three hundred and twelve dollars.”

The memory of Bianca telling me I was using Ryan flashed through my mind. I couldn’t let him do it.

“Don’t spend that much money,” I rushed before he handed over his credit card.

“You need skates.”

I shook my head, looking into his eyes. “No. I don’t.”

“Zoey.”

“It’s just a waste of money.”

“We have the charity event. You absolutely need skates.”

I shook my head. “Let’s go, okay?”

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