Page 66 of The Puckable Playbook

The loud thrumof the away bus chugs to life, spitting out exhaust from the back end in white smoke that clings to the air while it ascends to the sky. I climb the steps to find a seat, the game we just played running through my head.

A loss.

We didn’t play hard enough. Good enough. Like we wanted it enough. Maybe I’m the worst offender. Things have gone to shit lately.

A text comes through, and for a split second, I hope it’s Len, even though we’re barely talking. She might text me if the dorm was on fire. Or if she forgot her key. Or…

I shake my head. It’s from my mom. My family always makes her text first.

Well…

2-5. We sucked.

I put my phone away, but it goes off again. Adam sits next to me, and I lean my head against the window, hoping to get some shut-eye.

“That blew.”

My sentiments exactly.

“You played well, though.”

“You too.”

“Bro, do not placate me with that shit. I gave up a bunch of pucks.”

I shrug, but the truth of it is, I can’t get my head straight about the game because it’s on a different topic.

Len.

First, she wants me to help her date Clark, the douchebag. I help her. Clark, unsurprisingly, turns out to be as douchey as I thought. Then, we have the most amazing evening. She was so free, so uninhibited. She danced like a seductress. She touched herself like a queen. The day after that, a flip switched.

My first thought was that she’d gotten back together with Clark. She hasn’t spoken about him and I haven’t seen them together, so I don’t think they are, but my brain can’t turn away from it. Regardless of what happened, she pushed me away.

Maybe we took it too far too soon?

Adam leans back, and I shut my eyes, hopeful that a nice, quiet ride back to campus awaits me, but that’s immediately thwarted.

“Have you seen Lenore again?”

I swallow. “What do you mean? I see her all the time.”

“I’m just, you know, curious.”

My stomach twists. I side-eye him, and he holds his hands up. “Dude, I’m only checking in. I thought for sure you were going to lock that shit down, but you haven’t said anything about her in over a week.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

He’s quiet for a moment…until I glance over. “Sorry. I didn’t realize she turned you down.”

“She didn’t turn me down.” I sit, straightening my legs as far as they can go under the seat in front of me. These buses weren’t meant for guys like us. Too fucking tiny. Add Adam with his blabbermouth, and my space is getting smaller and smaller.

“Okay, man. I thought that might be the reason you’ve been so quiet lately.”

Luckily, that’s the last thing Adam says all trip until we grab our things and file off the bus.

The chill air coats me, my breaths coming out in a fan of white clouds while I walk toward Knightley. The creak of the door sounds when I open it and trudge up the steps, dreaming about my bed. Tomorrow will come too fast at this point.

I turn down the hallway and peer up when a door closes. The figure walking toward me stops me in my tracks. Clark. Coming out ofoursuite.

---