Page 67 of One Shot

“I wouldn’t mind a poster of the captain over my bed,” I whisper jokingly to Libby. She makes a high-pitched shrill sound and cackles.

“Hey, Laur,” Lucas says, turning around. “You might want to work on those whispering skills.”

He winks at me. My heart flutters. I’m positive my face is brighter red than Libby’s was five minutes ago. Maybe we still do have our one shot together.

The Wyverns are back on a winning streak with three more wins over the next two weeks. The guys have a little bit of a break, which for me means focusing on my articles I need to write forUSA HockeyMagazine.Bren tries to convince me we have to go what she, Suz and Libby call “out, out.”

“Come on, Laur, I can’t go out for the first time without you! Going for one drink or grabbing a drink after dinner doesn’t count!” Libby protests. I’m glad that Suz and Bren love her as much as I do. I’m going to need a close girlfriend when they both graduate at the end of the year.

“Fine!” All three of them shriek. I loved spending most of my time with Nick and avoiding the shrieking, but sometimes a girl needs the hype-girl excitement. “But I’m not getting dressed up!”

Thankfully, going “out, out” apparently just meant going to Haee’s for some drinks and music. Sure, there would be sports on, but this is a dance floor kind of night.

“I would have agreed instantly if I knew you just meant going to Haee’s for some drinks and music,” I tell Bren.

“Duh! Where else would I want to go other than Haee’s! The atmosphere’s amazing, the drinks are cheap, and the eye candy is superb.”

She nods her head to the door where a group of the guys just walked in with Lucas, of course, leading the pack. Maybe I should havedressed up a little more. I’ll remember that next time that there’s a ninety percent chance Lucas will be there. God, I miss being around him. He makes me feel like my old self. I nervously chug the rest of my Bud Light. I rush to the bar to get another one, running into Suz there chatting with some friends.

“You okay?” she asks.

“Is it stupid if a girl buys a guy a beer?” I ask.

“Absolutely not! Fuck gender roles,” Suz proclaims.

“I miss him,” I whisper, mostly to myself and the dull pain in my heart.

“Talk to him, Laur. He’ll understand if you aren’t ready to share all your secrets with him. I’m sure he misses you too.” Suz throws back a shot. “Now, I’m going to go find Jaylin and tell her I’m ready to hold her hand in public. Wish me luck!” She’s off before I can get in another word.

I order two Bud Lights, take a deep breath, and walk toward Lucas with my head held high.

“Hey,” I say, walking up to Lucas, Connor, and Tyler. I’m met with three kind, warm pairs of eyes—even Lucas’.

“Connor was just talking about the NHL scouts he’s been talking to.” Tyler includes me in the conversation.

“That’s amazing, Connor! Any team will be lucky to have you!” I reply.

Connor starts to talk about the rep for Anaheim and how much of a sleazeball he is.

“It’s one of my dream teams, but I can’t stand the guy. He hits on anything over the age of eighteen,” Connor explains.

Tyler chimes in with details on a few other scouts, but I pretend to listen, distracted by my close proximity to Lucas. I miss talking to him. He gets me to let my guard down without even trying. His genuine nature makes me want to be around him all the time.

“Here,” I say to Lucas, handing him the extra Bud Light I bought.

“You bought me a beer?” he asks, smiling. I nod matter-of-factly and hold up my bottle to his.

Heclinkshis glass with mine and says, “Thank you, pretty girl.”

I feel my cheeks heat as I blush. He’s never called me that before. I wish he would call me that twenty times a day.

“Don’t read too much into it, Captain. I just wanted to show Suz I can break stupid gender norms and stereotypes.”

I wink at him playfully.

He chuckles. “She finally told you.”

“Yeah, but maybe I just wanted an excuse to buy you a drink and talk to you. After all, at least two girls on this campus have shirtless photos of you laying on a hockey rink. I heard they’re even signed.”

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