Page 122 of Hockey Halloween
I recall the kiss.
The hunger in Tristan’s eyes.
The firmness of his grip, like he didn’t want to let me go.
“His parents still live in Centerstone. It isn’t like he wouldn’t eventually come around. Anyway, the past stays in the past.”
“I’m not so sure,” Toby replies with a sly grin. “Guess who’s back.”
I follow his gaze to land on a gray Henley shirt stretched over a muscular back. Tristan is in front of the school, yapping with the guys in the cast and crew while all the girls are huddled at the side with heart-shaped eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt.
He points to his chest and turns his head side to side, feigning surprise, as if chatting up my students is a regular occurrence.
“Your students DMed my account on insta and invited me to come back.”
I look at the boys, whose smiles are as wide as barn doors.
“You guys invited Tristan Thorne to come back. For what?”
“He was curious about the musical.”
“Then send him the link to buy tickets!”
“I’ve got games the weekend of the show,” Tristan interjects. “What’s the harm? The kids don’t mind. Will you get nervous if I watch?”
I narrow my eyes at him before stomping away. “See you all in the auditorium in five minutes. Ethan and Mia, you’re up.”
In the bathroom, I splash water on my face. The walk got my heart pumping, but Tristan’s grin made it skip.
He’s no longer a boy who knows how to get under my skin. Tristan is now a man who knows how to get under any woman he sets his eyes on. Based on our interaction, he has his eyes set on me. I need to remember that my attraction to Tristan will burn me in the end. He’s like a malfunctioning electric blanket. Cozy at first, till it chars your ass.
Resolutely, I enter the studio and look past him at the kids on the stage.The Addams Familymusical opens in two weeks. I’ve got no time for a hockey player who smells like mojitos, smiles like a politician, and wins over my students.
If he wants to waste his time being ignored, that’s his business.
We’re rehearsing a love scene between the main characters. As a high school show, there will be no kissing or groping. Desire has to come across with subtle body language. Or at least with more chemistry than startled deer caught by headlights. The moment Ethan leans in toward Mia, the entire cast winces.
Their singing? Great.
Their acting? Solid.
But this moment—Gomez Addams swooning over his beloved Morticia—looks more like a hostage situation than a moment of passion. The scene comes to its painful conclusion. Silence lingers in the auditorium, thick with secondhand embarrassment.
“Well,” I start, searching for a diplomatic way to phrase it, “that was... better than last time.” Barely.
Mia groans, covering her face. “It’s so awkward.”
Ethan sighs, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know what to do with my hands.”
I try to coach them patiently. “You two are overthinking it. You’re so focused on the action that you’re forgetting thefeelingbehind it. This isn’t about the mechanics of gestures. It’s about theemotional connection between Gomez and Morticia. They live for each other.”
Tristan’s voice drifts from the back of the theater. “Maybe they need a visual.” He begins strolling toward us.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping.”
