Page 103 of In the Danger Zone
“And Evan isn’t a bad guy either,” Tanner continued. “He’s the nicest guy on the team. He’s a good dude. Dumb… but good. Like most of us. And he’s so miserable without you.”
My eyes rolled. “Did he put you up to this? Did he tell you to say this stuff to m-me?”
“No. I swear. I saw you just now and wanted to talk to you. I wanted to say sorry for the way I acted the other day. I didn’t mean to laugh at you in the locker room and make you feel bad. I’m sorry.” Tanner rubbed at the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze. “Asher told us you lied about everything and that you were just trying to get him kicked off the team. Believing him was a mistake. I’m glad Murph did what he did. Did you hear that he dropped out? Guess he couldn’t look us all in the eye after we found out what he was really like.”
I paused for a second. “A-Asher dropped out?”
“He went back home. His room at the house is empty.” Tanner shrugged. “I’m glad he’s gone. He doesn’t deserve to be here after what he did to you.”
That could end badly. Asher liked revenge. But I hadn’t heard a word from him since Evan apologized to me. I honestly couldn’t imagine Asher being afraid to look anyone in the eye. I knew him well. But he must have been home by now and my parents hadn’t said a thing. Maybe he was at least leaving them alone.
“Tanner, what do you want m-me to say?” I asked him. “Or do? If you want m-me to accept your apology, then fine, I accept it. That doesn’t m-mean I accept Evan’s, or that I want to b-be with him again. I’m just… I’m tired of getting hurt.” My heart ached a little as I explained it to Tanner. He didn’t get it. Guys like him never got cornered or bullied. They also didn’t know what it was like to have someone you love hurt you the way Evan hurt me.
Tanner nodded. “I’m sorry, Daisy.”
“You keep saying that.” I moved to turn away from Tanner, but he called out my name yet again. “Can I go please?”
“Evan wanted me to give you something.” Tanner spun his bag around so that it was in front of him, his tattooed covered fingers digging through it. “Ah, here it is.”
And then he pulled out the bright, pink greeting card I was convinced I’d never see again.
“Evan got it off Brie,” explained Tanner. “We tried to flatten it. She kinda bent it. Evan borrowed some of my books and put them on top. I hope it worked. I swear I didn’t read it or anything.”
Slowly, I took the precious card out of Tanner’s hand. It did look a tiny bit creased here and there, but none of that could ever ruin the value of the card.
“I… I appreciate it,” I whispered. “Thanks.”
“It was all Evan.” Tanner shrugged. “He told me to give it to you.”
I nodded, gripping the card tight. “Right.”
“I’m sorry again, Daisy. For everything.”
“You already said that.”
“Well, I mean it,” he said, a little glint suddenly growing in his eyes. “Wait, are you done with your classes for today?”
“Yeah. I was about to go b-back to m-my dorm.”
“You should hit the ice rink,” he said. “There’s no game today. Skating helps me clear my head. Sometimes I do it just for fun. I don’t get to do it much as a goalie, so I like it. It helps me think. You have skates, right? I know Evan got you some. Unless you threw them out.”
I blushed a little, thinking about that day Evan bought them. “Yeah, I still have them. B-But I’m n-not that good at skating.”
“Well, the rink should be empty, so no one’s gonna bother ya.” Tanner turned around, looking at me over my shoulder with a smile. “Might wanna try it!”
I hummed. I hadn’t touched my skates in a while. There was no reason for me to be out on the ice after Evan ended it with me. But skating along the ice and getting lost in that feeling sounded relaxing. And I deserved to relax after everything I had been through. Even if I skated slowly. Very, very slowly.
***
Tanner had been right. The rink was empty. There was no Evan in there waiting for me, confirming that it hadn’t all been some sneaky plan to get us in the same place. Being alone in the rink also meant if I fell, there would be no one to witness my embarrassment. Wonderful.
Stepping out on to the ice, I made sure to move carefully. One wrong move and I’d be hitting the ice, and even if nobody was around, I still didn’t want to leave the rink with a giant bruise.
It was nice and peaceful without anyone else there. The only sound that could be heard was from the blades on the ice as I moved to the middle of the rink. I looked to the left, to the stands, imagining how wild the fans would be during a game. I had no idea how Evan handled his role as defenseman. He looked like a mad man when he played. Wild, monstrous, dangerous.
But he was different on the inside. He had shown me a different side to him. The kind, protective, gentle side. I loved that part of him. So, so much.
Why did all of that have to get ruined?
