Page 32 of In the Danger Zone
“I’ll go,” I finally said. “I’ve n-never watched hockey b-before. Closest I’ve gotten is watching The M-Mighty Ducks.”
Evan snorted. “That’s a classic. Like I said, I’ll sort the ticket out for you. All you have to do is show up.”
“I’ll b-be there, I guess.”
“Great.” Evan shot me a grin. “Maybe we can hang out after the game? I can take you to dinner or something?”
That sounded like a proper date. Was it a date? My heart raced as I just gave Evan a little nod. “T-That sounds fun.”
Evan shifted back to holding just one of my hands, gliding along the ice with so much precision. I moved with him, just barely starting to get the hang of skating. As we moved, all I could think about was how Evan made me feel. It was a combination of confusion and comfort. He was good at that: at making me feel at ease, like I didn’t have to worry about every little thing I was saying thanks to my stutter. He was nice. Nicer than most guys I went to school with, and certainly a lot kinder than Asher.
It still could have been a joke. Just a way to get me to the ice rink to corner me. But Evan seemed so genuine. If that fight he had with Asher had really happened, and if it really had been over me, then maybe Evan wasn’t the bad guy I thought he was.
I so badly wanted to be right. I couldn’t keep getting hurt.
Chapter 16
EVAN
I was putting all of my energy into making sure Tanner didn’t have to worry about the puck too much. He was a good goalie – and a huge fucking weirdo like most goalies – so we didn’t have to worrytoomuch. The Tigers weren’t exactly a hard team to beat, either, but I kept my skates moving, making certain to focus.
But for a second, my eyes moved over to the stands. I knew what seat I had given Daisy. It was close to the ice, giving her a clear view of the game. So that was where I looked, hoping with everything in me that she turned up. There was something about her that I just couldn’t get enough of.
I broke out into a grin when I saw her. There she sat amongst the screaming fans. My eyes locked on to hers and I kept on beaming right at her. She gave me a tiny, little wave and that just made me smile wider. Fuck, she was cute.
Seeing her in the crowd just made me work harder. I skated faster, slamming my target into the boards that got a little too close for comfort. He had obviously set his sights on getting to the net. I had taken care of that and quickly got control of the puck I easily made him lose.
The rest of the game flew by. I scored two goals – one in the second period and the next in the third – thanks to the motivation I had in the stands. Usually girls watching me play didn’t do a damn thing for me. But Daisy? Damn, I wanted toimpressher. Really impress her. Not just make a big show or whatever on the ice. Ineededher to know that I was good.
That was fucking new…
But the horn went off before I could do more of that, letting me know that the game was officially over.
We won. Three to nothing. I skated over to Tanner to give him a clap on the back, congratulating him on his shut out.
“Who’s the rocket?” Tanner screamed into my ear. “She’s here for you?”
Spitting out my mouthguard, I chuckled. My eyes landed on Daisy. She was clapping, looking so out of place in the crowd. But she came. She came to see me. And that made me more than proud.
“Yeah, believe it or not,” I said.
“I don’t.” With a final pat to the back, Tanner skated off to celebrate with the other guys.
But I had something much more important to do. Me and Daisy were gonna go out, and I was gonna show her that I wasn’t like Asher in the slightest. He might have been a huge asshole to her, but the last thing I was ever gonna do was treat her like that.
I made sure to hit the showers fast, getting rid of the layers of the sweat that had built up during the game. With wet hair I pretty much darted out of the shower, towelling my strands fast so they were somewhat dry. I didn’t want to waste Daisy’s time. She would be waiting for me.
Quickly getting changed, I felt Colton nudge me. His wet, blond hair hung in his eyes as he gave me a sharp nod.
“You hitting that club after this?” he asked.
“Club?” I frowned.
“That one downtown. Me and a couple guys are going there. Some girls are gonna meet us there.” He grinned. “You in?”
Normally I would be all over that. Clubs and girls. Parties and girls. Girls and girls. That was all I ever did. But it was different now that I met Daisy.
“Nah, man.” I shook my head. “I’m busy tonight.”
