Page 85 of In the Danger Zone
There was more laughter in the air. Some loud, booming howls. Some soft snickers. Asher was chuckling in front of me, clearly having the time of his life. He was successful. He had done what he said he would.
I couldn’t take it. The ache in my chest grew and I turned around, yanking the locker room door open with a sob. The laughter just seemed to get louder when they heard me crying. I ran right down the hallway, not stopping until I was out of the rink building and I felt the cold, night air on my face.
It didn’t calm me down. Being away from Evan and the laughter didn’t help either. Nothing could ease the pain. All I could see in my head was Evan’s furious face. His promise had been broken.I would never make fun of your stutter.
What aliar.
I was in a million different pieces. Broken, broken, broken. Just like I was that day atop of that hill, thinking I would die right then and there as the sun set over me.
Evan didn’t know the truth. None of them did. Except for Asher.
I had no idea what Asher had said or done to get Evan to betray me like that. What kind of manipulation tactics had he pulled off to get into Evan’s head? To make Evan think I was some mastermind who was out to destroy?
Another sob fell from my lips as I finally pushed myself to go back to my dorm room. I needed to be alone. I was taking slow steps, arms right around myself, because Ireallyneeded someone to give me a hug – even if I was doing all the work.
I imagined my parents. They’d be heartbroken if I told them what just happened and they had already been through enough. Going into school every day to deal with my bullies. Getting absolutely nowhere. Defending me. Trying to getsomeform of retribution for me nearly being killed.
That had all gone nowhere. The last thing they needed was a call from their distraught daughter.
I walked and walked, my eyes blurry from all the tears. In that moment, all I knew was that the heavy ache in my chest hurt so much more than that day I nearly died.
Chapter 37
EVAN
We won. We fucking slaughtered the other team.
Four to nothing. Two goals thanks to me. But was I happy? Was I celebrating with my girl?
No. I didn’t even fuckinghavea girl anymore thanks to Asher dropping that bomb.
I gripped the glass bottle of beer tighter in my hand, shifting in the uncomfortable bar booth. It wasn’t Asher’s fault. Daisy had lied to me. From start to fucking finish. Everything had been goddamn fake. It was all a fucking joke to her. I hadn’t ever done shit to her. Fuck, I had been one of the few people that had actually been on her side, but she had no problem using me. Asher was right. She would probably try and get me kicked off the team as well.
I gulped down more of the beer. I was in desperate need of a distraction. My brain was doing an amazing job of reminding me of Daisy every two seconds.
“Hey, don’t look so sad.” Asher wrapped an arm around me. He pulled me close to him, his voice loud. “I know I fucking warned ya. I know I told you to stay away from her. But I’m gonna be the bigger person andnotsay I told you so. I will say this, though: never choose pussy over your friends.”
My eyes rolled. This time yesterday I would have kicked his ass for saying something like that. Hell, a fewhoursago I would have punched him right in the face. But things had changed very, very quickly.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” I mumbled. “And I’m sorry for all the other shit. All the fights. Letting you get your ass kicked on the ice that day...”
Asher downed his beer. “I won’t hold it against you. Just make sure you hold it against her. For the rest of her fucking life. Don’t forget what she did to you. To us. We’ve been friends for years. Our whole lives almost. She tried to ruin that, man. She came close. Don’t ever forgive her.”
Her. Daisy. She had put on a mask and made sure to never let me see what was really going on inside that brain of hers. I knew she was smart. But I didn’t know she was fucking evil.
I thought about her in the locker room. How she ran out crying. It would be a lie if I said that I didn’t feel a little guilty about that. Hell, I felta lotguilty about bringing her to tears. Did Daisy know that I didn’t even find the shit that Asher had said funny? My laughter had been forced. I just wanted to hurt her the way she hurt me, because Jesus Christ, I really fucking loved her.
Fuck.
“You’ll get over her, man,” Tanner called out from the other side of the table.
He was drinking too, already a few beers in. The bar was packed and rowdy and half the team were busy getting wasted. But no one was in a good mood.
“I already am,” I lied. I wasn’t. Not even close.
“Sure you are. You know the best way to get over a girl?” Colton leaned in close, pointing at me with a shaky finger. He was drunk as hell. “Fuck another one.”
Asher grinned. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
