Page 64 of Stick It
The room goes silent. Kyle stands frozen in front of his locker, fingers clenching around the open door so hard it rattles. For a split second, everyone is in shock—until the laughter starts.
The entire room breaks into fits of hysterics.
“Oh my God, dude!” Noah shouts, doubling over.
“Reed, you look like a piñata at a five-year-old’s birthday party!”
“Bro, are those…hearts?!” Ben points out the glitter chunks now embedded in Kyle’s hair.
Kyle stumbles back, eyes wide and arms outstretched, as if trying to figure out what the hell just happened. His feet squelch in the puddle of glue that has formed onto the floor. He glares down at himself and then into his locker, where glitter bomb remnants hang precariously, goo still dripping from them.
“What the fuck?” At first, it’s muttered, but as the shock wears off, he rounds on the room. “What the fuck?!” he roars furiously, cutting through the laughter. “Who did this?”
No one answers, the sound of muffled—and not so muffled—snickers all that can be heard.
Kyle spins in a circle, glaring at everyone in turn. He slams his hand into the locker beside his. “Tell me who did this!”
“Dude, it was just a joke,” Finn says, pitching his voice low, but we all hear.
“No.” Kyle shakes his head fervently. “Switching out my athletic tape for a unicorn one might have been a joke. Or changing my laces to bright pink ones, but now this? Someone is hazing me.”
As if sensing the accusation coming my way, I stiffen. The slight movement has Kyle’s gaze locking on to me. “You!” he snarls, pointing an accusing finger my way.
I blink at him, holding up my hands. “Me? Seriously? I’ve been on the ice the whole time. Pretty sure I didn’t have time to set up a glue bomb mid-practice.”
“She’s right,” Ethan cuts in, stepping between us. His voice is calm, but his stare at Kyle is hard enough to shut him up. “Dylan’s not your problem here, Kyle.”
“Then who the hell did this?” Kyle demands, waving toward his ruined locker.
Ethan lifts a shoulder in a lazy shrug. “Perhaps you pissed off the wrong chick. Sleep with anyone and not call them recently? Or sleep with someone’s roommate or sister or best friend?”
Kyle’s jaw hardens, but doubt flickers in his gaze. He’s not certain. He can’t be, since it wasn’t actually me. His face is flushed deep red beneath the glitter, his fist clenching at his side, before he grabs his ruined clothes and towel from his locker and stomps toward the showers.
As soon as he disappears, the muffled chuckles and not-so-quiet whispers break out into full-blown belly laughs and taunts. Ethan turns back to his own locker, and as everyone goes back to getting changed, I shift my gaze to Griffin. He’s leaning casually against the wall, already showered and dressed. He catches me looking and gives me a sly wink.
I narrow my eyes, my mind spinning. I don’t know for sureit’s him, but…who else would it be? Who else would be hazing Kyle? I don’t know how he could have pulled this one off, though…
Pushing off the wall, Griffin slings his duffel over his shoulder and strides toward me. As he steps past, he leans close enough that his breath grazes my ear. “More subtle than Jax’s approach, don’t you think, Hurricane?”
My stomach twists, equal parts irritation and intrigue. What is with these guys thinking they need to step in and fight my battles for me? At least Griffin’s approach doesn’t make me look weak.
The question is: why? Why is he defending me? Why is he taking on my problems as though they are his to solve?
He’s out of the room, the door swinging softly shut behind him before I can question him. I don’t have time to figure out what the hell Griffin’s game is, though, because the sound of Kyle’s yell from the showers carries back into the locker room.
“It won’t come out of my hair!”
The entire room erupts into laughter again, but I shake my head and move to get changed.
However, later that day, when I spot Kyle stomping through campus with his white top streaked in glitter glue and a murderous look on his pink-stained face, I can’t stop the smile that tugs at my lips.
Karmaisa bitch, isn’t she?
20
DYLAN
“Eek,I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Wren is practically vibrating with excitement beside me as we walk into the cafeteria in the sports center. I, on the other hand, feel faintly nauseous. Although I shouldn’t. After our win against the Waves on Saturday, I went out with the team to celebrate. Partly because Ethan was giving me that look—you know, the captain one that saysI’m always rightand dares you to doubt him—and partly because I wasterrifiedthat if I went home there would be a repeat of last week, and I know if I let Jax touch me again…let myself fall into him, I won’t be able to stop it.
