Page 39 of Slapshot
“Uhh.” I turn away so she can’t see my face. I’m pretty sure it hasI slept with a hockey playerwritten all over it. “The place was great. It has a really great vibe, and the drinks were amazing.”
“And? Was hottie bartender there?”
“Yes, Rainn was working.”
“Dammit. I’m so disappointed I missed him. If you tell me he tried to get your number, I’ll be crushed.”
“No, he definitely didn’t. I don’t think he’s gay, though.”
“Good. I wonder if he’s on social media.” She’s quiet, scrolling through her phone, most likely stalking Rainn, while I finish my hair and makeup. We both have a break before our afternoon classes and then I have work. That’s still so weird to say. In truth though, I’m not minding the few hours I spend at the rink every day.
I walk out of the bathroom holding a tube of mascara. Vivian glances up expectantly, I walk back to the bathroom, then turn around and come back. I really want to tell her about Lex. If nothing else, I just need to say it out loud to remind myself how crazy it was to go home with him. And who better to remind me of that than my best friend who hates hockey players with the passion of a thousand suns?
She looks at me, her brows drawn together. “What?”
“I need to tell you something.”
“All right.”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“O-kay. You’re freaking me out.” Setting her phone down on the comforter, Vivian gives me her undivided attention.
“I, sort of, hooked up with a hockey player.”
She doesn’t speak but her eyes widen.
“Lex invited himself along last night to Vino and Veritas, and we… whatever…” I wave the mascara, still in my hand, around. My life is officially batshit crazy.
“Wow. I…” She uncrosses her legs, goes silent again, and then gives her head a shake. “I wasn’t expecting that. Do you like him or was this a one-off thing?”
Okay, a better response than I imagined. I expected Vivian to look more repulsed by the idea of hooking up with a hockey player. Then again, she’s the one who constantly tells me how hot they are. Repulsive… but hot. And crap, I really need her to be repulsed and smack me back to reality because I am so,sonot repulsed.
“At this point it’d be more like a three-off thing.” My face heats like a teenager admitting her first crush.
“Three times?” She smirks. “Just last night?”
I nod. “I slept over.”
“You haven’t done a sleepover since Dylan. Wow.”
“Wow? What does wow mean?”
“I’m just surprised is all. Not that you hooked up with him, but that you’ve got this whole look on your face right now like you did when you and Dylan first started dating. I thought he’d ruined this look for good.” She points to my face.
“Lex is not like Dylan.”
“No, he isn’t.” She shakes her head. “In fact, Lex isn’t your type at all, which makes this so much more intriguing.”
“Why isn’t he my type? Because he’s a hockey player?”
“Because he’s into you.”
“Ouch.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Dylan was into you. Of course, he was. Most guys on this campus are into you. Dylan made you chase him. Just like you decided to go after the boring lacrosse player when you wanted to make Dylan jealous. And from the stories you’ve told me about Barnard, all of your exes fit the pattern. You like being the one to pursueandthe one to bow out.”
I don’t like the sound of any of that as she lays it out so bluntly. “I didn’t bow out with Dylan. He was clearly into Chastity and probably already hooking up with her.” I don’t actually know for sure if they did anything before we broke up, but I know he wanted to.
