Page 104 of Puck with Karma
He finally puts his phone down and looks at me.
“Are you coming to the arena with me and Mallory?”
He has practice today. Mallory’s been excited all morning about watching him skate. When he didn’t mention anything to me about it, I assumed he only wanted her there.
“I would love to!” I about hop up and down in excitement, then point at him. “I’ve been following all your games, so you know.”
“I can’t believe our parents allowed you to.”
We both laugh at that, but then the smile dies off my face at the memories.
“They didn’t at first. I would hide to watch your college games. Then, you made it into the pros, and you were doing so well…”
“Hey, I’m still fuckin’ amazing, so you know.”
He tries to make light of the situation, and I go along with it. I don’t want to ruin the easy going mood.
“You really are!”
Mallory comes out from their bedroom, all ready to go. They banter back and forth for a minute, with her teasing him mercilessly, right before he ushers us to get ready, then yells at us that we’re running late. We giggle like little girls as we rush to meet him at the door.
The three of us get in the elevator, but our trip downstairs is short lived when the doors glide open gently only a couple of floors down.
Van Boyd, my brother’s teammate and best friend, is standing there, about to get in the elevator when he realizes that Bran is not alone. I guess he is familiar with Mallory, but his eyes widen in shock when he notices how cozy I am as I stand next to my brother.
“Dude, how the fuck did you pull this off?” He then turns his eyes toward Mallory. “And, Mal, I didn’t take you for that type of girl.”
The three of us stare at him in surprise, wondering what he’s talking about. When the dots get connected, I want to take a step sideways.
“Ewww, that is so gross! I’m his sister!”
Van’s face drops. It’s quite comical, especially when Bran pulls me into a side hug.
“She’s my sister. Abby.” He then points at our guest. “This is my best friend and teammate, Van Boyd.” He tells me what I already know from the press. “My sister, Abigail,” he repeats and points at me as he looks at Van.
“Jesus, when’s the last time I saw you?” Van wonders out loud.
“At the game on Saturday,” Bran deadpans, making us all laugh.
Van steps into the elevator and comes to stand next to me.
“Are you the stalker chick?”
My eyes fly to look at my brother, and my face flushes with embarrassment. I’m assuming they noticed me lurking out in the street on the few occasions when I thought I saw Bran driving out. It is also obvious that he and Bran have been discussing this, me.
“Uh, yeah, I guess I am.” What’s the point in denying?
Van watches me carefully. “That shit can get you arrested, girl. I had a stalker once, I know what I’m talking about.”
Bran comes to my rescue. “She wasn’t stalking me, shithead. Leave her alone.”
“Just saying, she could’ve been.” Van doesn’t sound impressed.
I look at Mallory, who gives me an apologetic smile. I let out a sigh of relief when my brother asks Van about his girlfriend’s pregnancy. That keeps them occupied until the doors of the elevator open in the underground parking garage.
We are walking toward Bran’s large SUV when we hear heavy footsteps approaching from behind. I don’t think anything of it until my brother turns his head and lets out a curse.
“Looks like we need better security around here,” Van mutters from the other side of Bran.
