Page 42 of Puck You
“Wait,” I said quickly.“I’m on your side, Gabs, I promise.Explain why you don’t want to dance anymore.Is it taking up too much of your time?Are the other girls being mean?”
“Sure.So, can you talk to him?”
She wasn’t even trying to convince me.That was what worried me most.The whole “I don’t give a fuck” attitude was so far from her normal demeanor.
“I’ll talk to Dad about it,” I agreed.“But he’s right about finding another hobby.You’ll be bored without dance.Trust me, I know you.”
“You’ve been gone for three years, Grace.You don’t know anything,” she bit out.
It had been hard on Gabby when I’d left for Boston College, but it had been just as hard on me.We were always close, and spending most of the year without her was a huge adjustment.But I always made staying in touch with her a priority, despite my busy schedule.
“That’s not fair.”After all, she’d iced me out this summer.She was the one ignoring my texts or sending one-word replies every few weeks.
“But it’s true,” she snapped.
“If I really don’t understand anything, then I’m not the right person to speak with Dad.Given that hehasbeen around for the last three years, I’m sure he’s made right decision.”
Gabby remained silent for a moment.I had no idea what to expect from her at this point.She sounded like a completely different person right now.
“So much for the help, big sis.I won’t bother you again.”
The line went dead.
The chill of November whipped at my hair, blowing pieces into my line of vision as a shiver crept across my skin.There was an all too familiar prick of unease at the base of my neck.It was the same feeling I’d had leaving for Dallard University at the end of summer.Now more than ever, I was doubting that Gabby’s attitude shift had anything to do with regular teenage angst.How had I let myself get so wrapped up in hockey and my rivalry with Sebastian that I completely forgot the reason I’d moved home in the first place?Gabby needed help—my help.I just had to figure out how the hell I was supposed to be there for her when she wanted nothing to do with me.
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Caroline’s lips were moving, but I couldn’t hear a word she spoke.Remi Wolf was blasting through my wireless headphones, her voice supported by a chaotic combination of instruments and engineered sound production.After a moment of staring at my roommate, I paused the song and pulled off my headphones.I had an inkling that the thirty-four open tabs on my computer were a contributing factor to my slower than normal reaction time.Could your eyes melt off from looking at a screen too long?
“I didn’t take you for the suffer in silence type.”
I cocked my head to the side, wondering what exactly she meant.
“You’ve been hiding out in the science building for the last week.What’s going on?”
“I—nothing.I’ve had so much homework.It feels like I have a paper due every other day,” I explained.
Caroline didn’t look convinced.Nothing was wrong, per se, but I wasn’t feeling like my normal self.Gabby was constantly in the back of my mind, and I had no idea how to make things better.Between my stress about her, my ever-increasing workload from school, and a new training regimen to ensure I stood at chance at winning the bet, I was exhausted.There was no taking my foot off the pedal at this point—not for any of it.
“You haven’t come to lunch in forever.I’m insisting you take a break from whatever it is you’re doing”—her eyes swept across the three open textbooks on the table—“and come eat.”
WastheCaroline Hart—overachiever extraordinaire—implying that I was overworking myself?I glanced back at the endless tabs open on my laptop and realized how right she was.
“Come on, you need a break,” she insisted.
I packed up my things and trailed after her.She kept glancing back as if to check that I was still there.Was she worried about losing me, or did she think I was going to run?
“There’s been a new development,” she said.
“A new development?In what?”
“You’ll see.”
I didn’t have it in me to question her as we exited Barton Hall, crossed the quad, and entered the dining hall.We slipped into the line and grabbed our food before heading toward our normal spot.When I saw that there were men—hockey men, to be exact—sitting beside Lydia, the dots finally connected.Bryce, Landon, and Kent were perched around the circular table, eating lunch and chatting like it was a normal occurrence.Lydia didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.
“I was wondering if I’d ever see you here,” said Landon, snatching a carrot off my tray and biting into it with a loudchomp.
Rude.
