Page 8 of The Hockey Player and the Tutor
“You didn’t mention your new student is Preston Dahl, the hockey player,” she coos incredulously. “You only said he was cute.”
ChapterFive
Brinly
I could kill Lola right now.
Could she be any more obnoxiously embarrassing? Her statement makes it painfully clear that I’ve mentioned Preston to her and I told her I think he’s good-looking. Which, fine, he is, but now I’m in this awkward predicament and trying to explain my way out of it.
Why is it that every time I see Preston I’m humiliated beyond reason?
I smack Lola on the bicep. “I didn’t think it was relevant. You’ll have to excuse my friend,” I apologize with a shy shrug. “She’s a little weird when it comes to hockey players.”
“Weird? Like how?” Preston inquires curiously.
My gaze travels between Preston and Lola, who grins broadly at me with a loud snort.
“Yeah, Brin. How am I weird?”
Oh, geez. I seem to have backed myself into another awkward corner.
“Uh…well, you’re what they call a fangirl and have a genuine interest in the sport.”
Preston chuckles at my explanation. “And you aren’t? I mean, you don’t, um, like hockey?”
Lola snickers at my side and I elbow her in the ribs to get her to shut up. When I glance back up at Preston, his blue eyes search my face as if he’s hoping I’ll give him the answer he wants.
“I don’t really know,” I admit, lifting a shoulder with uncertainty. “I’ve never watched the game.”
This is Lola’s cue to get all up in my business. She claps her hands in delight.
“I’ve got a great idea! Preston, don’t you think our girl Brin should come with me to your next home game? You guys play this weekend, right?”
He nods. “Yeah, against Portland. You should totally come.”
“Oh, I uh…we’re going to be busy, I think.” I look to Lola for help but the only thing she offers me is a gloating smile. She and Maddie have been trying to play matchmaker ever since I told them about my new cute tutoring student.
“I’ll make sure she’s there. I might even have a jersey for her to borrow.” Lola claps her hands once again in excitement.
I glare at her and give her a pointed look. “You and I are going to talk later. But right now, we have stuff to organize for our upcoming event.”
Lola and I have been assigned one of the haunted house rooms for the Halloween-themed event and we stopped by the party supply store today to gather up some decorations. You know, the usual gory décor – bloody heads, body parts, creepy clown faces. But we took it a step further. Our room will be a scene from a gruesomeAlice in Wonderland.
Lola loves the classics and is going to dress up as Alice in the Looking Glass. She’s in theater studies and is always overly dramatic and entertaining. Except right now when she’s a pain in my ass with her over-the-top reaction to meeting Preston and her ploy to get me to his game. Had we not run into him just now, Lola wouldn’t have the wiser because I never mentioned the name of my new student, only that I thought he was kind of cute.
And then BOOM. Speak of the devil. He shows up at the most inopportune time with Lola eager to play matchmaker.
My cheeks burn in mortification with the heat of a five-alarm fire. What’s even more embarrassing is the timing of his appearance because Lola and I had been discussing a plan for me to lose my virginity soon. What if he overheard our topic of conversation?
I would die!
Thankfully, Preston seems to be none the wiser and jumps in.
“Oh, yeah. One of my teammates mentioned that your sorority is planning some kind of haunted house for charity?”
I nod, smiling up at him. Although I’ve only met him once before tonight, he seems like a really nice guy and not the snobby douche I originally thought he’d be.
I scold myself for passing judgment on him before I even got to know him.
