Page 41 of Keep Me
At least he was a nice distraction from Matty. That guy had been haunting my thoughts for the better part of three years, and I wanted some headspace back.
“Cool.” He nodded, a twinkle of humor in his eyes. I may have looked like I worked at the Crushers merch store, but that was about as far as my hockey knowledge took me. “The team is going through a lot of changes this year. What do you think their chances are without Bridges or Bright?”
Bridges and Bright? You’d think having brothers in the MLB and NFL would put me in good standing regarding athletes and sports, but I had no clue about hockey.
When I raised my eyebrows, he chuckled, and I wouldn’t lie, it was kind of adorable.
“Don’t worry, I get it. You’re a Brooks Wright fan, aren’t you? All the hot girls are,” he said, sighing, and a spike of excitement ran up my spine. It was nice to be called hot when my hair was limp and my cheeks were red from overheating. There was also a strong possibility I had sweat dripping down my forehead, but I wasn’t about to draw attention to it by wiping it away. “Just wish he would take a break so the rest of us could stand a chance.”
“Br-Brooks?” I had no idea who he was talking about, and I was sure he could tell by my furrowed brows.
“Oh, he’s not your type? Guess it’s my lucky day, then.” He perked up in his seat. “What about Erik Steele? You a fan of his?”
I couldn’t keep hesitating, so I went with it this time.
“Yup. Huge fan. The biggest. He’s awesome at his position, and the way he moves on the ice is majestic.” That sounded like something an ice hockey fan would say, but as his grin grew wider, I could tell there was something funny about my response. The Crushers were an ice hockey team, right? Not field hockey?
“Good morning, everyone,” our professor said from the front of the room, and I relaxed. At least I didn’t have to hide from Mattyanymore or talk about hockey. “I hope you are all ready to learn about the key principles of broadcasting under duress.”
Well, this class sounded like a lot of fun. I side-eyed the guy next to me to end the conversation and focused on the notes section of my iPad as the lecture started.
I couldn’t help myself. For all of two seconds, I glanced down at Matty, who was sitting in our usual seat with his jacket draped over the empty spot next to him. The spot he no doubt reserved for me. He was fidgeting and running his hand through his hair constantly. I’d never seen him so nervous, and I couldn’t help but draw my own conclusions as to why.
He didn’t know how to tell me the truth about Olana. We’d done a lot of stupid things that night in Vegas, and I bet he was worried that our friendship wouldn’t last through this.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure it would either.
Olana was pregnant.
With his baby.
That was all I had to say to myself every time I thought things could be different. I would be a stepmom before being a mom, and I couldn’t deprive his child of a potentially happy family. I needed to be the bigger person and back off.
Dropping my gaze back down to my iPad, I tried to relax. At least Matty wouldn’t be able to look for me for the next forty-five minutes. That would give me some reprieve from his hooded glare. I pulled the hat off, my hair limp with sweat, but it didn’t matter now. No one would see me.
Easing into the seat, I relaxed until a message popped up on my screen. It was the student app, and I knew before checking who it was from.
Matty: Hey Britt. Saved a seat for you in class today but can’t find you. Did you switch?
My face paled, and I swiped the message away. What an excellent suggestion from Matty. Ishouldchange classes. That way I wouldn’t have to hide from him anymore. But as this was a core elective, I wouldn’t be eligible to graduate if I missed it.
So, I would have to suck it up.
Besides, the sad reality was that our lives were intertwined. I’d see him at practice tomorrow. I’d no doubt have to interview him during the season. Our friends were all friends. I might’ve avoided him today, but how long could that last?
I needed to be friends with him again. It was the only way I was going to get through this year, so I needed to pretend that Vegas wasn’t a big deal to me.
My eyes burned, but I didn’t let any tears fall. As much as I hated admitting it, Vegas meant everything. It was the first time I’d felt seen by my best friend, and pretending that night didn’t matter could be my downfall. I had to do it, though. There was no other option. I’d been his pining best friend before, so it wouldn’t be hard to go back to that.
I shook the thoughts out of my head and stared at the lecture notes on my iPad. There was no point getting upset over this and failing my class because of it. I needed to concentrate, even if it was just for another forty-five minutes.
By the end of the class, I’d almost forgotten about Matty. Almost. I’d still take the occasional glance toward his seat to see what he was doing, but at least I wasn’t close to tears now.
When the professor dismissed us, Matty immediately stood and surveyed the room.
Crap.
He was still looking for me. I knew it. I scrambled to get my hat on, but before I could, we locked eyes.
