Callum enters not too long later, and I swear he barrels in like he owns the place, pushing past teammates to wedge himselfbetween Tristan and Winter. He’s pretending he’s interested in whatever Winter is showing Tristan in that book.
Callum’s eyes lock on mine. He grins. Big. Shameless.
Slaps Tristan on the shoulder and points to me with the other hand before he announces to the whole damn arena, "That’s gonna be my WIFE."
Every head turns. Every pair of eyes is on me.
My cheeks flush hot, and I try to hide it with a smirk, but I’m fucking shy and he knows that.
Coach Kavanaugh doesn’t miss a beat. "She’s going to be marrying a dead man if you don’t get your ass suited up! You too, Vale! And tell Lockwood no throwing shit around in my locker room either! I can already hear him in there getting riled up."
Hayden yells from inside the locker room, “I’m not even doing anything!”
Tristan grabs Callum by his hoodie pocket and steers them toward the locker room. Callum doesn’t stop smiling at me. Not once, and it’s moments like this make me forget this isn’t real. That all of this is fake. I’m not going to be his wife, even if he sounds like he really believes I will be.
Only... it doesn’t feel fake.
Callum isn’t that good of an actor, and I swear he looks at me like I’m everything to him.
But I push the thought away. I can’t afford a broken heart on top of everything else.
My brother never deserved to call Callum a best friend, but I’m glad I get to see the friendship he’s cultivated with Hayden and Callum. They really have Callum’s back, and I’ll forever love them for that. It should be my brother. My entire family, but it’s not.
We head into the girls’ locker room, laughter still in the air.
Until Kennedy slips, wiping out and falling on her ass.
"Ow—what the hell?"
There’s something wet on the floor, and it’s red.
Blood.
We freeze.
"Is that?—?"
Someone screams, but there’s too much going on for me to know who.
We round the corner and see Lexi is on the floor. Sprawled in a pool of what looks like her own blood.
Her lips are blue. Her eyes wide open. Her skate lies beside her, the blade red and glinting. There’s a boot print stamped across her chest. Her throat is slashed.
It feels like my hearing cuts in and out. I don’t know what I’m really imagining or what is really happening.
Screaming. Mine. Theirs. It’s all around me.
I drop to my knees. My hands press to Lexi’s chest before I can stop myself. She’s not breathing. We need to help her.
I hear myself screaming that someone, anyone needs to help her!
I’ve got her blood everywhere. It’s on my palms, on my sleeves, and I feel it on my face.
I don’t even realize I’m crying until I feel arms wrap around me. Strong. Familiar. Possessive.
Callum.
He lifts me like nothing else in the world matters but getting me out of that room. His jaw is clenched, but his hands are gentle. One is cradling the back of my head, the other is locked around my waist like he’s never letting go.
