“Oh, god, no,” she assures me. “He’s fine. Boring and kinda weird, but fine. He was offering me a ride because he’s not drinking tonight, which is cool, whatever. But then hestarted going into graphic detail about how much he drank last Saturday and how much he…”
She’s turning that now-familiar shade of grayish-green, and I get the idea. There was a guy on my high school team who was a sympathetic puker, and even the mention of someone yakking made him queasy. I guess Maggie’s the same way. “Got it,” I say walking along with her down the corridor. Theo’s apartment is at the back of the building, so it takes a minute or two until the elevator is in sight. I turn to Maggie, glad to see a pinkish color slowly returning to her cheeks. “Steps?” I ask, just to be sure.
“Yes, please,” she answers. “Viv’s place is just two floors down,” she tells me as we descend the stairs.
“You’re not heading back to campus?”
She shakes her head. “Not tonight. My living situation is…complicated. I’m staying with my aunt and uncle this year. They’re great, but it’s nice to live without a curfew every once in a while, you know?”
I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I’ve never had an actual curfew except for the ones imposed by Coach. The various aunts, uncles, and cousins I stayed with weren’t really into rules, not even those laid down by the actual law. But I’m not telling Maggie any of that. No need to scare her off, especially since our friendship is tentative, at best.
Before long, we make it to the first floor. But instead of heading down the hall toward the apartments, she pushes on the exterior doors and steps out into the cool night air, and I follow.
“Uh, didn’t you say Viv lives on the first floor?” I ask, joining her as she power-walks across the parking lot.
“Yep,” she answers, not slowing down at all.
“And you also said you’re not heading back to campus tonight?” I ask, falling into step next to her.
“Yep,” she agrees once again.
“So, where are we going?”
“Wearen’t going anywhere,” Maggie clarifies when we stop for the light at the end of the street. “I’mgoing to the mini mart at the end of the next block. I’m staying at Viv’s tonight and watching my favorite movie and its sequel, back-to back. Viv’s out of the good snacks, which means I need to stock up.”
TheWalksign flashes overhead, so we head across the street. “Really,” she insists, “you don’t have to come along and make a field trip out of it. I’m fine on my own.”
“Ouch. I thought we were friends, Maggie,” I say as the lights of the convenience store come into view.
She rolls her eyes in response. “Friends, huh? That’s why you’re following me?”
“I’mjoiningyou,” I say. “That’s what friends do.”
She eyes me skeptically. “So, if your buddy decided to go on an impromptu snack run, you’d tag along?”
I think of Mickey immediately and nod. “No question.”
Maggie sighs. “So, we’re friends,” she repeats, and I can’t figure out if she’s happy or pissed off.
One thing about me is that I don’t play games. Or more accurately, I only play one, and that’s hockey. I don’t tiptoe around shit, or use politeness as a shield. I might be a goalie, but I’m also a straight shooter.
“No bullshit?” I ask, giving her an out if she wants it.
“Never any bullshit,” she answers a little too quickly, and if I had to guess, Maggie’s been played too many times. Maybe that’s why her walls are as high as skyscrapers.
“I’m walking you to a convenience store because I’m not an asshole and it’s statistically safer to walk in pairs,” I say, stating the truth. “But also because I like being with you. I like talking to you and making you smile. Pissing you off is kinda fun, too, honestly.”
She smiles and bites her lip and damn it if my cock doesn’t notice. “I like being with you, too,” she admits before sobering. “You know this isn’t going anywhere, right? I told you I don’t date.”
“Yeah, I remember,” I assure her. I also remember her telling Viv my cock was basically magic, but I’ll leave that detail out.
“So…just friends, nothing more, right?” she confirms as I hold the door to the mini mart open for her.
Maggie walks in and heads straight for the candy aisle, and I’m right behind her. “Oh, I sure as hell want more,” I say, watching her browse the options like she’s choosing the best weapon for a battle. She’s scanning the shelves, but clearly coming up empty. I get the feeling. It’s how I’ve felt at every party since I met her—like I’m searching in the right place, but still can’t find what I really want. “I’m ready for more whenever you are, Maggie. But I’m also cool being your friend. And your shopping buddy,” I say, holding out a plastic basket.
“Why though?” she asks, tossing in a bag of gummy worms.
I don’t play coy because it’s not my style. “Why? Because that night at Kappa was the best night of my life and I can’t get you off my fucking mind.”
