by Anna B. Doe
“Did you tell her?” This comes from Mike.
I look between them, curious and slightly confused. “Tell me what?”
Liam’s lips tilt in a small smile, and if I’m not mistaken there is a slight blush covering his cheeks.
Why is he blushing?
“The coach made some changes for our upcoming game…”
But before he gets to finish, Mike interrupts him. “The dude will be playing as a part of the second line this Friday.”
“Oh my God! That’s amazing.” I jump at him, my arms wrapping around his neck in a tight, side hug. “Congratulations, Liam.”
His hands find a way around me, returning my squeeze.
“You’ll come, right?”
I pull back and smile down at him. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Although I wouldn’t call myself a hockey expert, I do try to attend all of Liam’s home games. In nine years he’s been playing hockey, I don’t think I missed a handful of them, and that’s because I was so sick I couldn’t get out of bed.
Hockey is important to Liam, and Liam is important to me. That kind of math is pretty simple to me. If only the stuff they teach us in our math class could be as easy.
“There will be a party afterward. You should come.”
“I’m not sure…”
Parties are just not my scene. Not that I have anything against them in particular, occasionally I do like to go out, dance and have fun, but overall, I’d rather stay home and watch a movie than go out partying.
“Pretty please?” Liam gives me his puppy look.
For a guy, he has quite long and thick lashes, and when he looks at me like that, with playfulness and a touch of longing, it’s really hard to resist him.
“You going?” I turn to look at Jessy. She’s been texting somebody for a while now.
“Yeah, of course. The girls are going, too.” The girls, meaning her cheer friends. “You should come. When was the last time you came to a party anyway?”
Sighing loudly, I catch Liam’s knowing smirk. “It’ll be fun.”
Chapter Two
LIAM
“Dude, are you sure you’re just friends?” Jack asks.
“Dude, if you ask me that one more time I’ll punch you in the face.” Nobody can say I didn’t give him a fair warning. “Evie is not just my friend, she’s my best friend. There’s nothing more going on between the two of us. How many times do I have to say that?”
I seriously don’t get why they can’t let it go already. The older we get the more people seem to comment on that. Why is it so strange that we are friends? Just because she has tits—not that I notice or anything—and I have a dick doesn’t mean we can’t be best friends, for fuck’s sake. I mean, it’s not like they haven’t commented on it before, but since the school year started they can’t seem to let it go. It’s driving me nuts.
“Until you start to believe it.” Mike laughs from the other side. “Because we sure as hell ain’t buying it.”
Running my hand through my hair, I sigh, exasperated with the two of them. Why am I friends with them again? “I do believe it. You two don’t seem to be able to understand simple sentences. Maybe you should have your head checked?”
This only makes Mike laugh harder. Not Jack, on the other hand. “She’s cute, though,” he says absentmindedly as he gets out his equipment from the locker.
What the... My head snaps to the side to look at him, not believing I heard him right because... Cute? Evie? Are we still talking about the same person? As in my best friend, Evie Evie?
That’s what I want to ask, but I hold it in. Even I know it’d be a jackass thing to say. The point is, I’ve never looked at Evie like that. She’s always been just... Evie. My Evie.
The girl next door.
My best friend.
Practically sister.
Not really, the voice reminds me. Not by a long shot.
“And she grew a nice rack over the summer.” Mike’s grin grows bigger, his brows wiggling suggestively as he cups his flat chest.
Oh, hell no. I slap him over the head.
“Hey, what was that for?”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” I warn, even more irritated with the direction in which this conversation is going.
This is Evie we’re talking about. It’s one thing to say she’s cute, although it doesn’t make it any less weird of a concept to wrap my mind around, but it’s completely another to talk about her… well, lady bits.
She’s not just some random co-ed puck bunny you trash talk about in the locker room.
“What?” Mike complains, rubbing at the nape of his neck. “It’s true. She’s filling out nicely all those tight T-shirts and short skirts she’s wearing.”
“She’s always dressed like that.” I grit through my teeth, pulling out my own equipment out of the locker. I might be using a little bit more force than necessary. The last thing I need is to jump one of my friends and get on the Coach’s wrong side. They’re just saying shit, looking to get a rise out of me, and no matter how much I want to give them just that, what I want more is to keep my spot on the team. My starting spot this Friday.
“Yeah, but now she fills them just right.” There is an almost predatory glint in my friend’s eyes and I don’t like it. Not one bit.
Even though Greyford is a small town and we’ve all known each other since we were kids, their relationship with Evie is different. Yes, we all hung out together and for the most part, they’re friends, but not like the two of us are. I don’t think there will ever be a person who’ll be closer to Evie than me.
But the way they talk about her… could it really be they’re interested in her like something more? A… girlfriend?
My chest constricts, my hand curling into a fist by my side so hard I have to consciously will my fingers to disentangle so I can continue with my preparations.
They’re just trying to taunt you. Don’t let them.
Today we had one last practice before tomorrow’s game. The first game I’ll start in my high school hockey career. I can’t lose my focus, not after all the hard work I put into getting here.
“That’s what I’m talking about.” Jack’s snicker gets my attention. He has a shit-eating grin on his face like he’s just proven a point. Whatever that point might be.
“What?” I grumble, my mood sour.
“You say you’re just friends, but you defend her like there’s something more to it.”
Once again, I run my fingers through my hair, pulling in frustration as a loud groan rips from my lungs. “That’s because we’re friends.”
“What are you going to do when she starts dating some guy? Are you going to rip him a new one when he makes a move on her?”
My eyes narrow as I look at him. “Evie isn’t dating.”
Is she? I can’t help but wonder. I don’t think so, but then again, would she come to me and tell me if she did? Evie and I are close, but we never discussed opposite sex with each other.
Jack shakes his head. “Yet.”
“If you have something to say, say it already,” I demand through gritted teeth.
He takes me in, my almost rigid stance, my clenched hands and taut jaw. “I did, but you don’t want to listen. Let’s just hope when you do realize it, it’s not too late.”
The door shuts behind me, the sound echoing in the pitch-black, empty street. I look at the dark house in front of me, sighing. Grabbing my backpack out of the backseat of my Honda Civic, I lock the car and cross the short distance to the Clark house.
Not bothering to knock since I know it’s unlocked, I enter, shaking my head to get the snowflakes out of my hair.
“It’s me!” I yell to nobody in particular as I toe off my shoes.
It’s not the first time I came home to an empty house. My dad is a firefighter, so he works in shifts and sometimes isn’t home for two or three days in a row. Those days, like today, Mom is often over at the Clarks’ house so she isn’t all alone.<
br />
“Hey, baby, how was school?” Mom peeks her head from the kitchen, drying her hands with a towel.
Although I hate the nickname I don’t reprimand her. I heard a hundred times over the years the story of me being her miracle baby, so I don’t have it in me to correct her.
Mom and Dad tried for years. She had a few miscarriages, and they were just about to call it quits when they found out they were having me. She took special care during her pregnancy, and even later on. They were always so careful to make sure nothing happened to me, always worried. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact they actually let me play hockey. Then again, Dad played hockey up until his junior year in college when he busted his knee for good.
“It was good.” I shrug out of my jacket, putting it away. School is school, what’s there to say? It’s the same old, same old every single day. Hockey on the other hand… Turning around to look at her, I try to play it cool. “Coach told me I’ll be starting on Friday.”
A blinding smile spreads over her lips. “That’s amazing, Liam! When does the game start?”
“At seven, but you don’t—”
“Nonsense.” Mom waves me off, pulling her phone and typing away. “Dad should be home too, so we’ll come and cheer you on.”
Both my parents try to come to as many games as they can, but I know they’re both busy.
“Thanks, Mom.” I grab the backpack off the floor. “Evie upstairs?”
“Yup, she’s in her room. You have a little bit more time before dinner’s ready.”
“I’ll start on homework then,” I say and climb two steps at a time.
The upstairs is quiet as I pass down the hallway. The last door is left slightly ajar, light shining through a small gap.
Coming closer, I stop in my tracks when I see Evie sprawled on the bed. She’s lying on her stomach, her legs slowly swaying through the air. Her headphones are on her blond head as she scribbles something down, tongue peeking from the corner of her mouth.
My throat closes as my earlier conversation with Jack and Mike runs through my mind.
She’s cute.
And she grew a nice rack over the summer.
Against my better judgment, I let my eyes sweep over her. I’ve seen her a million times in our lives, yet somehow this feels different. I’ve always looked at her, but did I ever actually see her?
You’d think Evie would turn out a tomboy. With her mostly hanging out around boys in the neighborhood until Jessy moved to Greyford just before the start of middle school, but no. Between her mom and mine, she was always dressed in bright-colored skirts and dresses and had bows in her hair. Yes, by the end of the day she’d get dirty, and her bows were crooked at best, but she didn’t mind one bit. I guess you could say she was the best of both worlds—dressed like a girl, but could hold her own against boys. The trait that only intensified as she grew up.
But Mike was right, Evie has become even girlier in the past year. Grew curves. Her skirts are shorter, shirts just a tad tighter. Her hair isn’t a wild mess anymore, and her eyes and lips have an extra sparkle to them.
Swallowing through the lump in my throat, I look away. The heat rises up my neck. My ears burn as I grow more and more uncomfortable.
What the fuck are you doing, Ward? Checking out your best friend?
But even that doesn’t stop my friend’s words from messing with my head. Because a part of me knows they’re right.
What are you going to do when she starts dating some guy?
What if Evie really starts dating? Are any of my friends actually interested in her? What if they ask her out? What if she says yes?
Never before did I have to share Evie with anybody else. She’s my best friend. Has been practically since before we were born, and although we always had other friends, I could rely on the fact she’d always be there for me like I would always be there for her.
I must have moved or something because her head snaps up, the loose, messy bun swaying, strands of her hair disentangling from the mess on top of her head. For a moment, I can see the worry on her face, but it doesn’t take her long to realize it’s me.
“Liam, you scared the crap out of me!” Evie pulls down her headphones, getting into a sitting position.
Rubbing at the nape of my neck, I get inside the room. “Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a bit.”
“Nervous about the game?” Evie pulls back, leaving more space on her bed for me to sit next to her.
Letting the backpack slide next to the bed, I throw myself face-first into a bunch of lace-covered pillows.
“Can’t you have normal pillows like the rest of the people?” The soft material muffles my grumble.
“You don’t say it when we’re watching movies, and you can stack all the pillows behind your back to get a better view.”
True, but there is no way in hell I’ll ever admit it out loud, so I simply shrug. Squishing the pillow underneath my head, I turn to the side to get a better look at her.
“The practice was grueling.” I decide to keep to the safer topic, pushing back all the mixed thoughts and feelings swirling inside of me. “My whole body aches. If the old bastard continues pushing us this way, I won’t be able to stand by Friday, much less skate.”
Evie chuckles, shaking her head at me. “You’ll do great. I believe in you.”
I believe in you.
Such a simple statement, but I can feel my heart start beating faster. Words of encouragement I didn’t even realize I needed until she uttered them, but just like always Evie knows what to say, what to do, to make me feel better.
“You still coming?”
I’m not one to pressure, but for some reason, I want her there. I want her to see me start. I want to share this moment with Evie, with my best friend, more than anybody else.
Evie’s smile grows softer. Her hand reaches forward, making me suck in a breath, and for a split second, I think she’ll do… something, I’m not even sure what. Cup my cheek? Touch my lips? Something. But all she does is push one unruly curl out of my face, her fingers barely grazing my skin, before she pulls back.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
Pulling back to her side of the bed, completely unaware of the impact her sudden nearness has on me, she picks up the book she was reading.
The silence falls over us, and although I never thought of it as uncomfortable, it’s exactly what it feels like right now. I guess I’m the only one who feels like that because Evie goes back to her cheerful self. Switching back to her stomach, she tugs a pillow underneath her chin. Her stomach grumbles loudly.
“Do you know when dinner will be ready? I’m starving!” Evie breaks the quiet, and it’s like her words push a button inside of me. Slowly, I release the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.
She’s Evie, man. Your best friend. Get a grip!
Shaking my head, I force a laugh. “Someone would think you’re the one who spent the last two hours running drills on the ice.”
Evie “accidentally” kicks me with her swaying legs. “Hey, just because you’re Mr. Hot Shot Hockey Player doesn’t mean you’re the only one who gets to claim all the food. We, mere mortals, can get hungry too.”
“There is no way I’m getting between you and your food. I learned my lesson.”
For a while we each do our own thing. I’m not sure what Evie’s reading. It could be something for school or one of those smutty books with naked dudes on the cover. With Evie, it could be either.
“Hey, Eves?” I ask after a while, breaking the silence.
“Mhmm…”
I know it’s probably the dumbest thing I could do, but I can’t help myself. No matter how hard I tried to push it away, Jack’s and Mike’s earlier words wouldn’t leave me alone. That stupid question keeps nagging at me, and I know it won’t go away if I don’t ask her.
“Ever thought about dating?”
“W-What?” she stutters the words out, a shock so big she al
most falls off the bed in her haste to turn around and look at me.
I can feel my cheeks burn. “F-Forget about it.” I start to pick up my stuff. This was dumb. I have to get out of here. Like now.
“No, wait. Liam…”
Exasperated with myself, but even more with my friends for getting this shit into my head, I ask, “What?”
“Dating?” A frown appears between her brows. “Why would you ask that?”
“I-I just…” I rub my hand over my face. “It’s stupid, really. It doesn’t matter.”
“Liam…” She tries again, but just at that moment, her mom calls from downstairs.
Saved by dinner.
Although, if it’s judged by the look in her eyes, Evie isn’t about to let this go so easily.
Chapter Three
EVIE
“What the hell?” Jessy asks after I’m done telling her what happened last night, her mouth hanging open.
“Does it sound like something I’d joke about?” I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose. Those stupid things keep falling off, but I still prefer them over the contacts. “Liam and I never talk about these things.”
These things being dating. I never ask about him and the girls he hooks up with—because as far as I know he never actually asked one of them out—and he most certainly doesn’t ask me those kinds of questions. Not like there is something to ask about, but still.
“Where did that come from?”
“I wish I knew.” I shrug, trying to play it cool, although my heart is still racing at the thought. Liam seemed equally surprised, and embarrassed, for asking that question.
“Didn’t you ask?”
I look at her, giving her a dull look. “Of course I asked! But he started to stutter over his words, and then he was saved by dinner. I planned to ask him again later, but he and Aunt Kristy went back home shortly after, so I didn’t get a chance.”
“Bummer.”
“Not like he’d actually say something.” I don’t know why I thought that, I just did. If Liam wanted to talk about something, he did. He’s not one of those people who like to drag things along unnecessarily. Before Jessy can ask for any explanation, I continue, “I found him lingering in the doorway.”