My Clarity

by M. Clarke

  “Just get out of the shower, Nolan?”

  Nolan pushed back his chair so fast that it slid across the floor. Putting his face right in front of mine, he gritted his teeth. “I hope I get to race you next time, pretty boy. I’m going to break your record.”

  “Yeah, that’s what they all say. As far as the record book shows, I’m still number one. And next time I see you put your hands on Alex, I’ll break every one of your fingers.”

  It took all four of his friends to stop him from coming after me. As he cursed and flailed his arms, I casually strutted toward the door. Just before I exited, knowing his eyes were still on me fuming with rage, I flipped him my favorite finger. I’m almost certain God created the middle finger longer on purpose, for assholes like him.

  Chapter 9

  Alexandria

  I couldn’t believe I had just dumped soda on that jerk. I was so nervous and annoyed that he had his hand on my ass. I didn’t know what else to do. It was the first time I had ever been assaulted like that. Thank God I didn’t slap him or I’m sure I would’ve been fired.

  When I saw Elijah stand up out of the corner of my eye, I felt a sense of courage. Knowing he would come to my rescue like that made my heart flutter. He looked so damn good in his jeans, T-shirt, and baseball cap. It took some willpower to concentrate on what I was doing, even though I was just picking up trash.

  Guilty as charged, I watched him walk away. I had thought he was leaving, since he told Lexy he wanted his order to go. I wondered what changed his mind. When I saw him confront Nolan face-to-face about something, I was curious about that, too.

  “I can’t believe you dumped soda on Nolan,” Tracy, the girl who was training me, exclaimed.

  “I can’t either.” I shook my head.

  “And how do you know Elijah? Aren’t you a freshman? He was talking to you like he knew you.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know why I suddenly felt embarrassed. “It’s kind of a long story, but he’s my roommate.”

  Tracy’s eyes popped open, and at the same time, she practically dropped her mouth to the floor. “Shut up. No way. Are you kidding?”

  I didn’t know what to make of what she was saying. Why would I lie about it? “Elijah’s old roommate Jimmy is my cousin and when he left, I took his room.”

  “Jimmy’s your cousin? Why didn’t you tell me? He’s one of the coolest guys I’ve met. I was actually sad to see him graduate. I was happy for him, of course. But wow…Elijah is your roommate. How the hell do you sleep at night knowing one of the hottest guys on campus is possibly naked in the next room?” she snorted.

  I never thought about what she said, but now it was on my mind. Crap! I was just thinking about Liam this morning and now Elijah’s naked body was filling my head.

  “I sleep fine,” I shrugged, turning toward the next customer.

  “Lexy, I don’t think I want to go. Thanks for inviting me, but I don’t even have a broom and I’ve never played broom hockey before,” I laughed softly.

  “Don’t laugh. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great way to exercise and a great way to meet guys,” she informed, looking at her watch. She pulled out a mirror from her purse and glided gloss on her lips. “Plus, the frat boys always bring extras.” She smacked her lips and stuffed everything back in her purse, looking up at me for a response.

  “Maybe I’ll go with you and just watch first instead. And did you say frat boys?”

  “Yes I did, but it’s not a fraternity function so don’t worry. We wouldn’t be invited if it were. And you should see Elijah. He’s really good.”

  I bet he is. He took care of himself unlike most guys I knew. He was double the size of Liam. Since school hadn’t started yet and I had nothing better to do, I decided to go.

  “I need to text my friend, Emma, and Liam. By the way, Liam will be here sometime tomorrow. He didn’t give me a specific time, but maybe you’ll get to meet him,” I said, walking to my room. “I’ll be right out. I left my phone in my room.”

  “Alex, don’t forget to bring a sweater and you need to put on your tennis shoes.”

  “Why?” I asked, sticking my head out from my bedroom, looking down at my flip-flops.

  “We don’t use skates. We wear tennis shoes.”

  “Okay, why is the game so late?”

  “It’s cheaper, plus we get the whole ice rink to ourselves.”

  The music blasted as soon as Lexy opened the door, and the change in temperature from hot to cold made me shiver. Slipping my arms through the sleeves of the sweater, I followed right behind her. I didn’t know why, but having so many eyes checking me out made me uncomfortable, especially since I didn’t know most of the guys.

  “Hey, Lexy, Alex,” Seth greeted, giving us each a hug. “Everyone, this is Alex, and you know Lexy.”

  “Hi,” they said. A group of guys surrounded Lexy and me, mostly wanting to shake my hand since they already knew Lexy. I recognized Dean.

  “Alex, I didn’t know you played broom hockey,” Dean said excitedly.

  “I actually don’t. Lexy talked me into coming. I’m just going to watch. I don’t have a broom.” I glanced around for Elijah, trying not to make it obvious I was looking for someone.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here. We have plenty of sticks.”

  “Want a long one or a short one?” one of his friends asked.

  “Alex, I can give you mine. It’s long, thick, and hard,” Seth said, laughing.

  “Yours has no endurance,” one of his friends joked and I could hear the laughing comments from his other friends.

  “Yours is the smallest,” Seth fired back. “And it’s been handled way too much by your own hands.”

  Everyone started to laugh again. Oh God! Lexy and I looked at each other and shook our heads in laughter. Why did guys have such perverted minds and why did they like to compare the size of their dicks?

  “Don’t touch any of theirs. They’re not good enough for you,” a guy said in a deep, sexy tone that demanded my attention, making me feel those guilty tingles I didn’t want to have. When I turned, my heart took a nosedive and this cool rink just got hot. Elijah was standing before me and the room became silent.

  “Let’s see what you’ve got,” he challenged, handing me a broom.

  “Thanks, but I don’t know how to play.”

  “There’s nothing to it if you know how to play hockey. Shoot the puck into the goal.”

  After Lexy and I put our purses together into one locker, the teams were picked, and we headed onto the ice. Lexy and I were on opposite teams, and somehow I ended up on Elijah’s.

  I held onto the rail and slowly made my way onto the ice. It was smooth and not as slippery as if you were on skates, but I almost fell a couple of times. It had been a while since I had been on the ice, but I got used to it very quickly. It almost felt like I was gliding on air, but cool underneath my shoes. As I carefully walked across the rink to my team, mist escaped my mouth with each breath I took.

  Elijah gave me a red bandana to wrap around my broom. This was a way to distinguish the teams. I was more than happy about this, especially since I didn’t know most of the players.

  “Stand behind me, Alex,” Elijah demanded. “They can get pretty rough. The losers pay the rental fee and believe me, no one wants to pay.”

  I saw what Elijah meant. When the whistle blew to start the game, everyone became aggressive all of sudden, putting on a different face. Eyes were fierce and focused, and lips were pressed into a thin, hard line. Winning was the one thing on all their minds, and they were going to make that goal one way or another. The tightly gripped broom was no longer a household item. It became a weapon. Watching the guys sweep the broom across the ice as if their lives depended on it, made me laugh hard.

  I looked for Lexy. She was determined as well. I could tell she’d played many times before, just from the way she moved across the ice and the way she handled her broom like a pro. She wasn’t a female sticking out like a sore th
umb like I was. I stayed back to observe, to scope out the ones to fear.

  It happened in blink of an eye; the other team stole the puck from us. The puck was passed to one of my team members, but Seth stole it to score. Their team cheered and gave high fives to each other, while our team frowned and cursed. Quickly, we all met at the center to start the game again.

  Elijah turned to me. “Alex, stay close to me.”

  I didn’t understand why he felt the need to protect me. Sure, this was my first time, but I could hold my own. I didn’t listen to Elijah, of course. He didn’t know I had a competitive side to me, too. As the opponent came toward us, I had a couple of advantages. I was a female and I was smaller. I may have never played this game before, but I knew what needed to be done.

  I lagged behind and observed who the more aggressive ones were and who I could take advantage of—the ones that would go soft on me because of my gender. And there was my first victim.

  Dean tried to maneuver around me, but lost concentration when I gave him a seductive smile. I ducked low, placed my broom in the perfect position, and stole the puck from him. I wished I could have framed the look on his face.

  “What the fuck!” he said out loud, looking dumbfounded.

  His teammates didn’t look or sound happy when they shouted at him—Get your mind in the game. Dean got pussy whipped. Poor Dean! Seeing the opposite team come at me all at once, I screamed as my teammates shouted at me to pass the puck to them. Not knowing who to pass it to, I hesitated, but when I heard Elijah’s voice and saw him running toward me, I passed it to him fast and hard.

  With a slam from the bristles of his broom, he dead-stopped the puck and dashed away. Swiftly moving the broom from side to side, his body was hard at work, and so was his fine ass. It was hard not to look. Flexing his muscles, he was smooth and graceful, as if his body was one with the ice. I now understood what Lexy meant when she said he was really good. I couldn’t peel my eyes off him. With a quick sideways turn, dodging a broom that was meant to trip him, he scored.

  Elijah

  “Score,” I hollered, giving high fives to my friends around me. Feeling the rush and the excitement, I looked for Alex. Without thinking, I ran to her and swung her around. “That was a perfect pass for a newbie,” I said out of breath, giving her a kiss on the cheek. That kiss was so spontaneous that I was shocked at myself. Oh hell. It was an innocent kiss. I’m sure she’s had guys kiss her cheeks many times before.

  When I placed her down, her cheeks flushed. I couldn’t tell if it was because she was cold or…was it from my kiss?

  “That was awesome, Ellie,” she nudged me.

  Before I could remind her not to call me by that name, I heard someone yell, “Watch out!” Too busy paying attention to Alex, I didn’t realize the game had started again. Next thing I knew a puck was headed our way. Someone had hit it way too high. Out of instinct, I grabbed Alex. I think she was trying to get me out of the way, too. We were both pulling on each other, but in opposite directions. We both lost traction and I fell on top of her.

  On our way down, I managed to support her head and bent my knees in an effort not to crush her. That didn’t feel good to my knees or my hands at all. Since Alex didn’t move a muscle, I didn’t know how much of my weight landed on her or if she was hurt. All I felt now was my upper body touching hers.

  “Alex, you okay? Did I hurt you?” I murmured, looking at her.

  She didn’t answer. Instead, her shocked eyes stared back at me. Those angelic blue eyes sucked me in so deep; I became lost in them. I was hypnotized, spellbound by her beauty and the eyes that held so much mystery, making me want to get to know her.

  When her eyes shifted to my lips, I could feel my dick straining against my pants. Cool, small breaths escaped her mouth into mine, and I swallowed them up—every single breath. Her body entangled in my arms, her breath became ragged. Her chest rose and fell quickly, and mine was doing the same. I’d like to think I was the cause of her rapid breathing. In that moment, I lost all sense of time…space…and reality.

  I don’t know how long we were connected like that, but I almost lost my self-control when my lips headed towards hers as if they had a mind of their own. Fuck! I wanted to kiss her. We were in another world and everyone around us disappeared, but then, a part of my conscience reminded me that she was off limits. God I really hated that voice right now!

  Thank goodness Seth broke our link. “You guys okay? And would you stop molesting her on the ice?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Shut up and help me. I hurt my knees,” I said out loud, so the crowd around us could hear me. I had to make an excuse as to why I stayed on top of her so long when I could have gotten up.

  Seth rolled me over, and Lexy helped Alex up. Sprawled out on my back, I took in the cold. No amount of ice would have cooled down the heated feeling I was trying so hard to avoid with her. I had even been trying to stay away from our place as long as I could, so I didn’t have to be around her too much. Finally standing up, I rubbed and stretched my arms. The numbness disappeared as I walked off the rink.

  I didn’t understand this hold she had on me. I didn’t like it one bit. Not only was she seeing someone, but I didn’t want to have a relationship; she was making me so confused. A part of me felt like I wasn’t good enough for her. And a huge part of this was that she was Jimmy’s cousin. If I screwed up, it would just be too weird for our friendship, for all of us.

  “I’m sorry, Elijah, are you okay?” Alex sat next to me on the sideline bench. She was sorry for something she didn’t do. Another indication she had a kind heart.

  “Alex, I’m fine. Go back to the game. Our team needs you,” I said sternly. Actually, I didn’t want her to sit next to me. I was having a hard time controlling myself with her being so close. I didn’t want to get used to the comfort she brought me, so I wasn’t going to feel guilty for telling this little lie.

  “Should I get some ice?”

  I needed to calm my tone. “I just need a minute.”

  “They’re taking a break, so I’m going to get some hot cocoa. Do you want one?”

  “No, thanks.” I was short and to the point.

  I was proud of myself for not looking at her ass when she walked away. Now that was good self-control, but it didn’t last long. When Dean wrapped his arms around her, like she belonged to him, I stood up. So much for my hurt knees. A few of the other guys tried to get their dirty paws on her too, but when I stood nearby, they scurried away.

  “You better now?” Seth laughed.

  What was so funny? “Yeah, I’m better.” I gave him an evil eye. “Next time, make sure we’re all in our starter positions before we continue.”

  “Looks like you didn’t mind your position.”

  “What? Shut up. I hurt my knees.”

  “Whatever you say. Just remember, she’s your roommate and she’s not one of your one-night stands.”

  “Don’t worry. She’s seeing someone.”

  Seth’s brows did a quick lift. I’m not sure if he believed me, and I don’t know why. I hadn’t made a move on her.

  I was glad Alex didn’t hear our conversation. She was in line with Lexy. When she turned, our eyes locked, but she turned away quickly, flashing a coy smile.

  After our little break, we got back into the game. Alex was a trooper. She handled herself very well. I liked that little firecracker inside of her. I could tell she was a competitor and took on challenges well. Lucky for our team, we won the game.

  Chapter 10

  Alexandria

  White board:

  Stocked up the fridge

  since you bought last time.

  -E

  After I had a short talk with mom, I called Emma. It had only been a week, but we could only talk at night since she worked fulltime. Sometimes our schedules didn’t match up, so our texts were delayed. Since she was off today, I couldn’t wait to hear her voice.

  “Emma,” I squealed.

  “Ale
x. It’s so good to hear your voice. How’s everything?”

  “School starts on Monday so I’m a bit nervous, but other than that, I’m having fun with my new friends.”

  “I’m so happy for you. So how’s the roommate thing going? Is she nice? You don’t like her better than me, do ya?”

  I hadn’t told Emma about whom Ellie really was and decided to keep it that way for now. “Of course not,” I laughed aloud.

  Emma told me about the new guy she was dating, and that she would try to visit me soon. After I hung up, tears blurred my vision. When I thought about Emma, I thought about home and my dad.

  Feeling my stomach grumble with hunger, I walked into the kitchen. When I opened the refrigerator, I saw how full it was. Elijah had gone grocery shopping this morning. Then I saw the whiteboard and smiled. Sleeping late, I hadn’t noticed it until now. I guess he figured that since I stocked it up the last time, he should do it this time around. I was grateful, especially with not having a car.

  After I had something to drink, I did laundry, got my backpack ready for my first day of school, and called Liam. He hadn’t texted me to let me know what time he would be here. It had been more than a week since I saw him last, and I realized that the less I saw him, the more I thought about just ending it with him. This long distance relationship wasn’t working out too well. Though he begged to differ before I left, he knew I was going off to college. I guess time will tell.

  Since I had nowhere to go and nothing to do, I decided to read my textbook and get a head start. Next thing I knew, the boring textbook made me fall asleep. I woke up to my phone ringing.

  “Liam?” I sounded groggily.

  “Hey, Baby. You sound sleepy. Did you just get up from a nap?”