Charity: Black Mountain Academy/Fortuity

by Rochelle Paige

  Most guys would’ve taken them up on the offer. Sex with a hot chick who wasn’t interested in anything long term should have sounded like a dream come true. But those chicks wouldn’t think twice about fucking up my life on a whim. No way was I going to give one of them any power over me. Especially not when my dick was only interested in a beautiful girl who’d been as sweet as fuck when we’d talked. If I considered starting something up with a girl at BMA, she’d better be worth the risk. And I had a sneaking suspicion Emmeline was more than deserving of me putting myself on the line. From what I’d seen and heard about her so far, she didn’t seem to have a mean bone in her curvy little body. Yesterday, I’d spotted her dropping off a plate of cookies to the teacher’s lounge. On Tuesday, I was five people behind her in the cafeteria line and overheard her offering to bring in some paperbacks from home to give to the lunch lady for her daughter.

  The idea that she was taking shit from anyone pissed me the fuck off. “What kind of stuff have they done to her?”

  “Nothing too bad.” I had to wait for Chuck to swallow another bite of pizza before he noticed my pointed look and explained, “It’s mostly just catty comments and not inviting her to shit. Not that Emmeline cares since she isn’t into partying and shopping like they are. She’s not missing out on a lot by not hanging out with them.”

  I shifted my gaze to the cheerleaders’ table. The girls didn’t seem fazed by my glare. The two worst of them shifted in their seats, hiking their skirts higher up their thighs. I didn’t see good things from them in the future if they caught wind of my interest in Emmeline. “If you ever hear anything about them taking it beyond being bitchy to her, let me know.”

  He cocked his head to the side and quirked a brow. “So it’s like that with her?”

  I shrugged and glanced in Emmeline’s direction again, disappointed to find she had left. “I’m not sure what it’s like yet. The last thing I was looking for when I came here was a girl. My focus needs to be on the ice and my grades so I don’t mess up my chances for the draft or getting a full ride to college.”

  “Like you need to worry about that.” He snorted and slapped his hand against the top of the table, drawing the attention of a couple of the other guys sitting with us. We sat at the end of the table, and they’d been wrapped up in a conversation about taking a trip for the opening night games of the NHL next month. They were deep into planning how to talk Coach into the idea since it would mean missing a practice, and they hadn’t noticed until now that Chuck and I were discussing something else. “This guy is all worried that getting involved with a girl is going to fuck with him getting picked up to play after high school.”

  “Nah, man. No way that’ll happen.” Dean, one of the team’s best forwards, shook his head. “You’re too damn good on the ice. Nothing is gonna stop you now that you have Coach going to bat for you with the recruiters.”

  “Which girl?” our goalie asked. He eyed the table of cheerleaders and leaned forward, dropping his voice as he added, “I wouldn’t recommend going there with Staci or Traci, no matter how much they flirt with you. Even if you’re looking to blow off some steam, those girls would eat a guy like you alive—and not in a good way.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered Scott was looking out for me or pissed he was insulting me. His comment could kind of go either way. “What kind of guy am I?”

  “Way fucking nicer than I thought you’d be, that’s for damn sure.” He elbowed Dean’s arm. “Remember how he took you out in the championship game last season? You hit the boards so hard, I wasn’t sure you’d be able to get back up on your own.”

  “Yeah, man. You were knocked the fuck out. I thought for sure they’d have to carry your ass out on a stretcher,” Chuck agreed with a nod after he finished his pizza.

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Dean grumbled.

  “Deny it all you want, that hit was fucking brutal,” Scott retorted, grinning as he turned to me. “You’re a badass during games. When Coach told us that you were joining the team, I was thrilled to have your stick on our side of the ice but also worried that you’d be a raging asshole because of your aggressive style of play.”

  “It was a huge surprise to find out that you’re actually a nice guy,” Chuck agreed.

  I was glad for the confirmation that I shouldn't be offended by Scott warning me off from the two cheerleaders. “I'm also smarter than you guys think. I had already figured out that Staci and Traci were bad news. I’ve seen them treat other students like shit, and I know better than to judge a girl by her looks. The packaging on those two doesn’t match the personality on the inside.”

  “But there’s no denying the packaging is damn fine.” Dean wagged his brows, and Scott slugged him in the shoulder.

  “That’s the other reason to stay away from those two”—Chuck jerked his thumb toward Dean—“unless you want to be eskibros with him.”

  “Whoa, we’re getting off track here.” Dean pointed his finger at me, trying to turn the conversation in another direction. “Who were you guys talking about in the first place?”

  “None of your damn business.” I didn’t want Emmeline to turn into the focus of locker room gossip. Grabbing my empty tray, I narrowed my eyes in Chuck’s direction and waited until he jerked his chin up before I stood.

  He followed suit, walking silently at my side until we dropped our trays off. Then he muttered, “They’re not gonna hear anything about Emmeline from me, but they’ll figure it out eventually when you make a move on her. ’Cause that’s what you’re doing to do, right?”

  I shrugged, still undecided. Something Chuck had said stuck in my head—Emmeline was the kind of girl I needed to be serious about if I decided to go there. With everything I had on the line when it came to how I played during this hockey season, it was rotten timing for me to get into a relationship. But I had a feeling the decision was going to be out of my hands by how I had reacted to the possibility of her going out with someone else. “One thing I’ve learned the hard way is that whatever’s going to happen will happen. You’ll just have to wait and see, along with everyone else.”

  5

  Emmeline

  I’d made it through the first month of school without making a total fool of myself in front of Corby. So what if he’d caught me staring at him every once in a while. I could have sworn he’d spent some time looking my way, too. Which had only made me watch him even more because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just imagining things.

  With another weekend looming ahead, I was disappointed I wouldn’t see him again until Monday, unless I happened to catch him running past my house on Saturday or Sunday. I’d spent plenty of time peering out of my bedroom window over the past several weekends, and I wasn’t looking forward to doing the same again.

  “What’s wrong?” Emily asked, bumping my shoulder to get my attention.

  “Yeah, you’ve been quieter than usual lately,” Sarah chimed in. “Is something going on? Have Staci and Traci been giving you a harder time than usual?”

  I still hadn’t talked to either of them about my crush yet. It wasn't that I thought my friends would give me a hard time about my feelings for Corby or anything. It was a case of the whole thing seeming more real if I said it out loud. But they were the only two people who would really understand where I was coming from since their experience at BMA was similar to mine. I supposed it was time for me to pull up my big girl panties and tell them who I had been obsessing about lately.

  I tugged on the strap of Emily’s backpack and guided her down the hallway to the girl’s bathroom with Sarah trailing behind us. After the door shut behind us, I checked all the stalls to make sure they were empty.

  “You’re starting to freak me out a little,” Emily said, her eyes wide as she stared at me.

  “I just don't want anyone else to hear about this,” I explained, pushing on the door of the last stall and confirming nobody was in there.

  “Seriously, I’m with Emily on this.” S
arah crossed her arms over her chest. “What the heck is wrong? You were already acting weird the last two months of summer break, and it's only gotten worse since school started. Is it something with your mom?”

  “If she’s being a major bitch, you can come stay with me this weekend,” Emily offered. “My parents won’t be around, so we don’t even need to ask them for permission.”

  “It isn’t my mom or the queen bees.” I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted, “I have a crush on Corby King, and I’ve kind of been spying on him ever since he moved in with the Whitneys over the summer.”

  Complete silence followed for a moment as though they were too shocked to react to my confession. It was followed by gasps before my friends crashed into me, slamming my back against the hard surface of the door as they jumped up and down, squealing. My eyes popped open, and I pushed them away. “C’mon, guys. It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “Wrong.” Sarah made a buzzing sound, as though we were playing trivia and I’d given the incorrect answer. “You being into someone is a major deal.”

  Emily nodded and grinned. “Yeah, I can’t remember the last time you’ve so much as mentioned a guy since those rumors swirled about Atticus asking you out during freshman year.”

  My shoulders slumped at the reminder of how embarrassed I’d been back then. I hadn’t even really been interested in Atticus as anything more than a friend, but I’d been super flattered when I’d heard he was interested in going on a date with me. Then when nothing had come of it, Staci and Traci had lorded it over me for weeks. They’d taunted me endlessly about how dumb I’d been to actually think he was going to ask out a loser like me. Both girls had proceeded to drape themselves all over him anytime I was around, but at least he’d pushed them off each time. The same wasn’t true with Lindy, another girl on their cheer squad who usually stuck to guys on the swim team. Rumor had it that she’s slept with so many of them that they actually called her an initiation to the team, but that hadn’t stopped Atticus from smashing her and bragging about it afterward.

  I’d never learned why Atticus hadn’t approached me, but the reason didn’t really matter. The result was the same—me being embarrassed—and the experience had been a lesson in the rumor mill at Black Mountain Academy. Or boys who were supposedly interested in me but slept with girls who wore their skank status like a badge of honor.

  “This isn’t the same thing at all.” Sarah elbowed Emily in the side. “She’s into Corby, so whatever happens actually matters. The stuff with Atticus was irritating, but her heart wasn’t involved, so Emmeline wasn’t as hurt as she could’ve been when nothing ever came of it.”

  “Oh, yeah. You have a good point.” Emily bit her bottom lip, looking worried. She was the most sensitive of the three of us while Sarah was the boldest of our little trio, which wasn’t saying much since we were all on the quiet side.

  “Okay, so we need a game plan.” Sarah rubbed her hands together and grinned. “Living just down the street from him is convenient. What have you learned about him so far?”

  “Besides the fact that he’s super-hot and plays hockey.” Emily let out a little sigh and got a dreamy look in her eyes, irritating the heck out of me. I’d already spent the past two weeks watching plenty of the popular girls try to flirt with him. The last thing I needed was one of my closest friends to catch feelings for him too.

  “Ahem.” Emily’s head swiveled toward Sarah, who was glaring at her and jerking her chin in my direction.

  Emily’s eyes widened, and her cheeks tinged pink. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that. Corby is cute and all, but he’s not my type. It’s just that the possibility of you and him dating makes me happy.”

  I heaved a deep sigh, relieved to know that I wouldn't have to navigate that potential minefield. “You’re such a soft touch.”

  “Maybe, but this is all so exciting.” She bounced on the balls of her feet and clapped her hands together. “We’re smart girls. I’m sure we can devise an awesome plan for you to meet him, so you don’t need to stalk him anymore.”

  I thought back to how it had felt to spend half an hour with him on the first day of school and blushed. Since Sarah didn’t miss much, she caught on right away to the fact I hadn’t shared everything with them yet. “What’s with that look on your face?”

  “Um, so...you know how I have office aide for first period?” I asked, twisting my hands together in a nervous gesture.

  “Yeah.” Emily circled her hand in the air, letting me know she wanted me to get on with the story.

  I took a deep breath before rushing to get it all out. “On the first day of school, I gave Corby a tour so he’d know where his classes were, and he kind of sort of asked me to go to his first hockey game.”

  “Oh.”

  “My.”

  “Gosh.”

  They rotated off in perfect unison, almost as though they’d rehearsed their reaction, making me giggle.

  “Whoa. Hold up.” Sarah lifted her palm toward me. “The hotshot hockey player who started at our school this year—the one who has all the queen bees panting over him even though he doesn’t have a penny to his name—asked you an entire month ago to come to his game and you’re only telling us this now? What else have you kept from us? Having you been secretly dating Cole Travis too? Are two hot guys going to battle it out for you?”

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head at the suggestion that the rock star we went to school with would ever be interested in me. He was a legend around Black Mountain Academy and could literally have any woman he wanted. “C’mon, don’t be ridiculous.”

  “I don’t think I’m the one who’s being ridiculous here,” she argued, folding her arms over her chest.

  “Technically, it hasn’t been a full month. We talked like three and a half weeks ago.” Sarah started to tap her foot on the floor, and I knew she wasn’t going to let me get away with a technicality. I needed to make her understand why I’d kept my mouth shut for so long. The only thing I could think to do was give her and Emily the same speech I’d been telling myself every single day. “I don’t think he meant the invitation as anything. It was the first day of school, and he didn’t know anyone else here other than the guys on his team.”

  “Emme,” Emily sighed, shaking her head as her lips turned down at the edges.

  Sarah tugged on my arm and led me over to the sink. Standing behind me, she met my gaze in the mirror. “Tell me what you see,” she demanded.

  I stared at my reflection for a long minute, confused by what she wanted me to look for. Finally, I answered, “I don't know. I just see me.”

  “No,” she snapped, giving me a little shake. “The problem is you don't actually see yourself. You only see all the things your mom has pointed out to you as being wrong. She’s drilled that crap into your head for so long that you don’t see how beautiful you are. But the time has come to finally ignore all her nitpicking. She’s been proven wrong by a super-hot guy. If you won’t take our word for how pretty you are, then listen to him.”

  I turned around to face Sarah and Emily. “We don’t even know that Corby likes me.”

  “Of course, he likes you. There’s no way he would have invited you to his hockey game unless he thought you were cute,” Sarah argued.

  “Yeah, Sarah is right. I can’t think of any other reason that makes sense,” Emily agreed with a firm nod. “I refuse to believe it was just because you were the first person he met who doesn’t play hockey with him.”

  “There's only one way to find out for sure,” Sarah announced with a gleam in her eye that I didn't trust.

  “What's that?” I asked.

  “You’re going to the hockey game.”

  “Yes,” Emily cheered, jumping up and down.

  “What? No,” I cried, shaking my head. “Even though we have two classes together, I haven’t said a single word to Corby since he left me standing in front of the office on the first day of school. It would be super weird for me to jus
t show up at his game now.”

  “Shut up!” Sarah slapped my shoulder. “You finally have the chance to talk to the boy you’ve been crushing on over the summer, and you’ve been ignoring him all this time?”

  “Doesn’t he have lunch with us, too?” Emily asked.

  “Yeah,” I sighed, thinking about how much time I’d spent staring at him from across the cafeteria. “He sits at the hockey table.”

  “Clearly, you can’t be trusted to think straight when it comes to him.” Sarah flung her arm over Emily’s shoulders. “Luckily, you have us to push you in the right direction.”

  Emily grinned and nodded. “Yeah, there’s really only one choice here.”

  “We’re just going to have to go to the hockey game with you,” Sarah declared with a smile.

  “That way, we can see how Corby reacts when he spots you sitting in the stands, cheering him on,” Emily added.

  Sarah wagged her finger at me. “And we’ll be there to make sure you actually talk to him and don’t chicken out.”

  It would be nice to have my friends with me if I went to the game so I wasn’t stuck sitting by myself. But I could too easily picture them pushing me in front of Corby as he was walking off the ice—or whatever players did once the game was over. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

  “It’s a great idea,” Sarah insisted.

  “If I go, my mom will ask all sorts of questions that I don’t want to answer. She’ll want to know why Edwin dropped me off at the ice rink.” The second she caught on to the fact I was crushing on a boy, she’d want to know everything about him. It wouldn’t matter to her that Corby was living with the Whitneys. She would never approve of him, and she’d spew crap about how beneath us he was. I knew I was getting ahead of myself because I was assuming something would even happen between us if I showed up at his game, but how my mom would react amped up my fears and gave me another excuse not to do it.