Beckett leads us towards the door. I dare to look back, and when I do, Nick’s watching me with an unreadable expression.
“Go get him, you cougar!” Nicole yells out, and I shake my head, laughing off her joke.
Beckett doesn’t get lucky like I think he believes he will. I do let him give me a kiss goodnight, though, after he brings me home from watching a movie at his house.
*****
“Did you have a good night?” my mom calls from her den. Always the smartest person in the room, she’s a professor at the local university. This is why I can never sneak past her. It’s like her brain gives her a sixth sense.
“I did.” I pop my head into the room. “Goodnight, Mom.”
“Now, wait a second. Come sit down. Talk to me.” She gestures to the couch across from her desk. Her glasses rest on top of her head, and her hair is in a disarray of curls on her crown. She’s still beautiful, even after all this time.
“Nothing to really tell. I sort of kissed a boy tonight.”
For the most part, my mom and I are close. We don’t keep much secret. Now, my dad and me? That’s a whole different story.
“Do tell.” Her bare feet pad against the wood floor, and she sits down beside me.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I send it to voicemail. Immediately, it starts to vibrate again.
“What the hell!” I pull it out and see Nick’s number on the screen. What the hell is he calling me for?
“You better answer that. I have work to do anyway.” She kisses me on the head and goes back behind her desk. “Love you, Sweetie.”
I step outside her office and answer the call as it comes in for a third time. Loud music plays in the background, and I pull the phone away to see what time it is. One in the morning. What is this guy calling me for?
“Hello?” I say. Silence greets me. “Nick, are you there?”
“Haan-naahh?” My name is drawn out like he isn’t sure he called the right person.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“What are you doing?”
“I should be asking you that question. It’s one in the morning.” I sit down on the bottom step of the staircase.
“If I’m being honest, I have no idea what I’m doing here.” Nick groans into the receiver. “Hannah, do you know what I am?”
“You’re drunk.” I roll my eyes, annoyed by this conversation.
“I’m a stupid boy. I came here with that girl, not knowing she belonged to a Panther. Dumb, right?”
“Wait, Nick, did you say the girl you were with is a Panther?” The call goes silent. No more music plays, and there’s barely an audible breath. “Nick? Are you there? Answer me? Where are you?”
“Some dumbass’s house.” He chuckles like a drunk hyena. “I’m a dumbass, too, so I don’t have much room to talk, now do I?”
“Send me the address. I’ll be there as soon as I can, and in the meantime, try not to do something stupid, please.” I push off the step and prepare my mind to explain to my mom why I need to leave again for the second time tonight.
“You’re always rescuing me, Hannah Barnes.”
The call goes silent again, and I pull my phone back to see we’ve been disconnected. Great. Let’s just hope he stays alive long enough for me to get to him.
“Mom?” I knock on the doorframe, and she looks up. “I have to go somewhere.”
She checks her watch. “It’s late, sweetie.”
“I know it is, but I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.” My eyes beg her to understand. “Mom, it’s Nick.”
“Fine, but be safe, and if you need anything at all, you call, immediately. I mean it, missy.” She perks up her left eyebrow, which in our house means she’s all business.
I don’t give her an answer. She already knows I will. I grab the keys off the counter and pull my purse off the stool, slipping out the garage door. I look down at my phone, see the address, and groan.
Nick better bow at my feet if he’s making me go to this guy’s house.
Panther territory is on the other side of town. Fifteen minutes later, I park on the road outside a house with a lawn filled with bumper to bumper cars. Nick better be able to walk on his own, or else I’m going to have some trouble getting him to my car.
The front door opens, and two guys stumble out, eyeing me up and down like I’m a slab of beef. Dicks. I sneak in to find the house a complete mess. Cans on every table. Beer pong set up with no one playing. People passed out. A couple making out on the sofa, one stroke away from completion. An All-American high school party sits in front of me, and not a single ounce of my being is jealous I’ve missed out on this one.
The French doors that lead to the backyard are wide open, and a cool breeze hits me as I walk up on the exact scene, I’d known I’d be walking into from the moment he’d called.
Someone has Nick cornered against the fence. Three or four guys crowd around, buzzing with the urge to give him a beating. One steps forward, but the ring leader of the crew puts his arm out, blocking him.
And just like that, a punch is thrown. Nick lands it straight across the guy’s jaw, making Nick smirk. I step onto the lawn, but the slutty blonde from the pool hall butts in front of me, and the small details fall into place.
“You did this, didn’t you? Cozied up to Nick just to bring him here, and for what? So he could get his ass kicked?” I go to side step her. She’s quick, though, and blocks me again, shoving me back.
This seriously cannot be happening right now.
“He’s hot, I’ll give him that, but nothing in comparison to Grady.”
“Ahh, see, now it makes even more sense. Grady’s a pussy, and he had his girlfriend do his dirty work for him.” I shove her back, not in any mood to deal with this. “Get out of my way.”
I peer beyond her to find Nick getting pummeled. Two blows to the face. Three to the ribs. The bimbo gives me a pointed look, daring me to try to step past her again. I can’t believe I’m about to do this. I pull back, swing forward, and connect my clenched fist to her jaw. Like slow motion, she falls back onto her ass, and the crowd near us circles around. I push through to find Nick bloodied and bruised.
“You’re an idiot!” I yell.
The boys around Nick split into two groups. Grady, the biggest douchebag I’ve ever laid eyes on, smiles his pearly whites at me.
“Who me?” Grady points at himself and steps forward.
“Yes, you.” I shove him in the chest to get to a belligerent Nick. “What is this all about? Because of a stupid hockey rivalry.” When I bend down, Nick helps me pull him up on my arm so I can guide him out of here. “Grow the fuck up.”
“Oh, the coach’s daughter thinks she can say and do whatever she wants, huh?” I feel Grady on my back, the heat of his anger pushing through the cold night air and onto my skin. “You aren’t shit, bitch.”
I’m shoved a step forward and have to grip Nick to stop us from falling.
Nick, gathering all the sober strength he has left in him, spins out of my hold and lands a solid punch to Grady’s face. The skin below his eye splits, and blood pools on his cheek. His loud grunt proves Nick made the blow mean something.
“Don’t ever put your hands on her, or any other girl, ever again.” Nick sways, then gains control of himself and hovers over Grady, who’s sprawled in a dirt patch. Every time he gets up on his knees, Nick kicks him over. “I will drive my ass over to your shit-hole part of town, and I will knock your ass around for a little, fun afternoon activity until you get it through your skull, asshole.”
Grady stands, retreating from Nick and me, his hands up in surrender. His friends circle around him like a pack of wolves, waiting for their alpha to tell them what to do.
We’ve almost made it to the corner of the house when Grady decides he isn’t finished.
“She died to get away from you!” Grady shouts, grabbing the attention of everyone. “She knew what a fuck up you are. Only thing you can do is play hockey, and you a
ren’t shit at that either.”
Mia’s death didn’t stop within our community. Everyone knew her; her dad being the police chief helps with the notoriety.
“Nick, don’t.” I turn to stand between him and the fight that’s sure to come.
Feeling the heavy beat of his heart on my hand, my anger grows. How can someone say something so malicious to another person?
Nick’s anger pushes him forward, and I have no choice but to move with it. I take steps backwards until I know we’re near Grady and his buddies.
“Can’t really blame her,” Grady whispers his hate to a friend.
Nick’s stare widens, and like a movie played through his eyes, I know exactly what his plan is. I can’t let him do this. It’s only me here. I won’t be able to stop them from jumping him again, and Nick will fight until there’s nothing left in his tank if I don’t do something to stop this.
I spin, pinning my back to Nick’s chest. His hands come up and rest on my biceps to hold me steady or maybe to get ready to move me out of his way. I don’t allow enough time to pass for that decision to be fully made. I raise my knee and connect the bone straight to Grady’s dick. He grabs himself and falls to the ground. The crowd, including his friends, groans and grunts in horror.
“Let’s go.” I yank on the hem of Nick’s shirt and drag him away. “We need to get out of here.”
There’s some resistance, but I know he’s following me by the flow of colorful curse words directed at Grady who’s laughing in the backyard. He recovered fast. I should’ve hit him harder.
“Give me your keys.” I reach my hand out and flick my fingers at Nick. “We aren’t leaving your truck here. Lord knows what they’d do to it if they saw it.”
The cool metal hits my skin, and I wrap them in my fingers, not looking him in the eyes. I’m not sure I want to inspect the damage yet. He climbs into the passenger seat and leans his head against the window.
Every so often he grunts or groans or huffs out a lungful of air, otherwise the drive to his house is silent. At least he’s still alive.
I pull in the driveway and park, taking the key from the ignition. He stumbles out of the truck and up the cobblestone path. There’s no way I can let him walk through the door alone, drunk and beat up. Shit. Okay, looks like I’m going inside.
Nick’s boots hit the first step, and I glide underneath his arm to help steady him. I guess which key and put it in the lock. The door swings open, and Mrs. Kovac confronts us, her arms crossed over her chest, and a flat expression on her face. She’s not happy to see us.
“Is he okay?” The anger turns to saddened anguish.
“He will be.” Nick’s head is hung low like a rag doll. I’m using every muscle in my body to keep him upright. “Can I take him up to his room?”
“Let me help you,” she whispers, looking behind her like she’s afraid Mr. Kovac will see their son in this condition.
It takes ten minutes and a lot of maneuvering to get him up the stairs. We drop him onto the bed, and I rest on the edge of the mattress to catch my breath.
“What happened?” Mrs. Kovac asks.
“He got into a fight. More like, he was coerced into one. He called, and when I showed up, I found him pinned against a fence. Some guys were talking a lot of shit.” I wince at my use of words. “Sorry.”
“No, don’t apologize. You’re a good friend, Hannah. Thank you for showing up for him.” She smiles sadly, and it breaks my heart. I can’t imagine what watching Nick go through this part of grief is doing to his parents.
“He’s in trouble, isn’t he?” I gaze down at him. With his eyes closed, he looks at peace. It’s hard to believe this is the same person who got in a fight tonight.
“No, he’s not. He’ll feel bad enough in the morning.” She goes to leave, not hiding her tears well enough. “He’s having a hard time. I just hope he can find his way back.”
I nod, smiling up at her. “I’ll get his shoes and then take off.”
“Thanks again, Hannah. He needs you guys right now.” She walks out of the room. I’m sure she worries herself to sleep every night.
I untie his boots, letting them fall to the floor. He breathes softly when I scoot next to him. I brush the front of his hair, forcing his head to turn enough to spot a small cut and a decent bruise.
“What have you done?” I whisper and stand.
Nick’s warm hand wraps around my wrist, and when I look down at him, his eyes flutter open. There’s something about the way he’s staring at me that has me sitting back down.
“You’re here?” He rolls onto his back and blinks at the ceiling.
“Yeah, I’m here.” This is too much. His broken heart is hard to be present with.
“Why do you keep saving me?” He shifts onto his pillow. The bottom of his shirt rides up, exposing the rippled contours of his stomach.
Look away, Hannah. “A promise is a promise,” I whisper.
“What promise?” he asks, and I get to my feet, not ready to have this conversation.
“It’s nothing.” I wave him off. “You should probably get some sleep.”
“Your hand,” Nick says.
I stop dead in my tracks and look down at the knuckles on my right hand. When I turn, Nick is standing on the foot of his mattress. He jumps down, impressing me, since he’s drunk as hell, stalks over, and grabs my hand, inspecting the small cut and bruise the hit left behind.
“Who’d you do this to?” he whispers.
I’m ashamed to admit how his touch feels against my skin. His worry for me fuels my heart into overdrive, beating erratically in my chest.
I shrug, dismissing his worry. “She had it coming, the girl you were with.”
“Hannah Barnes, the little brawler. I didn’t know you had all that fight in this little body.” He stumbles, and I catch his arm. “I’m okay.”
“Get back in bed and just put the night behind you.” I guide him over and try to pull away, but he clutches me, pulling me down onto the mattress beside him. It’s like we never left this position. “Go to sleep, Nick.”
“Just lay down for a minute.” A whimper crawls up his throat and out of his mouth, smacking me right in the face. I do as he asks, shoving him over. “What are you doing?”
“I’m texting my mom to let her know I’m safe,” I answer. She’ll kill me if I don’t.
“You came for me tonight,” Nick says, minutes later, like he had to think about what he was going to say.
“I did, and I will keep coming for you.”
“You shouldn’t. You should just let them beat the hell out of me next time,” he says in a low, fierce voice. He actually believes he got what was coming to him tonight.
“Now, why would I do that?” There is not enough time to unload the baggage that makes Nick believe he deserves what happened. “Did you even fight back, or did you just let them get away with it?”
“I got in a punch or two, but after a while, I stopped. I wanted to feel a fraction of the pain she must have felt.”
“You can’t do that to yourself.”
“Can’t I?” He shifts onto his side to face me and lays on one arm, propping himself up. I do the same, our faces so close I smell the alcohol on his breath.
“Is it helping?” I ask.
“The world feels a little less without her in it, Hannah.” His eyes flutter shut. The thoughts are too exhausting to stay awake.
“Go to sleep, Nick. It’ll all be okay in the morning.” I roll away from him to leave.
The warmth from his hand spreads over my hip, and his fingers dig into the skin. “Please, don’t leave. I don’t want to be alone.”
“Okay,” I whisper, and he shifts closer, never loosening his grip.
Why is he holding me like this? And why is electricity coursing through me?
You know why. You better push that shit far, far back into the dark recesses of your mind.
I stretch behind me and turn off the lamp, casting the room in a shado
wed darkness I welcome. Nick’s breathing evens out. His eyebrows pinch together every so often, a physical response to whatever plagues him while he’s asleep. His dreams don’t stop at the borders of his mind.
Unsure of myself, or what I’m doing or feeling, I run my hand over his hair. His skin is soft and warm. I’d give anything to crawl closer to him, and I hate myself for it.
Once I think he’s completely asleep, I shift away from him, but his grip tightens on my hip, pulling me closer. His thumb runs along the skin right above my waistband, and I hiss from the contact.
“Just stay, Hannah.”
And so I do, but sleep never finds me. Instead, I lie awake, watching him sleep.
I wonder how he’ll ever get past the hurt he feels inside, and why he’s touching me the way he is.
Lastly, I wonder why I’m allowing him to.
Chapter Six
Nick
My head throbs, and I’m dehydrated enough my eyeballs seem stuck to the inside of my lids. Fuck. How much did I drink last night? And how in the hell did I get home? I sure as hell didn’t drive my ass back here on my own.
I roll onto my stomach, adjusting the morning wood that’s uncomfortably pressing against my jeans. I extend my hand and hit a warm body. Oh, this isn’t going to be good.
Did I sneak that chick into the house? No, that isn’t right. Rubbing my eyes, I roll over and come face-to-face with a sleeping Hannah.
Her blonde hair frames her face, and her eyelashes graze the apples of her cheeks. Why do I feel compelled to brush those gold strands out of the way so I can see her better? At my thought, her eyelids flutter open, and her eyes widen, surprised to see me watching her.
“Good morning.” My voice is hoarse, caught inside my throat with a husky scratch. Damn, I really am dehydrated.
“I can’t believe I stayed the night.” She folds the pillow under her head to prop herself up as she rolls onto her back. Her stare is plastered to the ceiling.
A minute passes, and I can’t peel my eyes away from her. “You okay?”
“I stayed the night here.” She bolts upright, startling me. “I stayed the night here.”
Under a Different Sky Page 6