~Pucker face~ Charlie Conway

Chapter Nineteen: Obvious

Charlie's POV

Adam wasn't stupid, nor was he blind. He could see that there was something off and wouldn't stop pestering me about it. I didn't answer a single note he passed to me in class, but he just didn't give up.

He caught on, even before I could.

First, I was staring. Way too often.  My eyes just couldn't help it, drifting over the room to eventually always land on one thing.

Second, my face was always red. Any conversation had gotten me flustered beyond belief. It was almost always on the ice when we conversed, and I was wearing a Jersey and pads. Regardless, the majority of my sweat wasn't coming from the fact that we had done drills.

The third and final thing. I was acting the same way I had with Linda before she was my girlfriend. I had been flirting?

"Bullshit." I said when Adam confronted me about it.

"Oh come on! I just gave you the hard truth and you're still going to deny it? I have evidence!"

"Verbal evidence. Just because you're saying it doesn't mean it's true." I countered.

"You calling me a liar, Conway? I've seen it with my own eyes, I consider that enough to say you like her."

"You sound insane. I think you're forgetting all the shit that happened in the past."

"You said it yourself. That's in the past Charlie. Doesn't mean you can't like her now. And from what I'm seeing, you really do."

"I don't think so."

"My turn to call bullshit." Adam smiled slyly. "BULLSHIT."

"Keep it down!" I whispered, annoyed as hell. "Look I don't care if you think you see something. You can't tell anyone that. I don't want to hear shit from Linda or her snotty friends. Or anyone on the team. Just- don't say anything."

3rd Person POV

Adam agreed as Charlie walked away. Watching his best friend leave, he couldn't help but think.

He's hiding something.

Sloane's POV

It was Saturday. We had the day off, having played a game yesterday.

I looked in the mirror to check out my outfit. A simple dress and sweater over top. Charlie's gift still hung around my neck. I'd worn it since he'd helped me put it on, even through the ugly. The thought of that night, my birthday, getting it, made me turn a little pink. He really cared about fixing things and I pushed him away yet again, for the stupidest reason.

I couldn't control my feelings, and yet he was the one punished. God, neither of us know how to manage anything. My feelings were still boiling over like in a heated pot, I could barely keep a lid on them. Connie and Julie knew something was up, and when I told them, it was crazy.

Now, I was in for it. I couldn't go a single practice without them finding a way to move me next to him, or the other way around. It was only a matter of time before this would become obvious, or I would just burst.

I hadn't been up to the roof in a while, and even though I so badly wanted to meet Charlie up there, I knew I wasn't going to hold my tongue. I had to get this out of my system.

Meeting everyone in the breakfast hall, I was early. Adam was the only one sitting at our table, giving me the most ridiculous look I'd seen in my life. He was smirking, holding his eyes on me as I sat down.

"I know something you don't know..." He taunted, turning back to his food.

"That I'm starting over Charlie in the next game? Yeah, old news pal." I shot back.