The Puck Bunny

Twenty-Nine

For the first time in what seemed like forever, life felt back to normal. Turns out Luke and I could be friends and talk together about classes, books and hockey. Most importantly hockey.

Before I knew it, the time for my appointment to see if my wrist was healing okay had popped up. I knew it was booked for Monday after my class finished at 3. I didn't want to ask Luke to come with me, but I knew they didn't have practice and he didn't have class, so I found myself knocking on his door at 2:30, having been excused early from class to allow enough time to get to the hospital.

"Pruitt?"

I immediately started blushing and getting hot in the face at the thought of asking him to accompany me to the hospital.

"Uh, I have my appointment this afternoon and I um, don't really want to go alone"

He didn't say anything, just simply nodded and grabbed his phone before locking his door.

"God, sorry I made that so awkward" I chuckled as we walked to my car.

"Why did you?"

"Because last time I got you to take me to the hospital things were different"

"I thought we'd been through this Pruitt, nothing's changed in our friendship."

"Thanks Bennett"

"Although falling asleep on my lap should probably be off the table"

"Oh piss off!" Luke chuckled.

Unlike all the times we'd driven around together when we were fooling around, I was driving. Luke didn't seem to have a comment to make about it, but I was doing it to make a point. I was serious when I said I wouldn't allow him to change my mind while I was still in college. In response, I had made the graduation promise to give him a chance if we're both single when I graduate. Until then, I was out to prove he wouldn't have a hold on me. And for me, that included driving me around Minneapolis.

"Are you doing anything this weekend?" Luke's question took me by surprise while we waited for my appointment.

"The same thing I always do? Read, write essays, not sleep"

"Come to a party?"

"Bennett, you know I don't want to do that"

"Come on! You haven't had the full party experience, because we would get a little drunk then leave. It gets much more interesting past midnight, especially as it gets more into the semester"

"I don't know. It's not really my scene"

"C'mon Pruitt, don't make me beg" He stuck his bottom lip out and I struggled not to laugh.

"Fine, I'll go."

He seemed satisfied with that, but as it usually was with Luke, it only lasted a few minutes. Soon he was cocking his head back towards me to look at me.

"It's a warm day and the middle of the afternoon, why the hell are you wearing a jumper?"

"Uh, it's comfortable?"

"It's 80 degrees"

"When are you gonna stop questioning me about shit you know I don't want to talk about?" Luke held his hands up in defeat.

"Sorry, I'm just making sure you're not going to faint from heat exhaustion"

"I'm fine"

"Noted, shutting up"

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day" Luke's eye roll was enough to make me smirk.

"I'd hate to know what the dumbest thing was"