Fine lines

Chapter 6

Tate

I groan at the sight of my phone ringing to see Ivy calling. "Ivy, are you injured?" I groan.
"I cut my leg shaving last night, does that count?" I can hear the smile in her voice. "Has anyone died?" I rub my hands over my face trying to wake myself up.
"Only my soul when you left me.. wait why are you asking me emergency questions?" I groan some more into my pillow rolling over until I'm face planted into my lavender pillow case. "Because you should only be calling for an emergency this early in the morning" I roll back over until I'm laying on my back and pull the covers up. "Tate it's not that early it's 9am.."
WHAT?!
"Oh fuck.." I jump out of bed so fast and run into the bathroom to shower and put Ivy on speaker. "Did I call at a good time then?" She mocks me and I can hear the sarcasm clear as day. "As a matter of fact you did, I'm late. I'm taking pictures of the team training today" I can't believe I overslept. I've never done that before and when I have? I've not got something important on. But I'm sure I set my alarms. Everything is hazy between still being sleepy and trying to wake up, I sit my phone on the top of the shower glass frame. "Ugh please tell me they look very nice to stare at" I roll my eyes while washing my hair, she says somethings again "the silence of your voice tells me you're either annoyed or there's secret boys you're not telling me about"
"Maybe I want to keep them all to myself?" She laughs for ages and it makes me laugh too, I do miss her. No matter how chaotic she may be she keeps my heart smiling and then some. "Tate, the woman who's sworn off boys to focus on her career, wants to keep the hockey team to herself? I don't believe you" I smile as I turn the water off and get out, I'm still rushing around I almost slip over my own feet.
"You're right about that"
"Hope you haven't made any new friends, no can replace me" that's very true. "Do male friends count?" I regret saying it before I hear the gasp out of her voice. She's so dramatic but sometimes the dramatic flare is funny. "A MALE friend? Okay Tate talk"
"Ivy he is just a friend" I'm almost ready as I put some clothes on and start grabbing all my camera bag "Wait, is he on the hockey team?" I say nothing "Oh my god Tate please please tell me more" I smile rolling my eyes because she loves knowing about my life and not even in a toxic gossipy way, but more of a cheerleader type and that's why I've always loved her.
"I have to go in 2 minutes, I don't have time to tell you details" Running down the stairs to head into the kitchen to chug a glass of orange juice and grabbing whatever I find in the fruit bowl to eat in the car. "Uh uh, you just said you have 2 minutes and that's not including driving time so talk" I want to tell her and I will but I don't feel like it's something to get excited over. He seems friendly and he's cute, but I can't get caught up in somebody and I'm sure he's not all that interested, at the end of the day I could really just use a friend while I'm back home. The thought just occurred to me. I've never seen him before or ever heard of him so he must be newly moved here. I still haven't responded to Ivy and I'm silent while I walk around the kitchen.
"What if he tries to murder you and I need to report this phone call back to the police?" Again with the dramatic flare.
"You don't think the police wouldn't think to do that in the first place?" The defending silence on her end of the phone and feeling the eyebrow raising from states away knowing she isn't going to let this go until I give her something. So I cave in.
"His name is Wyatt, yes he's on the team and I met him accidentally and he's offering to take me around home to show me what's new" The gasp on her end is so loud I can hear it from across the other side of the room when I move away to look for my keys.
"OH HE LIKES YOU! Wait, what do you mean accidentally? How do you accidentally meet someone?"
Silence
"Tate McCoy, what are you not telling me.." I forgot I didn't mention the text message on my first night back home.
"Long story short, because I really have to get going" I walk out the front door still having her on speaker as I get into my grandparents small black Mercedes, I start to talk before I turn the ignition
"The first night I came back, I woke up at some ridiculous hour and couldn't sleep, I had a text from an unknown number and it was his, thinking it was his ex girlfriends and we talked for a while and then found out the next morning he was on the team" She screams this time and I out the car into drive and start heading to the skating rink.
"OH MY GOD IT'S FATE. IT'S LITERALLY FATE" she can't hear it or see it but I'm smiling at the excitement in her because I miss my cheerleader a lot and that way she hypes me up.
"I don't know about fate just funny timing"
"Oh my god Tate don't be such a downer, it's fate and you two are going to get married and have babies and build a house" the way she jumps the gun blows my mind to its core but a cheerleader and a dreamer. "I don't think getting married and having kids is on the cards for someone I've known for 48 hours" She groans
"There is a reason this has happened, please call me after he takes you out, I want to know more otherwise I will defer my degree just to be by your side to see this through" Forgot to mention she's optimistic and persistent.
"I promise I will, there won't be much though. I'm about to get out of the car so I'll call later tonight or tomorrow morning, miss you"
"I miss you home slice, have the best day" she hangs up and I get out of the car, I head around to the back seat to grab my camera bag out and start heading inside. My phone vibrates with a text message and my mind automatically assumes it's Wyatt, already a bad sign that I'm thinking of him first as to who would be texting me. But it's Ivy again.
(Ivy) What would your dad say about you hanging out with a player from his team?
Sent 9:25am
Something in my chest freezes when I never put the thought into my head. My Dad never liked me with Bryson because he played for a different team, but whether he would rather me date or hang out with someone from his team or not at all. Not that he had much to say about Bryson but he was never welcomed over when Dad was home and had a mean streak about him. Not that Bryson made much of an effort any way, but then again I'm only hanging out with Wyatt, not looking to date. It shouldn't matter at all at the end of the day. But I don't respond to Ivy's text, I put my phone away in my pocket and head inside.
-
"Derek, Kylo. Why are you late?" My Dad yells out to the two of them walking into the locker room while the rest of the team is in here waiting for the meeting to start, the locker room is covered with their team colours, burnt orange on the lockers and black in a big rectangle strip around the white walls. They're all in their gear and ready to start, but Derek and Kylo are not. Derek has quite the confident attitude on him, in a way he knows he can be smart with his words and how to get away with anything. It's 9:35am at this point so any later than that, knowing my dad he probably would've benched them. Surprised I was even allowed to sit in on the meeting, he didn't want me taking pictures but just wanted me to know the place well enough and remember the numbers of players easily. Sad to say I remember Wyatt's from yesterday. 42. "Sorry coach, good ol Mavis the Mercedes needed to have oil tended to before Kylo could drive us here" I see Wyatt and another guy bite back a smile and it makes me bite one back too, I put my head down before my dad sees. "Text me next time. Hurry up and change, listen out to what I'm saying to the rest of the team who are on time." My dad really is a hard ass on them but I think that comes with the nature of being a coach. He goes over what he expects from them in the game and towards each other, basically don't be assholes to each other, it's a team effort. Any issues? Go to him and sort it out there, they can talk back to him all they like but not to each other. Which I like, it keeps the principle in line for them. They're team mates, friends and brothers everyday. May as well treat each other like it for the sake of the game. Derek and Kylo reappear from the back, I'm leaning back against the wall as he passes me he gives me a small smile and sits down the front next to Wyatt. I keep looking toward the direct view of him and Derek, Wyatt bobs his head down and slowly turns his head around and our eyes lock onto each for a split second, he turns away but not enough for me to see the corner of his mouth move up into a little smirk which makes me hide one back too. Quickly snapped out of my trance the boys all head out the door one by one, Wyatt follows behind Derek as he says something "Camera girl, did you not get enough of my pretty face?" He moves his head to the side and holds his hand under his chin trying to present an Angel face pose. Before I can say anything Wyatt gives him a small shove "Come on flirt" Derek starts walking out "What? I wasn't flirting, I'm just posing" he eventually smiles and Wyatt shakes his head, Derek's out the door when Wyatt stops and looks at me
"Hey T" The way he says that effortlessly gives me a butterfly feeling in my stomach, making me smile.
"Hey Wyatt" I respond, he smiles back.
"Don't worry, I will not be posing any horrible faces for you" Pointing into the abyss referring to Derek, I giggle. "Wouldn't want you to explode"
He chuckles and puts on a serious face and whispers "I told you that's classified" I laugh as he starts to walk out, we hold each other's gaze for a moment before I start to follow behind him "Tate!" My dad calls out to me and stops me in my tracks, Wyatt's already out of my view and I turn around to face my Dad "This is what I need from you today, scoring, defence and anything extra that looks good from your point of view, photos and videos" I stand still in disbelief he still hasn't said hello to me "Okay, no problem." I bounty respond, I go to walk away again "Tate- I'm sorry I just need these to be perfect because I'm counting on a few of the boys to get looked at in a few weeks" I nod my head "I know, I stayed up late finishing a few of the profiles so I'll have them done in the next 2 days so they'll get sent off by Friday." I'm blunt with a cold stare on my face but I can't help it when he's made no time for me so far since being home. "Okay, that would be great.. I know I haven't seen you since you've been home but we can go out for dinner on Wednesday, I just have a lot on my plate at the start of the season"