Fine lines

Chapter 24

Wyatt

I've never been so off my game all season. I can't get Tate and what Charlotte did out of my head. I've been trying to work out for the last two days when and how this happened.
I've been utterly miserable without her, I've never had this feeling of lonely and missing someone like this. She's been residing in my head and my heart ever since I met her, nothing's compared. I've been thinking about what's next and all I can think about it knowing if she'd want to do the same things I do, if she'd want to live somewhere else, what she wants to do after college. All of those things have been on my mind all week and now I don't know if I'll ever get to ask them.

I also can't wrap my head around trying to understand why she didn't believe me.
The only time I can think of is the night Tate went back to her grandparents, all the boys including myself left to get dinner but we were stuck out in the snow for hours because Derek's car broke down because it was that cold. It took probably 3 hours before we got home, we had to eat in the car and wait for the tow truck to arrive. The wind had picked up so I'm not surprised, but in that time frame I was trying to talk to Tate and deal with the car. I was annoyed but I wasn't about to take it out on her so I was quiet for a bit. I don't know if that's something that set her off to feel that way but then I know her, she's smart and she's not stupid when she knows something's up. I'm not saying she's stupid right now, but she's definitely off about this and I have no way of trying to fight it because she wants to be left alone. I can't keep my composure straight along with my game and for the first time in never. I want to finish this game and go home to my room.

The boys have barely attempted to talk to me, not because they're scared to, they know when I need to be left alone and this is one of those times. The half time quarter usually goes for about 15 minutes. I haven't moved from the bench while the others keep going in and out from under the pit. We're down by 1 point currently and honestly I couldn't care. Which I hate. Because I said from the start, no girlfriends, no relationships just me. This is exactly why. But then again, I don't regret her and I don't regret the fine lines I crossed kissing her and talking to her more and more the nights got late. She's kept me feeling alive every day, enjoying every day more when I wake up especially if it's beside her.
Every 5 seconds I hear an ooo and ahh I have no idea why until I look up noticing the kiss cam and couldn't think how awful the idea is. I put my head back down trying to think of another way to fix this or make it right. What's less hurtful and more approachable. I keep going over and over it in my head until I hear her name spoken and my attention is grabbed along with the pull of my head to Derek's voice.

"Hey isn't that Tate?" At first I'm startled that she's even here. I didn't want to look up in hopes to see her but also seeing her would break me further. I take my gaze from Derek's face, following his and the rest of the boys' eye direction to the kiss cam screen.
Get. Fucked.
I watch her shaking head as politely as she could, trying to tell the camera no but the guy constantly insisting. Any idiot can make out what he's mouthing.
"Come on it'll be funny. Two seconds, just two."
She keeps shaking her head trying to force a smile, until I see it disappearing and the stillness in her body that looks terrified. I turn around to look for her, noticing she's right behind the box, I don't take my eyes off her until I noticed Ivy who I've only ever seen in pictures with Tate, she makes eye contact with me practically screaming "for fuck sakes"

Nothing in my body could stop me rising from my chair as fast as a jack in the box, dropping my hockey stick to the floor, walking up punching the thick plastic wall between us, sending a ripple through the rink and along the wall capturing everyone's attention including his. And Tate's.

"Leave her alone! She fucking said no!" I yell it loud enough Derek grabs me before I shake his hands off me, I lock eyes with Tate and for a moment I watch the relief in her eyes. I turn away not being able to look any longer but more so at him.
"Dude you can't do that" Derek sit's down beside me trying to rationalise with me.
"Watch me" The camera finally shuts off and the siren plays. I skate back onto the ice as fast as I can. I make myself do a couple of drills to burn the anger off but it doesn't help as soon as I'm back into position the fire in me sets off my game in a good way, I barge my way through all the sharks. Including Bryson multiple times. Finally after some time the third quarter siren goes off, I'm one of the last of the ice Bryson skates past me briefly before stopping.

"That was quite a show you just put on" With the smug grin on his face that I'm ready to punch off for a second time tonight.
"Fuck off" I try to ignore because I can't afford a repeat of the other night especially here.
"You know she's not going to say anything, she's not going to go through with it"
My interest is peaked and even if she's not talking to me, I'll defend her to the end of the world. I stand there waiting for him to continue.
"She's not going to do anything, because she's too full of pride to cause any drama for herself or her Daddy"
I grip my hockey stick as tight as I can. I can feel splinters where it's been bashed against other sticks all night. I try to shake him off with a subtle hint that it's already happened.
"Okay, well guess you can wait to see what happens" I go to skate off again but he doesn't stop.
"If she has Hendrix, she won't win. None of my teammates or anyone at that party will vouch for her" He skates even closer to me, I can hear the whistle going on the sidelines being warned to get off but I've lost any care at this point. "Do you want to know why? Because everyone knows, she's Daddy's little girl who can sleep with any of the hockey teams he hates just to get his attention" Before he finishes the word my hockey stick has already snapped over his helmet. I grabbed it trying to rip it off, breaking the guard around his mouth. I throw a punch in. He throws one back, slamming me into the ground. I pull him down with me before I throw more punches. I've never seen red so fast in my life. I'm clouded by multiple people around us before I feel two sets of hands pull me off of him and Bryson lying there barely moving.