On the Sidelines

Chapter 4 Tanner

I turn to say something to Evelyn but she's not there. Sean comes up beside me to pat my shoulder. "There, there buddy. She seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere, or maybe she just doesn't like you." He shrugs like it's no big deal but at least I know it's the former thanks to my eavesdropping.

"She's having breakfast with a friend."

"And how do you know that?"
"I read her texts over her shoulder." He rolls his eyes at me but they both should have expected that considering I met her by reading over her shoulder last night. Which reminds me, I want to know what she was writing. I read a few paragraphs before she noticed me and I'm hooked!

I reach for my phone but stop. I didn't get her number. God damnit!

I blink at my empty hand like it burned me. Josh notices and makes fun of me for it but I flip him off. I don't have much to do today, classes don't start for a few more days and practice doesn't start until tomorrow.

I don't work during the school year so I can focus on my classes and practice so I can't lean back on that. I could go to the gym, except I don't want to be sore for practice tomorrow.

While I'm deep in thought I don't notice the woman sidling up to me, plastering herself to my side. I only notice when her arms snake around mine. She's batting her eyes at me, giving a sashay smile. That smile falls faster than I can blink when I shake her off and take a very obvious step away from her.

I know who she is, Brianna Jones is a Junior like I am and probably the school's biggest puck bunny.

She and her friends have slept with, at the very least, half the hockey team. I'm not one to slut shame and call women whores just because they're sexually active. Considering I've been considered a manwhore my entire freshman year, I know it doesn't feel too good.

I'm not saying they were wrong to call me that, I did sleep with a lot of women, most of whom I don't remember their names, let alone their faces. I'm not proud of who I was, drunk and fucking my way through the year just because I could. If my ex could see me now she would, God I don't know what she would do. But she definitely wouldn't be happy. I miss her, with every day that goes by.

"Hey, what's up? Whatcha thinking?" Collins nudges me bringing my thoughts back to the land of the living. Rufus Collins is one of my best friends, he lives off-campus with Sean and I. He's a big dude but he kind of has to be, he's one of the team's goalies and a damn good one at that. His shaggy blond hair is now long enough for a man bun, I think his mountain man beard is too. His nose is crooked from the many hits he's taken on the ice. But the thing that draws your attention to him is his smoky gray eyes.

"I was thinking about Mia." His eyes soften. It took my buddies getting me drunk last year for me to finally talk about her but I don't regret it.

"It wasn't your fault, dude. There was nothing you could do to save her." His voice is grim but firm.

"I know, That's not what I was thinking about." At his confusion, I continue, "I miss her, her smile, her voice, her kindness, just her."

My high school girlfriend Mia is the best thing that ever happened to me. I met her freshman year and chased after her until she finally gave me a chance sophomore year. Her dad hated me at first and I can't blame him. From his view, I was taking his baby girl from him, she always was a daddy's girl. Her mom wasn't in the picture, she left when Mia was three. It took a year and a half for the old man to soften to me but when he did, we became extremely close. Mia loved that, she always said she loved that her two men got along.

It was our junior prom, she and one of her friends were on their way to the school. We had agreed to meet at the school because she wanted to drive separately, wanted to bring a sophomore with her who didn't have a ride.