Breaking the Ice

fourteen

Jason collapsed onto my bed, stinking like a pigsty, and I felt myself cringe.

"Get the fuck off from there," I grumbled, tossing my bags aside. My gear spilled out onto the floor, siding to join the rest of the mess there. "I just changed the sheets yesterday. At least take a shower first."

Jase shrugged, sitting back upright against the headboard and tucking his hands behind his head. "What, you have someone to impress?" But seeing the flat look I wore, he sighed, stood up and made his way to the little ensuite connected to my room. "Can I at least use your shampoo?"

"Yeah, please fucking do," I called after him, falling into my desk chair. My muscles were sore and ached like Hell, but through the undercurrents of pain I felt revitalized. Each breath felt fresh and clean like I was still on the ice, biting the cold and threading it between my teeth. A smile I couldn't quite snuff pulled at my cheeks and touched the corners of my eyes, and not because of the game.

Jason came out some time later, stark naked and towel-drying his hair. "Hope you don't mind me using this."

I swiveled to meet his eyes, a pen between my lips. "I hope you don't mind that my dick was on that."

Jase shrugged. "Not like I haven't had worse shit in my—fuck, dude, are you doing homework right now?"

My laptop was open on the desk next to a spattering of miscellaneous notebooks and papers, and I was submitting some assignment. "I had an essay due at midnight, but I finished it. Wanna do something?"

"Fuck." He collapsed on my bed, spread-eagle and still dripping water. "I can't believe you're doing homework on a Friday night. Aren't we supposed to be out partying or something? Isn't that what teenagers do?"

Thoughts from the weekend flooded back, but I blinked them away and but back the expression twisting at my face. I closed my laptop with a snap, started to tuck my notebooks back into my bag. "I think I'd rather shower and sleep, to be honest. But I have a bottle of vodka under my bed if you wanna drink and boot up something 2-player first?"

"Fuck yeah, hurry up."

With a laugh, I grabbed a clean towel and went to shower. Undressing, I was met with marks littering my clavicle, and bruising on the insides of my thighs, and my thoughts burned. I sat under the spray for a little longer than usual, feeling the water pelt my body and untangle the knots in my arms and legs and biting my lip to muffle my noise when those familiar flowers bloomed across my vision.

Wrapping the fuzzy towel around my waist, I felt warm and light walking back into my bedroom—until I saw Jason taking a swig straight out of the vodka bottle, holding a ripped-open box of condoms in the other hand.

Hearing the door creak open, he looked up at me and peeled the drink from his lips. He had found a pair of basketball shorts that I recognized as Beau's and tossed them on, somehow making the entire scene more absurd. "Damn, Luke, extra large? What the fuck is in your pants?" He pulled out the chain of wrappers and tore one open, sticking his finger inside with a low whistle. Heat crawled up my face as I walked briskly to him. "Ultra-thin, pre-lubed... Iza is one lucky—"

"Where did you find those?" I snipped, snatching the box from his hands.

Jason shrugged, holding up the bottle and swirling the clear liquid around. "Under the bed, with the vodka. You should really be more subtle, especially if you're denying the pussy you're clearly getting." He gestured vaguely to my collarbone. "You're not exactly painting an honest picture for me here."

I scowled, tossing the box into my nightstand drawer. "I'm not with Luiza."

He took a long, deep swig of the vodka, wincing as he swallowed. Jason wiped the back of his hand across his lips, looking down at it and holding the bottle out to me before finally saying: "Sure."