The Hockey Player (2)

19. Aurora's POV

After mine and Matt's shock wore off, I mentally counted down the minutes till we could leave. As a distraction, Matt and Raine dragged me to the dance floor, where he showed off the worst moves I've ever seen. After we took a break from everyone attention and Matt went to the bathroom, I stayed with the only person I wanted to.

"I wish people would stop" I complained to Raine, as we sipped some punch.

She gave me a tired look. "Me too. Do you know how many times I've been asked about you two? I'm not sure why they ask me, but I've been cast as the best friend of the hockey scandal girl. I'm ready to spike the punch"

On that note, we both tossed out of punch cups.

"I'm sorry-" I started, when her eyes narrowed and she pointed her finger at me.

"And don't ask me how many people think your boyfriend is sex on legs, and everything else I had to bleach out of my head"

"Don't worry" I laughed, smiling. "I won't tell him that! We need both of us and his ego to fit in the ride home"

"Good" she smiled. "The attention is crazy. I'm content with my track runner. No one cares about their team.."

"I'm sorry. I was happy being ignored"

"Don't be" she said, wrapping me in a small hug. "I'm happy for you"

"What do you mean?"

She pulled back, still holding my upper arms. "Your face, Aurora. Even just standing next to him"

"What face?" I smiled widely, blushing.

"You're making it right now" her smile turned into a smirk. "Girlfriend status looks good on you"

"I have no idea what that means, but I think it's a compliment, so thanks"

"Does he know?" Her eyes went from curious to concerned. "What happened to you before?"

"Yeah" I sighed. "His personal trainer knew Jack and he asked me about the whole thing before we started dating"

One thing I didn't understand was how Matt never saw that side of me as negative. He didn't judge me or treat me any different. Despite how it happened three years ago and we didn't know each other then, the mental image made him angry and that never reflected in how he treated me.

"You said his name, Jack's..." Raine looked straight into my eyes. "I mean, no hesitation or emotion behind it. That's...good"

"I'm getting there" I admitted, squeezing her elbows, before dropping my arms to my sides. "With help"

I appreciated the anonymity and how even friends and loved ones weren't allowed at the meetings at Lisa's House. I never told my parents what happened. And if I had anything to say, they never had a reason to know.

I still went to meetings twice a month at Lisa's House. While over the past month I offered the same support to others who touched my life, a question burned in the back of my head that I wanted to ask at the next meeting.

"He's good for you.." She smiled, before turning it into a smirk. "But I still have the right to chop off his balls and make sure he never finds them if he ever hurts you"

"I wouldn't expect less from you"  My smile grew wider as Matt approached us again.

Matt and I hadn't been dating for long, but the effect he had on me was something I never imagined. I literally wanted to spend every minute with him. Being at different schools challenged our relationship, but I thought we made the best of our reality.

"So, you've been going out for what?" Raine spoke, like she was reading my mind. "Eight weeks? You know that's years in high school relationships, right?"

"It's blurry" I admitted, smiling. "He asked me to be his girlfriend after the game against our school"

"When your bother punched him....again" she returned my smile. "And he still asked you"

"I couldn't say no after that. But, we had our first date the next day, so who knows?"

"So..." she asked, smirking again. "How is it?"

"What?"

"The sex?" I nearly choked on air as my throat squeezed shut.

"There's a rumour going  around that he bought condoms from target for tonight..." Raine raised her eyebrows. "He'll-"

"I couldn't tell you" I finally got the word's out.

"You...haven't done it yet?" She stared at me with wide eyes.

I shook my head and ran my hand over my dress. "We're taking it slow. Well...he is"

"He is?" She looked surprised and I couldn't blame her. "So much for the condom rumour"

"I mean, we're doing stuff" I blushed at my confession. "But he wants to wait, so sorry, no condoms. He's taking this seriously"

"How do you feel about that?"

"Lucky..." I smiled, before letting out a soft sigh.

"If you have an itch, let your toy scratch it" she laughed. "Since you're now the proud owner of one battery operated boyfriend"

"I'm not- I can't"

When I somehow got Matt's attention, plus Luke's repeated efforts, Raine's solution was that I didn't need any guy.

"I'm kidding" was her response.

I'll never ceased to be amazed how this talk never phased her.

She's like the female version of Dan.

"So?" She shrugged. "What's the problem?"

"It's okay. I have no idea what I'm doing in that department" I told her. "He's been with girls before but he knows it's my first time, he doesn't want to do something I'll regret"

"That's noble" she sounded intrigued as she looked at Matt. Matt stopped to talk with kids from my English class, like they were old friends. "How many girls has he been with?"

"I don't know" I confessed. "I know he was with girls his freshman year, then Madison was his last girlfriend. He said he didn't date anyone since"

"Hasn't dated, or hasn't been with anyone?" She hit the target with that question. I looked down at my shoes, feeling uncomfortable.

There's a difference. It shouldn't matter, but it does.

"I don't know" I admitted, feeling like I had to.

"Wait, that Madison?" Raine pointed at Dan's girlfriend across the gym from us. "You couldn't have picked anyone else to date?"

"You like who you like" I shrugged, hoping for a topic change. "What about you and Ryan?"

"What about him?" She blushed

"I'm happy for you too. Even if I don't want to know details-"

"What details?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me. "How we hooked up on our second date?"

"Raine!"

She shrugged casually. Her eyes shifted across the same space and softened when they landed on him.

"He was trying to convince me to go running with him" she told me, crinkling her nose. "So, I found another way to burn his energy"

I shook my head as we burst out laughing.

Only Raine.