Face-Off With Fate: A Rink Romance | Book #1 of UM Hockey Series

fifteen

Vincent Thompson☽

It's been just over a week since Scarlett set an ultimatum.

It's also been a week since I agreed to it.

After the club Wednesday night, I laid in bed thinking about what she said.

I should open up more. I am not my parents.

Why should I worry about commitment?

I'm always up for a challenge. If I treat dating how I treat hockey, I can succeed.

I just have to want it. And this time, I do!

This whole week, I've been dropping in and the café, spending time after classes, and she even came by after my practices.

She started to skate again. I saw her a few times before the early practices. She's always so beautiful to watch.

I wonder why she never got into figure skating. She's always skated with passion as if her moves were telling a story.

Thanksgiving is next week and I think I gotta find a chance to come clean about the bet before anyone else beats me to it...

There's no good way of telling someone that they were only chosen because of a bet. But, my feelings are true.

I grab my baseball and toss it back and forth between my hand and the wall.

Feelings.

I don't like having 'feelings'. It's so much easier to disassociate yourself from everyone and everything.

Dante's words ring in my head daily telling me not to hurt her. I don't wanna hurt her, but I know this is gonna break her heart even worse than Max.

I'm not Max. We're nothing alike!

Fuck! The more I think of it, we kinda are.

I grab my baseball and throw it right at my window.

"Dude, what the fuck was that!" I hear Chase scream from outside my room, before opening the door.

He looks back at the window, and back at me.

"Did you fucking punch through the window?!"

"No dumbass! I just threw my baseball through it..."

"Because?!" as his eyes grow wide.

"I just— I don't know man! I just felt like it," he groans.

"I'll call maintenance and tell them that a bird flew through or something," he sighs. "Why the fuck were you throwing shit at your window to begin with?"

"Chase, you know Scar pretty well, right? I'm just frustrated about telling her about the bet. It was so stupid man! Jenna threatened to tell her if I didn't..." I mumble.

"Oh fuck, if she hears that from Jenna, she might just believe it. That girl has been out to get her since the beginning of this year!" Chase explains as he grabs my desk chair.

He sits down backward on it and faces me.

"Dude, you gotta tell her before it's too late. You guys are dating now! No more lies or secrets. Scar's a good person, she's been through a lot and has a lot on her mind. Just, please, tell her before anyone else does," he argues.

"She'll be mad, but I think she'd forgive you if you explained why you did it. I told you to stay away from her and you didn't listen. Don't fuck this up!" he says before getting up as I lay back on my bed silently.