Breaking The Rules

Chapter 15

Social media sucked the soul right out of me. What I hated even more? I allowed myself to get caught up in another doom scroll for the second time that day. There was nothing new. Same old posts, same old pictures. Yet I continued to run my finger along the screen, thinking that I was going to miss something.

Boredom gnawed at me, a restless itch under my skin. I hadn't been on the ice in days, and the emptiness of the house while the team practiced without me was starting to get to me. I was just... waiting. Waiting for something to happen, for something to change. But I was left rotting on the couch instead.

The house was quiet. Too quiet. Booker and Easton were out somewhere, Hendrix was at the gym, and even Mila was too busy to come over. I'd sent her a text earlier, hoping she'd be up for a little fun. She was out of town for the weekend. A shopping excursion with the girls. Figures. I could feel that familiar pull, the urge to get out, do something, anything to shake off this building frustration.

I sighed, tossing my phone onto the ottoman and staring up at the ceiling. Maybe I should go out, hit up a bar, find someone to pass the time with. Something to get me out of my own head.

The front door creaked open, and the murmur of conversation carried from the front foyer. I couldn't see who it was from where I was lounging, but I recognized Easton's voice. Heavy footsteps made their way up the stairs as he headed to his room, leaving whoever was with him behind.

A moment later, Celeste made her way through the opening in the kitchen and headed towards the fridge. The sweatpants she wore hung low on her hips, the Fenton sweater snuffing out her lean figure. If she didn't have the height she did, she probably would have looked like a blob.

Long lashes fanned out as she spotted me on the couch, offering me a small smile as she poured water into her bottle. I took that moment to study her. Her face was clear of makeup and dewy with a post-workout glow. It had me wondering where she had been prior to coming home. Had she hit the gym with Easton? My mood soured with the thought. He hadn't asked me to go with him.

"Hey," she said, eyes trained on what she was doing. "What're you up to?"

"Nothing," I replied, feeling the weight of the word settle around me. It was true in every sense. I wasn't doing anything. I wasn't being anything. I was just... here. Benched and bored.

Celeste hesitated, like she was deciding whether to press the conversation or leave it. I could tell she was trying to be friendly, trying to bridge the awkwardness that sometimes hovered between us. But I wasn't in the mood for small talk. I wanted to go out. Have some fun. Feel alive for a few hours. Not sit here and talk about nothing.

"Must be tough," she said after a moment, her voice careful. "Not being able to play, I mean."

I shrugged, not really wanting to get into it. "Yeah, well, it is what it is."

She bit her lip, looking like she wanted to say more, but before she could, Booker came bursting through the front door and into the kitchen. His usual carefree grin was plastered on his face. He nodded his head at me in greeting, dropping his backpack to the floor before joining Celeste behind the island to get to the fridge.

He exchanged a brief greeting with her before diving into the fridge for a fresh cartoon of milk. Celeste regarded him with an open mouth before stifling a laugh when he finished his drink with a milk mustache.

"What's up, Ricky?" he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You look like you couldn't hate life more right now."

I grunted in agreement. "Thinking about heading out. Wanna hit up The Wall?"