Off The Ice

Chapter 15

I dial Harry's number as I make my way to Adeline's living room. I sit on her couch as it rings in the background and a loud squeak comes from the cushion like normal. 

After 3 rings it goes to his voicemail. He obviously saw my call and dodged it because he thinks I'm still mad at him, which I am. 

I try calling him again and it rings half a time before his voicemail. He really doesn't want to talk to me. I try one more time and after about 9 rings, just when I'm about to stop trying, he picks up the other end of the line. "What do you want?"

"It's nice to talk to you too." I joke, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Not in the mood right now, Sutton."

"Oh no. You called me Sutton and you're in a bad mood, what happened?"

"What does me calling you by your name have to do with anything?"

"Because, whenever you're mad at me, you call me Mary, and when you're mad at something else while talking to me you call me Sutton. You seem to be mad a lot by the way." I say while picking at a small fray on the inseam of my jeans.

"So I've been told." He grumbles. 

"Now what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't bullshit me. I'm a no bullshit detector. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing you can help with anyway. Just leave it alone." I hear him detach the phone from his ear and I know he's about to hang up. 

"Harry wait!!" I hear a loud sigh on the other end of the line and a muffled noise, indicating the phone is now back on his ear. "Obviously you're upset about something, what is it? I want to help."

"You can't."

"How do you know if you won't let me try? Let me in."

"Why? You won't let me in." He snaps. I know he's right but it still hurts to hear. 

"I know it seems backwards and like a double-standard but-"

"No, Sutton! You can't do anything about it so just fucking leave it alone!!" He yells before hanging up abruptly. My phone stays at my ear a second longer than it should and I stare at the screen when I finally take it down. 

I lock my iPhone and place it in my back pocket. I walk into the kitchen where I find my friends, still being couply and making out and hanging on each other. "Hey, guys. I'm gonna go check on something. I'll be back soon, probably just after dinner is ready."

"Is the something you're going to check on Harry?" Chelsea says as she breaks from her kiss with Cory. 

"I'll be back." I reply, ignoring her question. I hear all of them laugh at me as I go down the hall. "I'm taking your car!!" I yell back, directing it at Carson. He yells back confirmation for me and I grab his keys from the small, rickety table by the door. 

I turn on his car and back out of the small, narrow driveway. I start thinking about where he could be. There was a lot of background noise so he probably isn't at the cottage. His dorm, maybe? 

I plug EIU's address into the GPS app in my phone and Siri starts my route for me. I'm there within fifteen minutes and find the housing and administration building. I walk inside the heated office and go to the front desk where a plump, short woman with a pixie hair cut is sitting, typing away at her computer. I walk up the the desk and place my hands down to let her know that someone is here. "One moment dear." She says, finishing typing something before slightly pushing her keyboard away. "Okie dokie, what can I help you with?"