Breaking The Ice [bxb]

Chapter Thirty (pt. 1) [Eli]

"I am going to kill him."

Dean tilts his head. "That would be a really bad idea," he says. "Not sure Boston College would keep the scholarship offer after you've been convicted for murder."

"I don't care," Owen says, jerking shoulders.

"I think you do," Dean muses.

"He's touching my sister!"

Dean shrugs. "I think she's into it."

Owen's glare could make the lake burst into flames during the coldest winter night. Dean puts his hands up in defense, giving up the argument.

"Just relax, man," I say. "You're going away to college in the fall. Not like you're gonna have to look at them."

Owen frowns, looking at me. "Is Coleman staying in-state?"

"I don't think he's going to college," Dean says.

Owen rolls his eyes before directing them back across the room to where Trey Coleman, left-winger for the Brunson Grizzly Bears no more, looks pretty cosy with his hands around Olivia Holmes's hips. 

"Rich spawns," Owen grumbles under his breath with an extra edge of spite.

Just before Trey and Olie clash together for yet another kiss, careless of the people around them, James Lowell, Connor Wong and his sister Chloe come up to us, obscuring the view. With the visual contact broken, Owen sinks into his seat on the recreational center's black leather couch with a sulking scowl.

My eyes immediately spot Chloe and James's interlaced hands. Connor's face tells me he is currently dealing with the same ailment as Owen, even if it's a milder case. He walks past me with his hands in his pockets to take a seat next to his former team captain, away from his sister and his best friend.

"Hey, guys," James greets without letting go of Chloe's hand.

"Congrats on getting drafted," Connor says to me and Dean on the other leather two-seat.

Dean grins openly, pulling a smile out of me as well. "Thanks," we reply.

"I hear Calgary is nice," James offers.

Connor snorts. "Yeah. And maybe with the two of you on the team the Flames will even stop sucking."

I flip him the bird and he sniggers.

"You going away for school?" Dean asks, unbothered.

While Connor and James are possibly the two other seniors on the team we hang out with the most, we never really talk about college. Our conversations usually revolved around hockey, school and random things that would fill our brains whenever we didn't want to think about hockey and school. The final gathering of the school year, though, before we all scatter off for the summer until most of us go away in the fall, is probably the best time to bring up the topic of the future.

"Nope. James and I are both going to Univeristy of Idaho," Connor answers. "Staying home."

"That's cool." Dean smiles.

Connor shrugs. "It's cheaper."

"Didn't you get into Winsconsin, James?" Owen asks. While we didn't talk about the future much, Owen considered keeping up with the team's lives an important part of being captain.

"Yeah, I did." James glances at Chloe. "But I decided to stay in-state."

Owen nods in understanding, just as James's cheeks tinge a slight shade of pink.

"What about you, Chloe?" Dean looks at her.

She shrugs. "College is not really for me."

Owen raises his eyebrows. "You didn't apply?"