SWNOVELS Cross-Checked Hearts: Chapter 8
Fucking Isla.
I wish I could be honest with her, but I know I can’t. There’s too much at stake and I don’t know that it would be worth the risk. The last thing I want to do is ruin her life, especially when I know she deserves better than me. Not only that, but I’m pretty positive I would lose my best friend in the process.
My skates slide across the ice, kicking up pieces as I stop directly in front of the puck. Lifting my arms up, I hold my stick back and bring it down with such force as my slap shot connects with it, sending the puck hurling through the air.
It slices through the air, my chest and shoulders heaving with deep breaths as I watch it enter the top corner pocket of the net.
“You good, bro?” August asks as he skates up next to me. “You working out some shit with all the fucking slap shots you’ve been hitting tonight?”
We had practice this morning, but Coach said the rink would be open tonight if we wanted to get some extra ice time in. I play the position more of the enforcer. I’m the one who fucks shit up and mainly gets assists. August plays center, so if anyone should be working on shots, it should be him.
Thankfully, all of the other guys cut out earlier, so I’m not sending pucks flying at our goalie before our first game this weekend. The last thing that I want to do is take the aggression out on him, but fuck, I need some kind of an outlet after taking Isla home this afternoon. That fucking girl is going to destroy me without even realizing it.
“It’s just been a week,” I tell August, as I skate backward away from him. “I’m saving my energy to check the shit out of the team we’re playing tomorrow.”
August nods, giving me a knowing look as he skates past me, pulling the puck from the net with his stick. “You wanna get this shit put away so we can head back. There’s a party at the frat house tonight that I wanted to go check out if you’re game?”
I skate over to the net, pulling it away as I slide it across the ice to the end of the rink. August slides across the ice, collecting the other pucks. Going to a party when we have a game tomorrow afternoon probably isn’t the best decision, but I could have a beer or two and just not get wasted and be okay.
Skating over to August, I help him get the pucks off the ice. “I think that Isla went with some of her friends, so I kind of want to make sure she’s okay. You know how those parties can get.”
My stomach sinks and my jaw clenches as I skate to the other end of the rink and grab the other net before pushing it off the ice. I don’t fucking like it, and the thought of Isla being at a frat party makes my blood boil. Half of the guys there are pigs and she’s fresh meat. She’s an easy target, with how goddamn innocent and kind she is. Not to mention the fact that she looks like she was sent here from heaven.
There’s no way in hell I’m not going to that party now.
Pushing off on my skates, I speed over to August, feeling the burn in my legs as my blades slice through the ice. August is already off the rink and I don’t stop, hopping out onto the walkway as I reach the gap in the boards. “I’m in.”
We both showered in the locker rooms and changed into our clothes that we wore to the rink before heading out. Coach said that he was coming later to close things up, so we cleaned up as best we could to make his job a little easier.
As bad as it sounds, the only thing on my mind right now is getting to that party and making sure that Isla is good. I know August is concerned about his little sister being in a place with new people. Her first college party. But concerned doesn’t even begin to touch how I’m feeling.
Possessive. Protective. Fucking jealous as hell thinking about her there with her douchebag friend that she made.
I saw the way he was looking at her, his eyes trained on her ass when she bent down to lean on the side of my car to talk to me. He can tell her that they’re just friends, but I know better. I know how someone can feel about Isla because I’ve felt it for years. She deserves better than I would ever be able to give her, but he’s not it.
I’ll be the one to decide who is good enough or not for her.
I’m able to find a parking spot about a block away from the party but not any closer because the streets are packed with cars. Most of the kids probably walked from campus, but there are a good amount that live in their own apartments and stuff too, so I’m sure some of the cars belong to other students.
August and I both make our way down the street and when we reach the house, the entire place is lit up. It’s like something out of a movie, with the front yard littered with people drinking from red Solo cups. The front door hangs wide open, all of the windows are propped open and you can feel the bass from the music playing inside while standing outside of the damn building.
I glance around the front yard, seeing some of the guys from our team and some different people from our classes. My greetings are short-lived, while August hangs around for a moment, catching up with them like he didn’t just see some of them earlier today. I don’t have time for mundane conversations.
I need to find Isla.
As I scan the yard, I don’t see her or her friends standing anywhere. August walks over to me after breaking away from the group of people that he was talking to. He raises an eyebrow at me and I shrug, not having anything to tell him, but I don’t bother hanging around as I push through the crowd of people gathered on the front porch and head inside the house.
It’s like a damn ocean filled with people as they all move around the house. The first room is packed with people just standing around and talking, along with a beer pong table set up on the other side of the room. August waves to some of them, stopping at the keg to grab himself a beer as I continue through the house. My eyes travel through the rooms as my feet move me along, looking for any sign of her, but I don’t see her anywhere.
I make my way through a living room, glancing around at the couches and chairs, but I still don’t see Isla anywhere. Where the hell could this girl be? After a lap around the entire first floor, searching every room high and low, the pit of my stomach rolls with dread as I realize she’s nowhere to be seen down here.
This could mean one of two things. She’s either upstairs with someone or outside.
Fuck.
I should just let August handle this. She is his little sister and when it comes down to it, she isn’t my responsibility. If there’s anyone here who should be looking for her, it should be him, but instead I catch sight of him talking to some chick from our chemistry class as he sips his beer. So much for him and Poppy being a possible thing.
This is how August operates, though. He doesn’t form any real attachments because he couldn’t commit if he wanted to. He’s got an issue and a phobia of it. The only thing he fully commits to is hockey and I can’t blame him for that. People in life will lie and leave. They’ll leave you without hesitation and never reach out again—just like my own fucking dad. Hockey is one thing that will never leave… it will never let you down.
Stopping by the keg, I grab a plastic cup and fill it to the brim with the frothy beer and chug it. I glance up at the stairs, noticing some people standing in the stairwell, a few of them with their mouths fused together. I refill my cup and drain half of it before heading in the direction of the steps with my blood already boiling.
My footsteps are heavy but quick as I stride up the stairs, skipping every other step. I don’t bother paying attention to the couples that I pass on the way, with only one thing on my mind. I stop at the first door that is closed and push it open without bothering to knock. A dude and some chick are half naked on the bed, yelling at me to get the fuck out as I stand there for a moment.
Backing out, I pull the door shut and turn down the hall to the next door. The next three are the same, with couples in there fucking around, and none of them involve Isla. I turn down one of them who invites me to join in. I’m not judging anyone who’s into that, but I only have my sights set on her right now.
The last door that I find is locked. My stomach sinks and my heart crawls into my throat. Curling my fists, I pound on the slab of wood until it sounds like it’s about to crack under the force. It’s suddenly ripped open in front of me and the guy on the other side is in my face, practically screaming at me. I look past him, not finding Isla in there, and let out a breath of relief before turning away from them.
Thank fuck she wasn’t in any of these rooms. So, that can only mean she’s outside…
And I’m not so sure I’m going to like what I find out there any more than what I would have found up here.