Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
“Why do they have their helmets on?” I shouted.
“It’s a rule,” Banks said.
“It’s a sign of respect,” Valerie said behind me.
“So they don’t break their knuckles,” Liam added.
“This is crazy,” I breathed, my heart pounding in my ears. “They just let them fight?”
“It’s part of hockey,” Marissa said, eyes wide on the spectacle in front of us.
My mind went to the night of the party when Mason tried to kiss me, and Lach pushed him away, and I realized that he’d shown restraint. He wasn’t showing any here. They both ended up on the ground and got pulled off each other by their teammates as the ref blew the whistle again. They were both sent to the sin bin this time. There were two guys between them, and Lach still managed to bare his teeth at Astor, who was in the one beside us.
“Damn, Lach. I thought we were friends,” Astor shouted.
The asshole was still laughing. I doubted Lach could hear him over the noise. Even if he did, he continued to glare. My heart skipped when his gaze caught mine. It continued to skip the entire time we looked at each other. The crowd was locked into the game and screaming, so I was sure they weren’t paying us any mind. I felt like we were in our own bubble. I felt Astor’s eyes on me and looked at him quickly. His brows shot up as he looked between the two of us and shook his head, laughing as he turned around. I hoped this didn’t mean he would use me to antagonize him.
If he did, I’d have to assume he was crazy and wanted to live in the sin bin. Lach’s jaw was tight. He was looking at Astor when I looked at him again, and I willed him to turn his attention back to me. As if he had access to my brain, he did. I tried to relay to him to calm the fuck down and keep his head in the game, but I wasn’t sure how I could say all of those words with just my eyes. I mouthed it to him, earning a smirk before he looked away to set his helmet back on his head and get back on the ice. Astor got next to him, and my stomach clenched as I waited for Lach’s reaction to whatever he said. I was going to be pissed if he got another two-minute penalty. Instead, Lach nodded, and they gave each other a fist bump. Men were so fucking weird. We won 3-2. Lach scored two, and Mason scored the last one. It was unreal.
CHAPTER 18
LYLA
It would be impossible for us to sneak around here. He had to know that. It was the only reason I said goodbye to his mom and brother after the game instead of sticking around. There was a crowd waiting for him anyway, all holding their phones out for selfies or something in their hands for him to autograph. Pride swelled inside me when I saw them. I remembered the feeling I got the first time I’d signed autographs, taken pictures, and smiled as I stepped off the pitch. I took my phone out and texted Marissa and Banks, telling them I’d wait outside by the entrance we’d walked in through. Since Banks didn’t want to carry his keys, he’d given them to me to put inside my bag, so it wasn’t like they could leave without me, but I needed to make sure they knew exactly where I was. I pressed my back against the glass and watched as the crowd continued walking through the doors.
According to Mar's last text, I’d been standing there for three minutes when I felt the hairs on my neck stand up. My heart stopped beating as I stood straight and started looking around. I wondered if this feeling would go away when I left Fairview or if it would persist forever. I couldn’t imagine it going away; as long as he knew my name and location, he’d find me. I didn’t want that to be true. I kept telling myself that there was no way he’d leave Fairview to look for me, but he was completely unhinged, and I wasn’t feeling too sure about that. My eyes looked through the crowd of people leaving, but I didn’t see him. Maybe I was being paranoid. Yes, I was being paranoid. Still, I jumped when my phone buzzed in my hand.
Marissa: wait for us in the truck
I stared at her text for a long moment. What were they doing that would take long enough for her to tell me to wait in the truck? I looked at the parking lot where Banks’s black truck was. It wasn’t far, and he’d parked near the light, so anything that happened outside the truck would be visible. There were enough people around to hear me if I screamed and see me if I struggled. I took a breath and joined the wall of people walking toward the lot. A group of people from Ellis University talked shit about Lachlan, which made me irrationally angry, so I focused on them.