He stuck the Triple Axel on his second try after not having done a single jump since he was sixteen. What’s your excuse?
You’re the most replaceable person I have ever met.
“Is everything alright?” Reece asked, and when I looked up at him, I noticed how a little line formed between his eyebrows, his eyes glistening with concern. His head was slightly cocked, shoulders tense. “Who do I need to fight for you,mi princesa?”
The corners of my lips pulled into a faint smile. “Erik’s being a jerk again, so nothing new. I’m alright, I promise.”
“I hate that guy.” He wrapped an arm around my body, hand resting on my waist. “Let’s just get out of here. The fact that he lives in this house is disturbing.”
I laughed. “He’s home with his parents. He just got out of the hospital two days ago. I doubt any responsible parent would let their kid with two broken legs live in a fraternity home until their mobility is back to normal.”
“Are we talking about Erik Reed?” Ming threw into the conversation. He now had a red cup of whatever beverage in his hand.
Where the hell did he get that from so suddenly?
“Yes,” I replied, though sounding unsure.
“Hate that guy,” he groaned before chugging down half of his drink at once. “Did you know he’s related to Fynn?!”
My eyes widened in shock, my breath spiraling right out of my lungs. Reece’s lips parted slightly in disbelief, his grip on me tightening.
“Ritchie?” Reece said. “No way.”
“No, seriously! He told me.”
“There’s no way Fynn and Erik are related,” I said, shaking my head as I didn’t want to believe this could’ve been true at all. Fynn was an asshole anyway, he could’ve lied. “Erik literally once asked me who Fynn was when you guys showed up at the arena during our practice.”
Ming nodded, then took another sip of his drink. “Yeah, they’re like step-siblings, actually. They’re keeping it a secretbecause, apparently, Erik can’t stand Fynn. No surprise there, to be honest. Fynn’s a dick.”
“Erik isn’t much better,” I muttered. Thankfully, it was too loud for anybody to hear. “Aren’t you and Fynn friends?” I asked, louder this time.
“Kinda,” Ming replied. “I try not to engage with him as much. He’s super weird to our Reecie-poo because of you. Like, dude, seriously, sometimes even I want to punch that guy in his average-looking face. I don’t understand how Reece hasn’t done it yet.”
“I have,” Reece said, laughing. “I’m just being smart about it. I punch the guy on the ice.”
Ming smirked, tapping a finger to his left temple. “Smart, Reecie-poo.”
“You’re not seriously calling him ‘Reecie-poo’, are you?” Rina joined the conversation. “Now I wish I could drink, so I could forget those words ever left your mouth. I have to drive though, so I can’t. Bummer.”
“I can drive you home, Rina,” Ming offered but all three of us instantly shook our heads.
“God knows how much you drank already,” Reece said and took the red cup away from his best friend. “And you don’t even have a license yet.”
“Hey, I have my permit.”
“Aren’t you like… nineteen or twenty? Get your fucking license.” Rina laughed and swung an arm around Ming, who didn’t seem to mind it one bit. “Barely any girl’s gonna want to chauffeur their boyfriend around. It’s called PassengerPrincess. Unless you identify as a woman, that’s not you.”
“If I get my license, will you go on a date with me?”
Reece covered my mouth before a comment that would’ve ruined everything could’ve made it past my lips. I tended to make comments to make an awkward situation lessawkward. To be fair, I always made it worse, but at least I tried.
“Tell you what, Ming,” Rina began. “I drive you home tonight, and in return, you can get as drunk as you want.”
“How’s that going to?—”
Rina pressed her index finger to Ming’s lips, stopping him from talking. “If I like the drunk you, I’ll think about that date. But sober you is boring. So, let alcohol do the magic and take down your guard so I can see at least one reason why I should give you a chance.”
“That sounds backhanded,” Reece whispered right into my ear. I nodded in agreement. “Actually, it’s not even backhanded. She straight-up told him he’s boring.”