Caught Between Two Hockey Stars

AVERY

If someone had told me that, in the space of a month, my life would go from something solid and carefully planned to a complete mess that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, I'd tell them they had the wrong girl. 

But here I am. 

I lost my place at college, my best friend, and the love of my life all in one go. 

I've gotta start from the top, though, don't I?

It all begins on the night of Halston's win against the Westbridge Hawks, which puts them in the semifinals. Calum, one of my closest friends and captain of Halston U's hockey team, is pretty cheerful after spending weeks crying about his ex, Jessie, who cheated on him with one of his closest friends. On top of that, he's been having a hard time coping with the fact that his mom remarried three weeks ago to his coach, of all people. 

Oh, and to make matters worse, Coach Henry Miller is the father of Calum's biggest rival on the team, which makes that rival his new stepbrother. 

Yeah...not fun, is it?

For these past few weeks, I've done the impossible to be there for him every second of every day. Since his twin sister—Clara, my best friend in the whole world—doesn't go to Halston like the two of us do, she couldn't be here for him, so I've been his shoulder to cry on. 

And it hurt.

It really did. 

The truth is that I've been in love with Calum since the day I met him thirteen years ago, when my mom got a job as the Montgomery family's housekeeper. Ever since, the three of us—Clara included, of course—have been inseparable. We're so close that Mrs. Montgomery, who's now Mrs. Miller, offered to pay for my tuition at Halston U to give me a better shot at life. 

I'm really grateful to her for this opportunity. Without it, I'd probably still attend college, but I'd need student loans and mom's help, and well, this is just much better because now, mom can keep making the payment toward our mortgage and focus on my little brother's education instead of mine.

The point is that it hurt me to watch Calum cry over someone else when I'd never break his heart that way. The thing is that I've always sensed tension between us, so much that on the night of his nineteenth birthday, we shared a kiss in his bedroom. 

A drunken one, but it was a kiss nonetheless. 

Though that happened a year ago and we never talked about it, it still happened, and till this day, I keep waiting for him to tell me how much he cares about me, because I know he cares. 

I just don't understand why he's never popped the question. 

Anyway, tonight is different because, right after the game, I met him outside the locker room. He was all wet and sweaty, and he told me that the coach, or rather, his new stepfather, wanted to talk to them about something, but that he'd talk to me later. 

That's not all he said, though. 

He pressed his forehead against mine and cupped the back of my head. My heart, naturally, threatened to burst. Smiling, he told me, "You know, Ave, I don't know what I'd do without you. You've been my rock these past couple of weeks. Heck, you've always been there for me."

"Don't mention it," I answered, mouth as dry as the desert because of how nervous I was. 

"I've got something I want to say to you," he claimed, and that was when my heart dropped to my d*mn stomach. "Are you going to be at the frat house? Wait for me there, alright?"

I felt it deep in my bones that the time had finally arrived, and even now, I'm still pretty d*mn sure. My roommate, Samantha, who I'm also really close to, is tired of listening to me at this point. I can see it on the look on her face every time I bring it up. 

"How do I look?" I ask, standing up straighter. I changed into something a little more risqué as soon as he told me that. This dress is black and pretty plain, but it's shorter and tighter than I've ever dared to wear. 

"Great," Samantha mumbles. "You've asked me that like three times already."

"Yeah, because I trust your sense of fashion," I claim. "I want to look perfect! Oh, Sam. I'm so nervous. Maybe I need another drink!"

"No, absolutely not. You know how you act when you drink too much."

"You're right. I'm so nervous that I might puke when Calum and I talk." My stomach twists into tiny knots and I press a hand against it. It doesn't help. Groaning, I say, "I just wish he'd show up so we can get it done and over with."

"I think you need to chill, Avery. How do you even know that's what he wants to talk to you about?" she questions, arching a perfect brow at me. 

"I saw it in his eyes, Sam. I know him."

Samantha says nothing else, and just then, the hockey team bursts into the frat house, laughing and hooting. The whole crowd claps, and I search the sea of faces for Calum's perfect face. 

Finally, I spot him, and my heart just melts. I pause, holding my breath. He seems to search the living room for me, and when his eyes land on my face, he smiles. I walk up to him, forgetting everything else. He steps forward, too, closing the distance between us. 

"Hey."

"Hey." He puts an arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer to his side. I think I might just spontaneously combust. "You look really great, Ave."

I blush. "Thanks."

"Let's talk upstairs, yeah?"

I don't know how I manage to make it up the stairs without tripping and landing on my face. My breaths come out shallow as we head to his room, but when he opens the door, there's a couple in there. 

"Crap," he curses, laughing. "Uh...in here."

We enter the room directly across from his after he checks it to make sure it's empty. He closes the door. I lean against the wall right next to the doorframe, and he stands directly across from me. 

We're so close that the heat of his body seeps into mine and I can smell the minty gum he's chewing. He gives me a once-over and tells me, "I've never seen this dress before. Is it new?"

"Clara gave it to me last year. For my birthday."

"You've never worn it before, have you?"

I shake my head. 

Calum clears his throat and smiles. This is it. "Avery, you're my best friend, and when I say that, I mean it. I don't know what I'd do without you, and you have no idea how much I appreciate you. Every time you told me I'd be okay, I didn't believe you. Jessie...I really cared about her, you know? I never thought she'd screw my best friend behind my back like that. That's not the point, though. I wanted to give you the news before you heard from someone else. I told her that you'd want to hear it from me, so—"

"What?" I interrupt. "What news?"

Her?

"Sam and I are seeing each other."

My heart? I hear it cracking and the pieces fall right in the space between our feet. 

"There I was, feeling shitty about myself, and then she shoots me a text. Out of nowhere, mind you. We started talking and, well, we have so much in common. She likes everything I like. She knows me so d*mn well and I have no idea how I never noticed her when she was always around you. Yeah, I just wanted to let you know because, well, I don't know if it'll be awkward or not."

I think I have a fever because my body's hot and my throat is closing up the same way it does when I have a bad case of the flu. I look down, face burning like hell, and clear my throat. 

"Ave?"

"I...I didn't expect you to say that."

He chuckles. "What did you expect me to say?"

A knock on the door interrupts me before I have the chance to say anything, and when Calum opens the door, Samantha's on the other side. 

"Hey, babe," Calum says as he leaves my side. Cold air replaces the warmth his body exuded moments ago, and he goes to her. Hell, he kisses her. Right in front of me. 

"Did you talk?" Samantha asks with a smile before glancing at me. I meet her gaze and, for a moment, I realize what it's like to wish for someone to die. 

This filthy backstaber. 

"Yeah, babe, we did," Calum says before looking at me. "I told you she wouldn't be mad."

Samantha smiles at me. "You're not mad, are you? I really wanted to tell you, but Cal wanted to be the one to do it." 

"Right," I say, staring right at her. I can't believe this. I can't believe that she took everything I ever told her about him and used it to seduce him behind my back. She has nothing in common with him!

A group of guys calls Calum's name, and he turns around, still holding Samantha, and they both head toward the stairs. I notice a smile curving her lips right before she looks away, and I shut the bedroom door and double over, clutching my belly. I'm hyperventilating at this point. 

I can't believe this is happening to me. 

I can't—

Behind me, a laugh breaks the silence. I stand up straight, eyes wide, and hold my breath. 

A deep and amused voice asks, "Why didn't you just tell him you have the hots for him?"

I whirl around and scream.

Brayton Miller is on the other side of the bed, shaking his head at me. 

I have to be dreaming. 

AVERY

My hand flies to my chest. He's sitting on the floor, right in the narrow space between the bed and the wall. Textbooks and papers are strewn all around him, and an open laptop is resting on his lap. 

Should I mention that he's shirtless?

When we walked in, we didn't see anyone, but that's because he was hidden from view by the bed. 

"You...You should've made your presence known and said something instead of sitting there listening to other people's conversations like a creep!"

The amusement fades from his eyes and he in turn narrows them at me. That smirk, though, never leaves his lips. "You're the one who barged into my room without even knocking and forced me to listen to that pathetic b*llsh*t. Don't pin this on me, angel."

My mouth falls open and my head spins as the weight of the situation hits me hard. 

This is so embarrassing. 

"So, why didn't you tell him?" he asks, tilting his head to the side. 

"T