THE DEVIL WEARS A JERSEY

I looked up in terror as I saw different girls in crop tops with his jersey number and the number streaked across their face with paint. Everyone seemed to only love hockey because of Ryder Blackwell. What was so good about him anyway? Yeah, sure, he has never lost any hockey match, and maybe he was the most handsome, single player on the Northvale huskies, but that didn't mean that everyone should lose their nuts for him. Right? I was always thinking out loud to avoid conversations with people. Especially during sports season. Even my best friend, Sarah, had no hope. She was the typical extrovert and the head cheerleader dating Cole Armstrong, the school's student DJ, for all events. She was the only person who didn't seem brainwashed by Blackwell. Maybe it was because she had a boyfriend that kept her going. Yeah, I was kind of jealous of Sarah and Cole. They were literally all over each other. But, thank God, I barely saw them when they were together. I only saw him when he dropped by to see her from the time. And anytime he came, he dropped off presents. I got my fair share of them, too. He was that kind of boyfriend. But when Sarah wasn't with Cole. She was always with me. We have been inseparable since third grade when I forgot my lunch, and Sarah shared her whole chicken with me. She ate like an athlete, and she wasn't ashamed of it. I was ready for a perfect, cosy night with my coffee at hand, a pizza, and my bag pack slung on my shoulder. Nothing was going to ruin this..... I took the turn that was going to lead the stairs when my pizza box bumped into someone, making my coffee cup spill all over his number 17 jersey. I bumped into someone wearing a number 17 jersey. What a coincidence since everyone was such a Blackwell fan. When I looked up, I saw a popular frown, dark hair, broad shoulders, and not a fan. I just spilt my coffee on Ryder Blackwell. "I'm so sorry." I said, looking at the coffee stain on his 17. "You better be. You just ruined my lucky jersey. And I have a game in 30 minutes." His frown was evident. "At least it's not acid, right?" I laughed awkwardly. Really, Lena? You just ruined this guy's outfit for the game, and you are making jokes about it. "Is this a joke to you?" He said, moving closer to me. "I never said it was. I just don't know what to say." I moved backwards. "You owe me a new jersey." He said, putting his hand against the wall, making me so small beneath him. "It was an accident. Besides, how do you expect me to get you a jersey in under 30 minutes?" My voice shook. "Isn't that the question I should be asking you?" He said, staring me down. "Aren't you supposed to be at your match?" I said, trying to escape the situation the best way possible. "I'm the star player. I bet they can wait 5 extra minutes without shitting their pants." He said. "You're a little obnoxious, don't you think? Mr. Star player." I said, regaining my confidence. "You're a little over confident little miss blogger." He said with the same frown. Holy cow. He knew about my blog. He knew me. Maybe he even read the blog. "You're going to miss your game." I said. "Aren't you headed for my game?" That was when he put on his ridiculous sly smirk. "Nah...., I am not interested in any of your games. I am not even interested in hockey. I don't care." I said as I watched his smirk turn into a frown. "So just cause you hate hockey, you want me to be late for my match?" He asked. "Am I holding you captive?" I asked. "You owe me." He said, putting his hockey mask down and walking down the stairs. I took a deep breath. This was far from how I expected my night to go. I entered the library and sat on a desk to escape reality once more. I brought out one of my romance novels from my bag pack and tried reading. It didn't work. Maybe I was hungry. Yeah, I was. I opened the pizza box. It was cold. Well, there goes solving my hunger. Maybe I was just tired from all the classes i had today. Yeah, the two classes I had today really made me tired. Or maybe I was just not in the mood to read. I was NEVER not in the mood to read. Maybe it was because I couldn't stop thinking about Ryder. And whether he made it to his game. If I didn't bump into him, none of this would have happened. But he deserves it. If he wasn't so rude and stuck up, I would have felt bad for him. I packed up my stuff and went straight to my dorm. The dorm Sarah and I shared I needed some sleep. I did my nightly routine and hopped on my bed with my pyjamas. Maybe watching my favourite Netflix series; Bridgerton, will take my mind off him. I would have bet Sarah would have taken my mind off him, but she never comes home early after a hockey match. She goes off with Cole and his friends. It's a girlfriend thing. Every girl who had a boyfriend always went out with them after a hockey match. It was a Northvale tradition. And everyone knows young adults in love spend a lot of disgusting time together. I just didn't get it. Love was best in fiction form. The door creaked open. It was Sarah. I wondered why she was home early. "You're home early." I smiled at her. "Yeah. We barely won today's match. 1-0. And Blackwell got benched." She said. "Oh really." I said, pretending I didn't know a thing. Wow, just my luck.