MY HOCKEY ALPHA MATE

...none of your business...

~Adeline~

"And where do you think you’re coming back from, Adeline?"

Miranda yelled into the cool evening air the second my shoes hit the porch i drew myself up already bracing for the icy tone I knew waited in every word she spoke to me.

"I’m sorry…i went somewhere important with Lily."

"Important?" She stepped out into the light she looked like she was holding herself back from grabbing my shoulders.

"Did you forget dinner is at seven? Did you tell anyone where you were going? Did it slip your mind that we opened our home to you, and we have every right to know you’re safe?"

"Miranda, I didn’t mean…"

"See what I mean, James?" She turned on her feet toward him.

"This is exactly why I didn’t want a human girl in this house! She’ll bring nothing but trouble down on all of us!"

"Let her speak first," James said he sounded like he was already tired of the fight before it had properly started.

"Just let the girl tell us what kept her."

I stood there, heat rising up my neck i had truly lost track of time, gotten caught up in talking to Simon and walking through the diner i knew I should have sent a message…but it wasn’t like I’d made a habit of vanishing without a word.

"Josie knew," I said glancing at her hoping she’d back me up. "I told her where we were going."

Josie looked from me to her mother her hands twisting with her top.

"You still didn’t say anything when we started worrying," Caleb put in his tone layered with irritation.

"I was going to!" Josie spoke up then stepped a little closer to me.

"She went looking for work, that’s all. I told you she would be back soon."

"Work?" Miranda and James said it together like the word itself was wrong.

Dylan’s head snapped up his eyes locked onto mine.

"Why would you need a job?"

Oh God! this is going to be one of those nights where every single thing I say gets twisted into something else, do they really think I want to be a burden forever?

"Adeline," James called his brow furrowed deep. "Talk to us. Why do you need to work?"

I stared down at my shoes swallowing hard.

This was exactly what I’d dreaded…every eye on me, every choice I made picked apart like I was doing something shameful. Is this how every day will be from now on? Every move questioned, every decision weighed and found wanting?

"I have to pay for college next year," I replied my actually voice came out steadier than I felt.

"There’s no one else to do it for me. I have to put money aside somehow. I know I’m late, and I’m sorry I scared you…but I got the job. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble."

Lily stepped up beside me then.

"She got taken on at Frostbite pays better than anywhere else around here, too." She squeezed my arm quick. "I have to run…Jasper’s been blowing up my phone. See you tomorrow, Addie!"

She was gone before I could say another word, her car pulled away fast and leaving me standing there alone with all their eyes still on me.

"You will hand in your notice tomorrow," Miranda said calm as anything, but her tone left no room for argument.

I stared at her like I hadn’t heard right. "Excuse me?"

"Are you answering me back now?" She took a step toward me hands planted firm on her hips.

"Miranda, we can speak to her properly about this," James said.

"You know exactly why she can’t work there, James!"

"Why?"

The word broke out of me thick and tight, i felt hot tears prick the backs of my eyes before I could stop them i lifted my chin swiping at them fast.

"I can’t quit. It’s good money, and it was hard enough to get that place…most places won’t even look at me because I’m new here, this job is important to me and I’m not walking away from it just because you say so."

Caleb sighed out loud shifting his weight like he didn’t know who to side with. Dylan hadn’t moved an inch…still rigid as stone only the muscle jumping in his jaw showed he was even alive.

"We aren’t asking you to quit because we want you to struggle," James said his voice softened just a little.

"We’re asking because Frostbite sits right on the border line. It’s not patrolled the way the rest of town is. It’s not safe for you."

I looked at all of them, confusion rolling tight in my chest.

What could possibly be dangerous about a diner? I walked the whole place earlier…it’s just a stretch of road, some trees...nothing out of place...not even that far from the border Lily pointed out to me, it was just a few steps away and it looked like any other spot in town.

Josie stepped forward then stood beside me.

"Everyone goes there, Mom. All the students stop there sometimes after school, after practice...It’s not like she’s wandering into the woods alone at midnight and she’ll be inside most of the time anyway…she’ll be fine."

Miranda shot her a look so hard it made me flinch. "And how exactly is she getting there and back? She doesn’t have a car!"

Before I could even open my mouth to say I’d walk or take a taxi or work it out somehow, Dylan cut me off.

"I’ll drive her. Whenever she needs to go and whenever she needs to come back home."

Every head turned toward him.

I’d barely heard him speak more than a few sentences at a time since I’d arrived, and now here he was offering to take on my whole schedule like it was nothing, for a second I forgot how upset I was, forgot all the questions and the fear and the cold looks...I ran up the steps and threw my arms around him before I even thought of it.

He went still as a board against me so I pulled back fast with my face now burning hot…

"Thank you," I said, breathless. "Thank you so much, Dylan."

I turned to Miranda, who was now looking at her son and daughter as if they were traitors.

"Whatever!" she mumbled, turning to go inside.

I could see James fight a smile. Josie was smiling, too, while Caleb was scratching his brow, looking at his twin brother with a shocked expression like he didn't expect such from him.

Neither did I, but it seems the quiet ones are the most sweet and thoughtful. Dylan's help now to resolve this showed just that.

"Just don't forget, if you get into any trouble there, I warned you. Everyone here will bear me witness," Miranda said over her shoulder, then went inside.

"What could possibly go wrong? The town is safe enough and I will try to avoid trouble,” I said to James silently but he just cleared his throat as if uncomfortable and Josie won't even look me in the eye.

Weird.

I turned to Dylan, but he had already left. Strange...I didn't even feel him move beside me.

"Come on," Caleb said tugging at my hand.

"Food’s going to get cold. We waited for you."

We went inside together, and for a minute I let myself believe it…maybe Miranda was just scared, maybe she was only being this way because she cared, maybe I really was overthinking every little thing because I was still not used to her way.

I sat down and listened to Caleb talk about the first hockey game of the season coming up on Friday, about how Coach Roman was running them until their legs gave out, but my hands stayed clampy on the table, I hadn’t told them yet…any of them… especially Josie, that I’d also taken on the job as team manager, that I’d be seeing Jasper every single day now...close enough to touch...close enough to feel the way his jaw tightens whenever he’s near.

After dinner I helped Josie do the dishes and wipe down the counters, then slipped upstairs to take a shower. I pulled on my soft cartoon pajamas and climbed into bed, when I unlocked my phone I saw I’d been added to the Academy group chat with a dozen names scrolling past that I didn’t even know yet.

And then a message popped up from a number I didn’t recognize…until I remembered I’d written mine down for Jasper that afternoon.

Jasper: This is my schedule. Attached. First tutorial session will be tomorrow at the library during lunch. Bring your math textbook.

I typed back fast: Okay.

Then saved his name, but a fluttery feeling twisted low in my stomach...this was real...I’m going to be stuck in the same space with him almost everyday day now, I’m going to have to sit close...listen to him talk, pretend I don’t notice how he looks at me like he’s seeing something no one else does... And I know better. I know boys like him are nothing but trouble…arrogant, spoiled, used to getting whatever they want without ever having to ask.

‘Remember Owen. Remember how quickly he turned on you when you needed him the most. Remember Jasper has a girlfriend! Stay focused Addie’ I say to myself.

Then three little dots popped up on the screen showing he was typing something and within seconds another message popped in…

Jasper: Where’d you go with my sister?

I scoffed under my breath, my thumbs moved fast to reply before I could even properly think it.

Me: None of your business, Jasper.

I tossed the phone down like it burned but my eyes stayed glued to the screen anyway.

Another dot appeared like he was about to send something but then it vanished.

Then they came back…

Winked out…

Then lit up again…