Pony
I take a deep breath, "Steve can I talk to you?" I ask, sitting on up the bench once I've finished doing the ridiculous amount of bench press reps Steve forces me to.
"You in trouble again?" He asks immediately, I shake my head, "Then why aren't you talking to Darry, or Liz or Soda?" He questions.
"I don't need Darry freaking out on me again and Liz worries too much as it. And Soda well I don't know he's so wrapped up in whatever or rather whoever he's doing at the moment." Steve chuckles, it doesn't take a genius to see things are slowly shifting between Steve and Soda. While Soda is content where he is and what he's doing currently, Steve is trying to push himself to be better and do more. It's not that they aren't close anymore, things are just different between them.
"Fair." Steve replies, he sits down on the mat, "Shoot I'm all ears."
"Tori has been texting me." Steve groans,
"About what?" He questions,
"At first it was stupid small talk and now it's how she misses me and can I figure out how to get her a bus ticket to Boston." Steve's mouth falls open,
"I hope you told her to eff off." He remarks, "I get you two were screwing." My reaction must give away what I'm thinking because Steve stops midsentence, "Ok Pony what aren't you telling me."
"I'm not sure we ever you know had sex." I tell him, Steve thinks about this for a second,
"Then why did she tell everyone she was pregnant, and it was yours?" I shrug,
"The night that it supposedly happened, we had done things, but I was wasted and I'm not even sure I could have done it if I wanted to." I admit, "And if we did I sure as hell don't remember it." Steve pops up from the mat, "Couple days later at school I heard a few other guys talking about how they had been with her that night."
"I don't get it Pony why the hell did you let Darry and Liz believe that it could have been yours?" He asks,
"I didn't really want to admit that I had been so drunk that I didn't know what I had done, I guess." Steve stares at me,
"That would have gotten you in a hell of a lot less trouble then them thinking you got some skank pregnant." He tells me, "And it still doesn't explain why she told everyone it was yours and why she is texting you all of a sudden."
"Courtney told me that Tori was hoping it was mine because she thought I was a better choice than the other guys." I tell Steve,
"I believe that." He pauses, "What did you tell her about coming to Boston?"
"That there was no way Darry or Liz would ever allow it and I'm already on a short leash when it comes to what I can and can't do." I reply, "Do you know what Darry would do to me if I sent her money to get to Boston?"
"Murder you." Steve replies, "My advice is block her, block all her friends, block all those assholes that you were hanging out with in Tulsa." He pauses half a second, "I'm sure Two-Bit has told everyone that you're going to this school for hockey and how it could potentially lead to a scholarship to a university and maybe even a shot in the pros. I can't imagine her texting you how much she misses you is a coincidence." I think for a second, I know deep down Steve is most likely right, Tori and that whole group is looking for a way to get out of Tulsa, I seriously doubt they'd ever get out by themselves, none of them have any ambition. In that split second, I realize how lucky I am that Darry did what he had to do to get us all out of there. "Liz mentioned some girl that you got all weird about at the high school." Steve mentions changing the subject,
"I knew she'd say something." I reply settling back down on the bench to do my next set of reps.
"She hot?" Steve asks as he stands up to spot me,
"I'm not talking about this Steve." I reply, Steve sees through this immediately,
"How hot are we talking? If you aren't going to go for it maybe I will." He says with a laugh, "Maybe you should ask her out." He suggests looking down at me,
"That's not going to happen." I reply, "I am here to play hockey not make a fool of myself going after a girl who I literally have no chance with."
"You won't know unless you ask." Steve tells me. "And before I forget I got you a job interview, part-time here at the gym teaching hockey lessons."
"You did?" I ask. I know I used to hate Steve, like really, really hate him. But after everything, things have changed between the two of us. Especially now with both of us going to the gym and working out a lot together, things are actually pretty cool between us and I pretty much consider him a friend at this point.
"Yeah you can thank me later when you're a big shot in the pros." He replies, "Now stop talking and start pressing."
Later That Night
"Glad you came." Robbie says, I nod, leaving out the point that I all but had to sell my soul to Darry to let me go. I also had to promise under penalty of probably death that I wouldn't drink, have sex, smoke anything, or do anything him and Liz deemed inappropriate. I was also told that if they texted me I had exactly five minutes to answer or someone was coming looking for me. Robbie had mentioned on the ride over that Coach Edwards knows pretty much everyone and if you do anything to make yourself look bad, you are either riding the bench or getting kicked off the team. Apparently, image is a big thing to Coach, and last year one of the senior captains who was a sure shot for the pros got kicked off after pictures of him with a stripper surfaced.
"Thanks for inviting me." I reply, "Where are we going exactly?" I ask as the lights from the city start to fade out,
"Brookline. You haven't met Sawyer yet have you?" I shake my head, "He's a good guy. He's left wing, his dad really wants him to go pro but baseball is Sawyer's thing." Robbie continues, "His parents have this freaking huge ass house and don't care if the guys come over and hangout. It'll give you a chance to meet some of the guys on the team."
"Cool." I reply, I look at Robbie as we pull to a stop at what I swear is a gate house.
"Andrews." Robbie says rolling down his window.
"Go ahead." The guy barks at him as the gate swings open. Huge ass house doesn't really begin to describe the house. I'd go more with mansion. Robbie clearly isn't phased as his brother stops the car,
"I'll pick you two up at 11pm don't make me wait or I'm gonna kick your ass Robbie." James tells us rolling his window back up and speeding down the driveway. Robbie flips him off as the headlights go out of the gate. Robbie rings the doorbell a few seconds later the door opens and my stomach sinks into my shoes.
"Hey Robbie." She greets stepping aside letting us in,
"Hey Pay." He replies, giving her a quick hug, "This is Pony he's gonna be the new center." Payton smiles at me,
"We met yesterday." Robbie looks between us, "He made it clear he's starting school in September." I swear to God my face almost immediately turns red. "Sawyer is downstairs." She adds, "It was nice to see you again, glad I didn't have to wait until September." She tells me, before heading up the stairs.
"You didn't mention you met Payton." Robbie remarks as I follow him down a set of stairs,
"It was for like five minutes." I reply, I'm trying to gage if Robbie is jealous or pissed, if I end up in a fight Darry is going to kill me. "You two like a thing?" Robbie cracks a smile,
"Payton isn't a thing with anyone, if that's what you're trying to find out." He supplies, "She's got a one-track mind, and that one track ends at Stanford." Smart and gorgeous, I think to myself. I am kind of surprised she's single though. We make it downstairs into what I assume must be a game room,
"All I am saying is your sister is freaking hot." One guy says as we walk in, who I assume must be Sawyer gets up when Robbie and I walk in.
"She's my sister asshole." He says, turning towards Robbie, "What's up?" Robbie shakes his head, "You must be the new center, Edwards won't shut up about you." He smacks my shoulder, "I'm Sawyer, glad you could come." He turns around, "That's Nick, Tyler and Tommy." I nod a hello at all of them.
"Your parents not home?" Robbie asks as we sit down,
"Dad is around somewhere." Sawyer says, studying the TV, where the Red Sox game is on. "Boston a lot different then Tulsa?" Sawyer asks looking at me,
"Dude you sound like such a stalker." Nick remarks,
"Dad and Edwards haven't shut up about him since he got the scholarship." Sawyer tells him, "I feel like I've known him for years."
"Enough with the chitchat you sound like an old lady, can we watch the freaking game?" Tommy asks. It turns out to be a pretty lowkey night, we watch the Sox game then catch the end of the Dodgers game, play a few rounds of cards, before everyone calls it a night. Robbie had to take a piss so he leaves me standing by the front door waiting for James,
"Hey." I hear her voice from behind me, I turn around, "I was hoping I'd catch you before you left." I look at her,
"You were?" I question. I would be lying if I said she wasn't the hottest girl I have ever seen in my entire life. Her hair is the perfect shade of dark blonde that women would kill for. And one look at her in the long sleeve t-shirt and shorts she's wearing, and I know her body is incredible, she's got curves in all the right places. Her hair is pulled back loosely, and pieces keep falling out, and she keeps tucking it behind her ear.
"I was." She says quietly, we sort of look at each other for a few seconds, "I just wanted to tell you if you need anything or have any questions about school that you could call me I mean if it's something that one of the other guys can't answer." She pauses for a second, "I'm the junior class president so it's sort of my job to make new students feel welcome." I nod slowly, I reach into my back pocket, unlock and hand her my phone,
"Go ahead and put your number in and I'll shoot you a text." She types something into my phone and hands it back to me, I send her a quick text.
"I'll put you in my phone, when I get back upstairs." Robbie comes out of the bathroom and looks between us and shakes his head, "You guys have a good night."
"You got her number?" Robbie asks as we head towards James's car, I nod,
"Yeah why?"
"I'm impressed that's all." I can't help but grin at him as we get in the car and head for home.
Payton
"He's hot huh?" Ali asks when I make it back up to my bedroom, she looks up from her iPad.
"I was just being nice, he's new and Robbie and Sawyer and the rest of the hockey team are his best resources." I tell her. Ali gives me that look, we've been best-friends since birth, literally we're four months apart and her dad is my dad's best-friend. Not being friends wasn't an option. She knows I'm lying; I know it and she knows it. And boy am I lying. He's about as hot as they come. Tall. Built. And from what I've heard smart as a whip, and I don't know there is just something about him that I can't quite put my finger on.
"Right, you're being nice." Ali says slowly, "I mean why wouldn't you be nice to the hot new center for the hockey team. Who somehow managed to impress your dad, right why would you?"
"Dad talks about anyone who is remotely good at playing hockey. Not like that makes him special." I respond sitting down on the edge of my desk,
"Then why did you watch his game tapes? And don't pretend that you didn't?" Ali asks.
"Shut up Ali." I reply.
"All I'm saying Pay is he's hot, he plays hockey, he's smart. Kate and that group of bitches are going to be on him like flies on shit on a summer day." I wrinkle my nose,
"Nice analogy Al seriously." She sits up straight,
"You get what I'm saying. You want him, now is your chance."
"Whoa girl slow down, I never said I wanted him. Sure, he's attractive." I start,
"And he's your type. Tall, dark handsome, smart, hockey player." Ali cuts in, "You haven't dated anyone since Carter."
"Trust me after Carter I don't want to date anyone." I tell her,
"So be friends with benefits, God knows you need to be laid." I groan chucking a pencil at her, Ali ducks and it hits the wall instead.
"I'll date once I get to Stanford." I say standing up, I glance down when I hear my phone buzz, I pick it up, and try not to smile as I sit it down.
"Oh, hell he texted you already." I shrug it off,
"He was just saying thank you." I tell her, "I can't do the whole dating thing again, not after all the crap with Carter. I just can't." Ali nods as a rare serious look crosses her face,
"Payton, I get that Carter hurt you, what he did was an asshole move. And if you had let me, I would have killed him, but that's in the past. You don't deserve to suffer because of him. You think he's dwelling on his relationship with you?" I shake my head, "Right, he's not. So why should you?" I look at her, Ali is gorgeous. She's on the taller side, almost 5'7, with blonde hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. She's tall and slim and has a sex appeal that drives guys crazy. "If this guy is hot and into you, go for it."
"First off I have no idea if he's into me, for all I know he's got a girlfriend back home who is amazing and perfect, and they are already planning on getting married after high school." Ali looks at me like I have three heads,
"You read too much and lay off the Hallmark movies." She reaches out her hand, "Give me your phone. We're going to find out right now."
"He's single." Both of us jump as Sawyer pops his head into my bedroom,
"See he's single, it's fate. He's single, you're single." She tells me, "Right Sawyer?" He looks at her,
"Hell, no you two leave me out of this." He replies. "He definitely seems like a good guy though way better than those other assholes you like to date." He adds. Sawyer and I are three and a half minutes apart, and he does not let me live those three and a half minutes down.
"See even your brother likes him." Ali practically screams,
"I'm going to bed I got hockey shit tomorrow morning." Sawyer tells us shutting my door behind him,
"Let's call him." She says grabbing for my phone,
"No, it's late and if Sawyer has hockey so does, he. I'll think about it ok?" I tell her, Ali takes this as a victory and launches into a long-winded story about some guy she had met at the car dealership with her dad.