Chased by The Hockey Stars

Chapter Two

My first day of classes was flying by and it was lunch time before I knew it. Thankfully, after the little mishap in my first class of the day, things seemed to be going more smoothly now.

I was flying completely under the radar, drifted from class to class without anyone even noticing me and for that I was grateful. After all that had happened last year with the mean girls in high school, the last thing I wanted was to relive that on a college campus. Most people might want to spend their first day of college trying to make new friends, but not me. I just wanted to float through this day like a ghost, with my head down and focused on my school work.

I found my way to the quad in the centre of campus. When I’d walked by here earlier, I’d made a mental note that the picnic tables outside here seemed like a good place to get some fresh air while having lunch. I like the idea of being outside while I was eating, having far too many horrific memories from my high school cafeteria.Yet, as I strolled up and scanned the common area now flooded with people, I quickly realized just how many others had had the same idea as me. Luckily, I spotted a free table on the outer edge.

I smiled, pulling my lunch box from my bag and holding it in my hands as I made my way towards it. I’d only made it halfway there when a tall blonde stepped in front of me, her two eager followers tucked closely behind her with their pointy noses tipped up at me in disgust.

My heart plummeted in my chest. These were faces I knew far too well, and ones I’d especially been hoping to avoid not just today but for the rest of my life. On a campus this big, I had hoped our paths would never cross. I however, could never be so lucky.

“What do you think you’re doing out here? This is our lunch spot, losers eat in the library,” she said in that nasally voice of hers that made me want to rip off my ears. Listening to her speak was my personal equivalent of nails on the chalkboard.

All through high school, this girl and her little followers had tormented me. I’d clearly been mistaken to think that that was something we could all leave behind us now.

“Courtney, it’s the first day of classes, and this isn’t high school. You can’t just own the quad already.” I tried to reason with her, but I should have known better. Courtney Sanders doesn’t have a rational bone in her body. Unless her current boyfriend was a lawyer or something. I wanted to snicker at my own joke, but managed to hold my straight face.

The next few seconds happened so quickly that I could barely comprehend them. It was as if I blinked and suddenly my lunch box was flying out of my hands.

Courtney had hit it up from underneath, sending it flying into the air and then rushing down to the ground. It hit so hard that it snapped open and the contents came flying out. The meagre sandwich I’d quietly thrown together this morning laid on the floor just long enough for one of her minions to stomp her expensive looking sandal into it and leave her ugly foot print. My tub of yogurt hadn’t faired much better, having exploded the second it hit the ground, splashing up onto my jeans.

All at once, I felt my anger rise to the surface, and my eyes began to burn with tears. All of those years of high school torment had come rushing back to me in a matter of seconds. My hands bawled into fists at my sides as I tried to contain myself.

You are not your father. You are not your father. I had to remind myself over and over again as I urged myself not to turn into the violent man that my father had become this past year. My anger was rising dangerously close to the surface though as I struggled to get a hold of myself. Today was supposed to be a good day, a clean slate, but now it was seeming like the furthest thing from that.

“Woah woah woah, what’s going on here?” Another familiar voice suddenly joined the conversation.

I was relived to see my neighbour Benno jogging over to us, that familiar goofy smile stretched across his face as if he was completely oblivious to the tension of the moment. I knew he had seen the whole thing though, and that was the only reason that he had come over here.

Benno may have lived next door to me all through high school, but that never really made us friends. He was just one of those people that was nice to everyone, which meant there were several occasions over the years that he had come to my rescue. Whether it was his good looks, his charming smile, or his hilarious sense of humour, there was just something about him that no one could resist. Just a few words, and he could have any tense situation completely diffused.

“Hey Benno, can I come watch your practice tonight?” Courtney asked, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger like she was flirting with him. Just like that, I was a ghost again, completely forgotten about by everyone except for Benno.

I bent over to scoop up what was left of my lunch on the ground. My sandwich didn’t look the least bit appetizing right now, but my stomach was still growling in response. I didn’t have the funds to buy lunch on campus today, especially not now that I’d lost my job at the diner. So this squished sandwich would have to do. Only Benno snatched it out of my hands.

“Sorry Court, I think it’s a closed practice tonight. Maybe next time though.” He grinned at her.

Courtney’s eyes instantly blazed with a newfound rage that I’d usually be shuttered beneath. With Benno at my side though, I knew I was safe. So even as Courtney’s eyes darted between the two of us with accusation, I was fighting off a smile. I couldn’t help but feel a little sly as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led the two of us away from the conversation.

It was nice to see Courtney not get her way in something for once. I wondered if it really was a closed practice tonight, or if Benno had just said that to get rid of her.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Courtney spat after us, specifically focused on me again because she would never dare speak like that to someone of Benno’s status on campus.

“To have lunch,” Benno spoke before I had the chance. Any cheerfulness in his tone had been lost now, the conversation suddenly taking a much different turn.

“With her?” Courtney asked, utterly dumbfounded this time. “Benno, no, she’s crazy, she’s a loser. I mean, why would you even want to have lunch with her? She’s a b***h, she deserves to eat alone.”

As always, the lies came spewing out of Courtney’s mouth but Benno didn’t seem to hang on to any of them. With his arm still around me, he continued on our path away from the courtyard. I had no idea where Benno was leading us, but anywhere away from Courtney and her minions seemed great.

When we strolled past a garbage bin, Benno tossed my smushed sandwich inside and a wave of disappointment washed over me. Now what was I going to eat?

I brushed my hand over my growling stomach, knowing I’d just have to hold myself off until I got home and could figure something out for dinner tonight. Yet, Benno must have noticed my dull mood because he quickly turned the conversation around, saving me for a second time today.

“Don’t worry, you can share my lunch today. I always have way too much food.” He grinned at me, and I offered a small smile back in return. My cheeks blushed pink with embarrassment. I wanted to refuse his offer, but I was really hungry.

“Where are we going?” I asked as Benno walked us into an unfamiliar building across campus.

“It’s a secret!” Was all he said, as he led us into the stairwell and proceeded to begin climbing the stairs. I followed him all the way to the top, my breathing coming harsh and heavy after what seemed like the tenth set of stairs. Benno however, had barely even broken a sweat. Thanks to his position on the hockey team, he always had endurance much better than mine.

He pushed open a door, leading me out onto a rooftop patio filled with other guys gathering around and having their lunch. There were four picnic tables set up, and probably 6-8 guys and a couple of girls scattered amongst them. Immediately, I felt myself wanting to retreat back into my shell of ignorance.

“Guys,” Benno announced as we approached the group, then added with a nod in my direction, “This is Carolyn.”

No one’s head had risen to even acknowledge Benno’s presence, but at the mention of my name suddenly all eyes were focused in our direction. Still, no one said a word.

“What did you all turn into a bunch of rock trolls or something? Someone says hello to the woman.” Benno snapped, and just like that came a hesitant but garbled mix of hellos from the group.

I offered a meek smile as I glanced around. I recognized several of the school’s hockey players almost immediately, seeing as they were the most popular men on campus. It was just another reason to add to the list of why I didn’t belong up here.

I followed Benno over to a table, cautiously taking a seat next to him as the group began to chatter amongst themselves again.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m here?” I asked nervously, and Benno just nodded his head.

“Of course, these are all my teammates. They’ve got your back too. Don’t worry about Court, she’ll outgrow this eventually.” He tried to assure me, but somehow I didn’t quite believe that. I mean, we’re in college now. If she hasn’t outgrown it yet, then why would she now?

I decided not to argue with him as Benno offered me half of his sandwich and a granola bar. I unwrapped it carefully, lifting it up and taking a small bite. My stomach instantly felt the relief.

“Do you guys always eat up here?” I asked as I scanned the rooftop. I recognized several hockey players and quickly put together that this must be their hang out spot on campus.

Benno nodded his head. “Cool spot, right? Private too, so we can talk about game plays and stuff when needed.” He said before changing the topic too quickly again. “How is your first day going otherwise? I saw you running across campus this morning too, you looked. A little rattled.”

My cheeks flushed again in embarrassment. God, I wish they would stop doing that.

“It was a rough morning.” I mumbled, staring down at the table top and not sure what else to say.

“Your family?” Benno asked quickly. He was far too good at reading people and immediately I felt the surge of panic come over me. No, the very last thing I wanted to talk about was my family.

“No no, just my work. It’s been slow, so they’re cutting my hours.” I blurted it out without a second thought, deciding it would be far less embarrassing to admit that I had been fired then to discuss what happened inside my family home. Benno may be my neighbour, and while I often wonder if he ever overhears my dad screaming into the night or the shattering of everything he’s broken over the past year, there are some things I’d rather not discuss out loud.

“Oh,” Benno grumbled in response, that constantly smiling dropping from his lips for just a moment before suddenly perking right back up again. “So you’re looking for a new job?”

I shrugged my shoulders. I hadn’t really put a lot of thought into what would happen next, given that I’d only had all of this happen just a few hours ago, but now that Benno was saying it out loud it did make sense. I certainly couldn’t afford that sudden loss in income.

“Yes, I suppose I’ll have to.” I said, feeling my anxiety build a little at the thought of scrolling through job ads again.

“I know a place that’s hiring, I can send all the details your way if you're interested.” A new voice suddenly joined us.

I looked up to see Damian casting a shadow over our table. I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling nervous under his presence. Talking to Benno had always been easy, but any other player on the hockey team had me feeling like I was a mouse being eyed carefully by a barn cat.

“He’s right, our coach is looking for a new assistant! It would be great for you, Carolyn. It pays above minimum wage, outside of game and practice time, you can basically make your own hours, so it’ll work well around your class schedule. Plus, you and I could carpool to games and stuff.” Benno had suddenly jumped in, listing off the perks of the job. My eyes darted between his and Damian’s.

“I don’t really know if I’m qualified for that. I mean, I don’t know a lot about hockey, or really anything.” I mumbled in response, just furthering my own embarrassment here.

“All that matters is that you’re willing to work hard and learn. We can teach you all you need to know about hockey.” It surprised me how quickly the rebuttal came from Damian, of all people. Okay, maybe I would have expected Benno to offer to teach me about hockey so I could get this job, but Damian? That was definitely a wild card.

“I guess I can think about it?” I offered with a shrug of my shoulders and a smile, and that seemed to be enough to appease both of them.

“Great, I’ll send you all the details tonight, and we can start prepping you.” Benno quickly said, and without another word, Damian had turned away from the conversation. Behind him though, I noticed a new set of eyes had joined us.

Across the rooftop, the man I recognized as the glorious captain of the hockey team, Cameron Chase, was carefully watching me.

Has he been listening in on our conversation?