Page 25 of What We Knew Then
i am very chill
Noah
said no one ever
Me
okay i can meetyou guys
Ishouldbeatthe rink.
That’s what my body told me when Troy brought up going out. At this point, our first game is next week and I know I need to win over at least some of my teammates. I don’t think they all hate my guts, but it’s clear I have a ton to prove. Getting added to a group chat seems like a step in the right direction.
But this was the first time someone other than Leo asked me to come out, and I knew what that meant. Even if Leo probably begged him for me to be included. Troy’s the captain—if he wants me here, I show up.
I swing the door open and the rise of nerves starts in my stomach. I’m still the new guy and I can’t stand it. I wish this part was over—the one where I show up somewhere and it’s all whispers about who I am, where I'm from, or what I did. Troy’s already in the corner with a couple of the guys, and Leo is draped over a barstool beside him with his usual grin. I swear, he looks like a legit golden retriever—he's always fucking smiling.
Troy claps me on the shoulder like I’ve been here the whole time. “Finally decided to grace us with your presence?”
“Didn’t want to make you look bad,” I reply.
Leo barks out a laugh, smacking the table. “Oh, he’s funny now. Did you guys know Maxwell was funny?” he asks.
Our starting goalie, Matty, chimes in. “I thought it was pretty funny when he kept stealing the puck from you during that drill at practice.”
The whole table erupts. Someone claps Matty on the shoulder for the chirp, and it’s hard not to smile.
It’s easier than I expected. For the first time since transferring, I feel less like an outsider clawing at the walls and more like I belong in the room.
My chest loosens. I order the only beer I plan to have. I even lean on the bar and let myself not think about the workout I skipped and almost relax.
Almost. Until I see Cora.
She’s in a booth across the room with some guy I don’t recognize. Slick hair. Pressed button-down. A smile that seems practiced, not real. He leans in like the world owes him space.
My stomach knots.
She laughs at something he says, but it’s polite, not genuine. Her hand curls around her glass like she’d rather be anywhere else. I shouldn’t notice that. I shouldn’t care. But I do.
When Cora slides out of the booth, probably heading to the bathroom, I catch him watching her go. Not just watching. His gaze drags down her legs hungrily, like he thinks he has a right to look at her that way.
Heat burns down my spine as I tighten the grip on my beer bottle.
The worst part? I have no right to be pissed. She’s not mine. She’s nothing to me. So why does it feel like every nerve in my body is on fire?
What the hell do I have to do to get her out of my head?
Leo’s voice cuts in. “Uh-oh.” He follows my gaze, brows lifting. “Is that… oh shit. Cora?”
Troy turns, recognition flashing across his face. His jaw tightens.
The name ripples down the line of guys like a warning siren.
“The hell she doing out with Ryan Gallagher? And I mean that as disrespectfully as possible.” Leo lets out a low whistle. “Guy must be done with the new sorority pledges already. It’s only September. Classes have been in session, what, two weeks?” He shrugs and takes a swig of his drink.
“I hate that fucking guy,” Troy mutters, disgust clear in his tone.
Noah adds, “I mean, Freddy wasn’t sleazy, but that guy was also a dud.”
