Page 111 of Like a Power Play
I shrug, heat washing over my cheeks. “I’ve hooked up, I’ve gone on dates, but I’ve never actuallydatedsomeone.”
She stares at me in disbelief. “You’re kidding,” she says, like that would be a fun thing to kid about.
“I swear.” I raise a hand, mock-solemn. “Hope to die, or whatever. Zero official relationships.”
Darcy’s eyes narrow. “But you’re so—”
She cuts herself off.
Which, of course, only makes me want to know what came next even more.
“I don’t have time,” I explain. “Which, Iknow,sounds like an excuse, but it’s really not. Every minute I’m not practicing, I’m convincing myself I should be. Like if I don’t earn every second on the ice, I’m stealing it from someone else. Especially with my dad…”
My voice falters slightly, and I clear my throat. “And if I’m not doing either of the two, I’m at some other event, showing up for everyone else, because it breaks my heart to think that anyone feels that way too. That they don’t think they deserve what they’ve earned. So… I go. To the parties, and the art showsand the study groups. Because if I can’t be on the ice, then I need to be somewhere that matters.”
Darcy studies me silently. I can see the neurons in her brain sparking behind her eyes, like the information I’m so chaotically dumping on her is something worth thinking about. My heart thunders in my chest, heat spilling across my body in embarrassment. And just as I’m about to apologize, the slightest tug pulls at the corners of her lips.
“That’s…” She trails off, like the words on her tongue are painful to admit. “Really sweet, actually.”
My eyes fixate on a crack in the concrete floor, and I hitch an awkward shoulder.
“Self-serving purposes,” I deflect. Darcy’s elbow digs into my ribcage, and it’s pathetic, but I’ll take any touch from her.
“Shut it,” she mutters, somewhat endearingly.
In the quiet of the locker room, her padded fingers tap lightly against the bench, the sound echoing softly off the green walls. After a long beat, she reaches down, unbuttoning a massive pocket on the side of her pants.
“Grabbing your Cheez-Itz?” I tease softly.
She rolls her eyes, her hand disappearing into the pocket, then pulling out what might be the largest book I’ve ever seen. Like, truly absurd. It’s huge, with red painted edges and some strange language script on the sides.
My jaw drops.
“What the hell is that?!The dictionary?”
A laugh slips from Darcy’s mouth, and when she drops the book onto the bench, it lands with a thud that rattles our seat like an earthquake.
“Lord of the Rings omnibus,” she explains, adjusting her position with another flash of discomfort. “Full series. Special edition.”
“Of course it is,” I mutter, studying the beast. I think it’s the same one Hammie has on her shelf. “You and Bailey would get along really well.”
A nervous laugh slips from her mouth, and she glances up. “Why?”
I shrug. “You just would. You’ve got the same kind of hobbies. I’m honestly surprised she and Cleo haven’t recruited you into their little dragon cult already.”
A laugh bursts out of Darcy. “You mean their Dungeons and Dragons campaign?”
“Yeah, that thing.” I wave it off. “You should totally do it.”
A quiet, awkward sound escapes her, and she looks away again, arms crossing tight over her chest.
“They asked,” she explains, the words coming slower now. “But I said no.”
I raise a brow. “Why? Not into board games?”
“It’s not a board game,” she replies, then meets my eyes again. “And I don’t know. Just… seems like a lot.”
I study her. Her fingers dig into her biceps, her eyes skimming the room to avoid my gaze. The corner of my mouth twists, just slightly.
