Page 170 of Baby Girl
I nodded in agreement; those things had been dangerous.
The arena is all but full, and there has to be several thousand people here. I had no idea college sports were such a big thing. While there is an entire section off to the side filled with people wearing red and white, it’s basically solidly black and aqua, with a pop of gold in spots. There is even a huge section of people with their faces painted in the Warriors’ colors.
I don’t think I have ever been that passionate about anything in my life.
“Ems, are you sure you want to be here?” Oakley asks and I turn to face her.
Before I can confirm that, yes, I want to go on a date with Will, she holds up her hand, stopping me from answering.
“I know you’ve said you want to do this, but babes, you don’t seem as excited as you should be for a girl going on a first date with a boy she likes.” The concern on her face causes my insidesto squirm. “I’m not saying you should ditch the hockey for the apartment, but you are far more animated when you talk about your…the others than when you talk about Will, even if it’s just to yell about how arrogant they are. It’s kind of like he is plain white bread and they are chicken Alfredo.”
I huff out a laugh and turn away from her to stare out at the ice. “Will is not plain white bread. I don’t know him well enough to know if he is yummy yet. That’s the whole point of the date.”
The only reason I know Derek, Hudson, Darcy, and Xavier are yummy is because we did everything in reverse. I highly doubt I would have been interested in them the way I am if the first time I met them was as my professors. They probably would have seemed like boring old guys with their blazers and laptops.
Suddenly, the arena goes dark and music blasts through the air, the excitement of the crowd jumping up twenty levels.
Players start spilling onto the ice, skating across it like they aren’t balancing on tiny blades. The red and white team spread out on their side, but the Warriors charge across the ice straight at us, then follow the edge of the rink, tapping their bat thingies against the glass.
A flash of blue eyes catches mine for a second, and I grin as Will goes past.
“I’m going to go get snacks before the game starts, do you want anything?” Oakley practically yells into my ear.
I shake my head, eyes glued to the ice as I try to follow Will around on the ice.
“Can you pass me my wallet?”
Reaching down to my backpack, I open the top zipper and search around inside for her things that she dropped in there just before we left. Once I find it, I pull it out and offer it to her. She shoots me a smile and then flounces off to find food.
When I turn back to the ice, I can’t stop the grin when I see Will and Vinnie watching me right up against the ice. I wave atthem and they grin back. With their hockey gear on, they look twice their normal size, and I must admit, the alpha male athlete vibe is a thing.
Vinnie points at the direction Oakley disappeared to, and I mime eating food and he waggles his eyebrows at me. I laugh and shake my head. After what she said about the morning after the party, I know he has absolutely no chance with her, but it’s always fun to watch her shoot him down. They both glance over their shoulders and nod before shoving away from the edge of the ice.
Will turns back one more time and waves. I wave back, my heart a little giddy at the attention as he skates back to his team, all of them doing stretches on the ice. There are definitely a few eyes staring at me, but I concentrate on the players, not giving anything away to the crowd.
With freezing cold fingers, I reach down for my bag again and search through it, looking for the mittens that match my light purple beanie that Hudson bought me. I knew it was going to be cold in here—hello, massive court of ice—but I didn’t think it would be this cold.
My fingers brush over something firm but crinkly that definitely wasn’t there when I packed my bag, and I frown. I find the edge of it and pull it out.
A yellow envelope.
My heart starts beating erratically, the sound of it so loud in my ears that I can barely hear the arena anymore.
This is their letter. The one Derek gave me at the hospital. The one he told me to read when I was ready. The one that I haven’t seen lying around in my room in ages. How the hell did it get into my bag? I emptied everything out of it so we could fit our things in it tonight. Only Oakley and I had access to my bag, it doesn’t make…
Oakley. She must have put it in here when she added her things. But why? How does she even know about the letter? Did Derek put her up to this?
My breathing feels fast and heavy somehow, like I’m breathing too quickly, but also, getting enough air. Tingles flow outward from my chest down into my arms.
I’d been ignoring the letter. I didn’t want to read it before. I didn’t want to know what their sorry excuses were.
Nothing they could say would make up for the way they left me feeling forweeks.
But…
But I think, maybe, I do want to read it now? If I want more information on whether Will and I are compatible in a sexy kind of way, then maybe having more information about their thoughts and feelings is something I should have too?
Flipping over the envelope, I slide my finger under the flap and slowly run it along the seal, breaking it. With hands that tremble from nerves and not the cold, I pull out the folded sheet of paper, absolutely positive that my heart is going to beat right out of my chest.
