Page 12 of Embrace

I can see the guilt on her face, but I pull her along. Outside the house, we sit on the curb, arm in arm, waiting for our Uber. I don’t let Sierra thank me again, I’d choose sitting here with my best friend over anything else. But for some reason, my mind drifts to Kian’s offer.

Five

Kian

Everything is fucked.

My hangover. My plan to graduate. Hockey.

Completely and utterly fucked.

“Mr. Ishida, take a seat. I will let you know when Dean Hutchins is available.” The secretary lets out an exasperated breath, touching her temples like my pacing is making her dizzy.

Fifteen minutes ago, I received the kind of news that flattened my poor, battered heart. Dylan failed his drug test and is most definitely getting kicked off the team. Which means that for the first time in twelve years, we aren’t playing hockey together.

See? Completely fucked.

When Coach Kilner called I knew it couldn’t be good, and that became clear as I watched the color drain from Dylan’s face.

It drove me crazy that I had to stand there and listen to my best friend’s life falling apart and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Fortunately, I’m not one to take things sitting down. I immediately ran to the dean’s office, where I’ve been walking the waiting room carpet ever since.

I need to fix this.

Dylan didn’t take hard drugs, but for the NCAA, even a drop of uncertainty around a player has major repercussions. Not to mention that the NHL will be on his ass if this gets reported. The consequences are endless. Suspension. Expulsion. Being released from his NHL contract. Where we’re supposed to playtogether.

All those options suck. But I’m determined none of those things will happen to Dylan because a few years back, Dalton’s quarterback also failed his drug test and was granted permission to continue playing if he agreed to weekly drug tests and community service.

My calendar app pings with the reminder to meet Scarlett in the library. There’s a lot I don’t remember from last night’s party, but she’s impossible to forget.

“Is he available now?” I ask the secretary for the third time.

Her eye twitches, and I back away slowly. I’m still pacing, thinking of what I’ll say to Dean Hutchins, when the waiting room door flies open.

Summer Preston blows through it like a storm front, tossing the secretary a polite wave before zeroing in on me with a look sharp enough to slice concrete.

Summer and I met in a psychology class freshman year. We became best friends since I was in most of her undergrad courses, and that was before she started dating our captain, Aiden Crawford. After that she basically lived with us for a whole semester before he left.

“Hey, Sunny. What’s up?”

She narrows her eyes. “What’s up? Are you seriously askingmethat when you’re the one standing here about to get your best friend in even more shit?”

“You know about the test?” I mean, I did text the guys and tell them immediately after I found out, but that was an accident.

“Of course I know. And I also knew that when you found out,you would either be sulking at home or be here. So I had to stop you.”

“From what?”

“This! Kilner is the first to know about drug testing, which means the dean has no clue. How do you think it’ll go when he finds out, from you, that a senior athlete failed his drug test?”

“Not good?”

She yanks me toward the door and flashes the secretary a grin. “Thanks for your time! Poor guy thought this was the library. Athletes, am I right?”

The second we’re outside, I jerk my arm free of her grip. “Hey. I know where the library is now.”

“I’m sure you do, buddy.” She pats me on the arm, already steering me toward Aiden’s truck. Driver’s side.