Page 23 of On His Mind

I lean in. “Still hitting pucks?”

He grins, nodding. “Do you wanna get out of here?”

I look at his eyes. His face breaks into a smile. He knows exactly what he’s doing. I smile back.

Then my phone buzzes in my purse. I don’t answer him as I grab it and look at the screen.

Mom:How did the interview go?

My smile fades before I can stop it. I can’t tell if she’s asking a genuine question or if she’s waiting to pounce.

The cream-colored folder flashes through my mind exactly where I left it on my passenger seat. It’s unsigned and waiting. I know I’m going to take the internship. It would be dumb not to. It’ll give me the experience I need. Even here, with music pounding and Stanley waltzing back into the living room, attempting something that looks suspiciously like anotherbackflip, Chicago somehow finds me. I’m not sure how to tell my mom that it’s not what I want.

Theo glances down at my phone and takes a sip of his drink. Then his eyes travel back up.

“Yeah,” I say, putting my phone back in my purse. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Your place?” he grins.

“What?”

“I’m in the dorms again this year.”

“Oh,” I say, looking around the room. “Okay. Yeah. Ivory and I came together.”

He grins wider. “I know. Drew is going home with her. We can catch a ride with them.”

A slow smile spreads on my face.Catch a ride with them.She took an Uber and was planning to drive home with me. It dawns on me then that the guy I’m hooking up with –– doesn’t matter how hot he is –– is living in the dorms, with no car, relying on his friend’s girl for a ride, and the bittersweet irony is that I’m the one with the vehicle.

“Right.” I nod politely. “Yeah. Let’s go find them.”

He pulls me through the party, slipping right past the loud crowd. Drew and Ivory are in the corner of the kitchen, making out. Theo doesn’t hesitate. He walks right up to them and starts talking. Ivory wipes her mouth as she giggles, looking up at me.

Drew turns around and nods. “What’s up?”

“Let’s go back to their place.” Theo pulls me into him and rests his arm around my neck.

Drew looks down at Ivory. “Ready?”

She shrugs. “Yeah, sure.” And then she sneaks around him, grabbing me by the arm. “After we dance a little.” She shrieks loudly as she pulls me out of the kitchen.

I catch Theo’s eyes right before we cut the corner.

She pulls me through the house, past where everyone’s dancing, and straight to a door I hadn’t noticed before. She opens it, and there are two people sitting on the step. They stand up immediately as she tugs me out. I close the door behind me and shiver. The cold reaches every inch of my skin.

“I thought we were dancing,” I mutter, stepping down. Then my eyes look up at the two tall guys, standing with their hands in their pockets. I lock eyes with the guy who ran into me earlier.

Ivory pulls my attention back to her and says, “Do you want them to come to our place? I know you barely had anything to drink, and I just want to make sure that you’re good.”

“I’m good.” I nod. “Yeah. Are you?” I look at her flushed face. “Should we not invite them back?”

Ivory turns around, finally realizing that we’re not alone. She points with her thumb and whispers, “Is that?”

I nod.

Ivory turns around and says, “You spilled beer all over my friend, you big––” She looks at the other guy. “Boof!”

Boof?