Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Are you going to pack your fake boyfriend to go with you?” Gabriella rolls her lips.
“He’s busy,” I deadpan, walking up the steps and flipping her the bird. “He’ll be hanging with your boyfriend all weekend.” It’s her turn to glare at me. Something she hasn’t mentioned since she’s been back is the guy she was sort of kind of, kind of, not sure she was dating, “Don’t mess with the big boys if you are.”
“Shut up,” is all she says. The only thing I can think of is that if I did have a boyfriend, it wouldn’t be the guy I’ve always wanted because he doesn’t even know I exist.
CHAPTER FOUR
TRISTAN
I pull into my parking spot and get out of the SUV, my head still throbbing from ten days ago. I take the keys in my hand and press the button to lock the doors at the same time Xavier comes in and parks his car.
Looking over at the SUV, I decide to wait for him. When he gets out of the car, he looks just like I feel. “How’re you feeling?” I ask him, and he just shakes his head, making me laugh.
“I don’t think I’ve ever drank so much in my whole life.”
I chuckle. “Well, it’s not every day you are a hero and lead your team to win the Stanley Cup.” I roll my lips, knowing this is all he’s heard for the past ten days. Every single time he corrects everyone and says it was a group effort. “Do you have a cape on under that shirt?” I ask him as I pull open the metal door leading into the arena.
There are people everywhere, and I don’t know why I’m surprised since today is clean out your locker day. Usually, it is done as soon as you finish the season, but after winning the Cup, there have been so many fucking parties there was no time to do anything. Thank God my family is down and watched Penelope at night because I don’t know how she would have kept up with all these parties. “I’m going to go home tonight.” I look over at him as we walk down the blue carpeted hallway. “And I’m going to sleep for fifteen hours.”
He laughs at me as we walk into the changing room, and I see we are the last two to arrive. “Boys,” I greet, nodding as I take in that most of the guys are just sitting down with either water in their hands or Gatorades. The night we won the Cup, I think we left the arena at seven in the morning. The families stayed and took pictures on the ice with us, but then when we went to the locker room, it was chaos, to say the very least. I think it finally sank in that we won, and everyone got their third or fourth wind. The champagne was flying all over the place, and the amount of beer that was drunk was insane. One of the guys actually did an interview while drinking a can of beer, and the interview made no sense whatsoever.
“I’m not drinking for the next six months,” Dylan announces, downing the rest of his water in the bottle. He closes the bottle and tosses it in the big bin in the middle of the room and misses it, making us all laugh. “I literally have no strength in my whole body.”
“Did you hear what your brother did?” Cooper looks over at Dylan as I sit down in my place right next to Xavier. I get up after sitting for two minutes, grabbing a bottle of water and then looking over at Xavier, who just nods at me so I get him his own bottle.
“My brother?” Dylan points at himself.
“He tried to sneak into my father’s house two nights ago.” He laughs, and Dylan just shakes his head. “My father came running out of the bedroom while the alarm was blaring.”
“Why the hell did he try to break into the house?” Dylan just shakes his head. “Idiot.”
“No idea,” Cooper says, “but he and Matty were busted and then spent the whole day helping Abigail unpack.” The minute I hear her name, the tightness forms in my stomach as I try not to listen to what they say. It always feels like I’m stalking her. Taking out my phone, I open it up to see we got an email from Nico with all the pictures we took the night we won.
Sliding through them, I see the winning goal captured frame by frame. “Did you see this?” I look over at Xavier, showing him the picture, who just shakes his head. I slide through and find a picture of Penelope and me. “Look at her smile,” I say, showing Xavier the picture. “She had the best time.” I swipe again, seeing a picture someone took of me, Penelope, and Abigail. I press the save button and then slide through until I see the parade pictures.