MasukJAYDENI tap on search, and a stream of useless articles pops on my screen while I navigate Mason’s car through the late-night traffic.“10 Tips to Win Her Heart.” “How to Use Eye Contact to Make Her Crave You.” “Be an Active Listener.”"Fuck off," I mutter to the dashboard, tossing the phone face-down onto the passenger seat next to the plastic container of bland chicken soup.I pull into the hospital parking lot, kill the engine, and sit there in the dark cab for a minute. I'm appalled at how hard the quiet hits."Get it together, Jayden," I whisper to myself.I grab the bag of food, shove the car keys into my pocket, and stride through the automatic doors of the ER.The doors are slightly open so all I do is push them apart and they widen.Aurora is sitting in the exact same spot, but the blue hospital blanket is kicked down to her waist now. She's staring down at her lap, but as soon as the door shuts, she looks up, meeting my eyes. She does look surprised to see, that I can tell.
JAYDENI tap on search, and a stream of useless articles pops on my screen while I navigate Mason’s car through the late-night traffic.“10 Tips to Win Her Heart.” “How to Use Eye Contact to Make Her Crave You.” “Be an Active Listener.”"Fuck off," I mutter to the dashboard, tossing the phone face-down onto the passenger seat next to the plastic container of bland chicken soup.I pull into the hospital parking lot, kill the engine, and sit there in the dark cab for a minute. I'm appalled at how hard the quiet hits."Get it together, Jayden," I whisper to myself.I grab the bag of food, shove the car keys into my pocket, and stride through the automatic doors of the ER.The doors are slightly open so all I do is push them apart and they widen.Aurora is sitting in the exact same spot, but the blue hospital blanket is kicked down to her waist now. She's staring down at her lap, but as soon as the door shuts, she looks up, meeting my eyes. She does look surprised to see, that I can tell.
064READY TO BE A SIMP JAYDEN"Dude, you don't mean that." Duke murmurs as Harry claps my back and walks out of the room. Duke folds his hand, a rather serious expression on his face. I wonder what he's thinking. He's not usually this serious looking. Have I managed to pull this side out of him?"What's up now, man? Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something you want to say?"Duke traces a hand down his chin before shrugging. "I really don't understand you." He tells me."How?""You obviously care about her, a lot. I've never seen you this invested in any girl.""I care about her. I didn't deny the fact.""Do you love her?" Not that word again. "That is a very strong word considering she just told me all she feels is...""Hey, hey. We're not talking about how she fucking feels. It's you. How do you feel? Do you love her?""Duke, you're drilling me.""Just fucking answer the questions. You're saying everything but what I want to hear. How does she make you feel? I want t
063DONE JAYDENHarry is the first to snort. Of course he will. The other guys look amused and Duke is the only person sober. Harry shakes his head, taking a long swig from his beer can, while amused Tank completely loses it, throwing his head back and laughing so loud.I have the urge to flip him off but I just stay calm."Frienzoned?" Tank says, slapping his knee. "You? Cap, you've been acting like a whole-ass hero all afternoon, stealing Duke's clothes, and you just got hit with 'let's be buddies'? Holy fuck, that is legendary."Yeah, this kid has no fucking filter. "Shut the fuck up, Tank," Duke says, glaring at him through narrowed eyes."Nah, man, I'm serious!" Tank wheezes, wiping a tear from his eye. "The great Jayden, university hockey golden boy. I need to frame this day in my calendar.""I said shut the fuck up," Duke repeats, his voice dropping, dead sober and lethal enough that Tank’s grin falters a bit, fading into a nervous chuckle.Gill looks up from his phone and ch
062FRIENDZONED AURORA The glass door of Trauma Room 2 slides open and I step inside. Aurora is holding her phone loosely in her hands and I can see the way her thumb traces the cracked edge of the screen protector.My eyes move to her face. It's flushed, her eyes bloodshot and rimmed with fresh tears, but when she looks up and sees me, her expression immediately locks down. Whatever she's putting on. I'm guessing defensive or rather guarded.I keep my hands shoved deep into the pockets of my flannel before asking her. "Is Claudia coming?" She smiles. "Yeah," she murmurs, wiping a stray tear off her jaw right near her fresh, purple-stitched cut. "She is. And... my mama, too."I raise a brow, looking down at her. "Is she?"Aurora nods, her chin dipping. "Yeah. Claudia said they're looking into booking a flight or a bus ticket for the weekend.""That's good," I say.Crossing my arms over my chest, I lean back against the metal doorframe. She can't look at me. Her eyes darts everywhe
061INVALIDATE FEELINGSAURORA Jayden turns toward the door, taking a step back, but stops with his hand hovering over his pocket. His face is completely guarded and I don't know what he's thinking or how he's feeling. "Before I go," Jayden says, "I just want to let you know that I called Claudia." My breath hitches. "What?""She's your best friend, isn't she?" he raises a brow, pulling my phone out of his pocket... the one I must have dropped or left behind when the medics loaded me up. "I called her while you were out cold. I figured if I'm just... whatever I am to you, you're going to need someone who actually matters in your corner right now."My throat tightens. Fuck. I feel so embarrassed at his words. He's taking this the wrong way. He's only looking at this from his side. This dude isn't even thinking of how bad he's making me feel just because I don't like him the way he wants me to.I want to remind him that he's the same person who said that I wasn't his type and also th
004BONDING?AURORAI can't believe how much things have changed in just one night. I don't want to think about Brian. I don't want to think about the kiss. I don't even want to think about anything.Because if I do, I'll lose it. And what better way to show a bunch of jocks that I'm vulnerable if
003HEARTBREAK HIGHJAYDENI hate days like this, man. Days where I attend all classes, show up to the gym for practice, pushing my body to its limits, and all I want to do is crash when I'm in my room, sinking into the mattress and disappear for a few hours. But then something morbid comes up and
002RULESAURORA "You're the figure skater."I stare at him. Then I narrow my eyes. "You say that like that's a bad thing.""Oh, it is," he says dryly. "When she's apparently going to be staying in my room."Excuse me? I fold my arms across my chest. "Your room?" He legs out a humorless laugh bef
001ROOMIE AURORA Her side of the room is a hot mess. My roommate I mean..Clothes are hanging halfway out of drawers and the bed looks like somebody wrestled a bear on it and lost.I stand frozen in the doorway of Dorm C, Room 214, one hand gripping the handle of my suitcase while the other clu







