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Chapter 37: Cassidy
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STay Chapter 38: Cassidy
##Chapter 38: CassidyBook One: Stay"Cass, tell me what's wrong."Brooklyn strokes my back as I lie curled up in the middle of my bed. Once I returned to my room, the tears started flowing and refused to stop."I can't help you if you won't talk to me," she says.Luke Wellington is here at Western.That thought plays on a constant loop inside my head.He should be at Dartmouth. What happened should be a distant memory. But that's clearly not the case, because he's here. If the look in his eyes is any indication, he remembers everything."Did you and Cole have a fight?" Her voice dips, becoming low. "Did you break up?"I shake my head, unable to get the words out.I had come to Western to forget about the mistakes I've made. I didn't want to be that girl. And now there was someone here who could breathe life into the rumors all over again."Just tell me what's wrong and we'll work it out, I promise." She squeezes one shoulder. "You know that I'm here for you and I'll help any way I can
STay Chapter 39: Cassidy
##Chapter 39: CassidyBook One: StayNerves prickle at the bottom of my belly as I stand on the front porch and knock on the door. A few seconds tick by before it swings open and Alex stares down at me."Hi." It takes effort to force out the question. "Is Cole here?""Hey." lex jerks his head toward the second floor. "He's up in his room. Go on up."With that, he swings around and leaves me standing on the porch before walking into the living room where a bunch of guys from the hockey team are sitting around playing video games.Avoiding eye contact, I slip past them before racing up the stairs and taking them two at a time. I need to get this over with before I chicken out.Or Luke suddenly decides to tell him first.I suck in a breath, trying to settle everything inside me before wrapping my knuckles against the thick wood. When his muffled voice greets me from the other side, I push it open and find Cole at his desk, bent over a textbook. He does a double take before rising to his
STay Chapter 40: Cassidy
##Chapter 40: CassidyBook One: Stay"Hey, Cassidy, wait up."Not recognizing the voice, I turn at the sound of my name. My muscles freeze as I catch sight of Luke trotting toward me. Unable to move, I hitch the brown leather bag higher onto my shoulder as if clutching it for dear life.When he reaches my side, he flashes a bright smile as if we're lifelong friends."Hey." Even though it's difficult, I force my stiff lips into something that hopefully resembles a smile as my heart jackhammers a painful staccato beneath my breast."I've been looking all over for you."Why?My mouth turns cottony, making it impossible to swallow. What could we possibly have to say to one another?Nothing good. Certainly nothing I want to discuss. Especially with him."Are you headed this way." He nods in the direction I've been walking.It's tempting to shake my head and take off down another path. I don't want to spend another moment in his company. Already my chest is tightening.I open my mouth to lie
STay Chapter 41: Cassidy
##Chapter 41: CassidyBook One: StayWill it now seem like I'm trying to hide our nonexistent relationship from Cole?My teeth sink into my lower lip as I lean closer to the table. "Want to hear something weird?"One of her perfectly manicured brows slinks upward. "If it has anything to do with Luke, I don't think so. The situation is already bad enough." When I remain silent, she gestures with her hand to continue. "All right, lay it on me.""Luke caught up with me when I was walking to Econ earlier this afternoon." I'm still unsure what to think about the encounter. It had been so uncomfortable and stilted.Her brows nearly hit the ceiling as she shoves a forkful of salad into her mouth. Her expression turns contemplative. "You want my honest opinion?" Before I can say anything, she blurts, "I think he has a thing for you."Not that I want to feed into her speculations, but I need to tell her everything. "He asked me to grab coffee with him so we could talk."She holds her fork midai
STay Chapter 42: Cassidy
##Chapter 42: CassidyBook One: StayIt feels amazing to fly down the ice with the puck before snapping it into the net with a flick of my wrist. When I'm out here, I can shut off everything in my head, and lose myself in the physical exertion."You suck, Cassidy!" Our goalie shakes her head, irritated that I was able to slip another puck past her. I grin around my neon-pink mouth guard before skating to center ice. Sammy glides over before slapping me on the shoulder. I wince from the impact of it. The girl doesn't know her own strength."Nice goal. The team really seems to be shaping up. I think we're going to have an awesome season this year. I'm glad you decided to join us."That makes two of us. Playing with this group of girls has quickly become everything to me. I never thought I'd enjoy hockey again. I wasn't even sure if I'd skate. And I owe it to Cole. He figured it out and found a way to give it to me.I huff out a tired breath as both of us glide to center ice for another
STay Chapter 43: Cassidy
##Chapter: 43Book One; Stay"All right, what do you want to talk about?" His attention falls to my mouth as his tongue darts out to lick at his bottom lip.I glance around the semi-crowded parking lot. "Is there somewhere more private we can go?"His gaze snaps to mine before he searches my eyes with more care as if only now realizing that what I need to tell him is important."Sure." He reaches over and slides the seatbelt across my chest. "This sounds kind of serious."I draw a deep breath as the familiar feelings of anxiety prickle along my skin, and a thick ball of tension settles in my belly. "I promised to tell you what happened last year and that's what I'm going to do."The heat filling his eyes moments ago dissipates as he pulls my hand onto his lap and holds it there. A heavy silence falls over us as we drive. By the time he pulls into a gravel parking lot that faces a small lake, I'm so tightly strung with nerves that my stomach is queasy. He cuts the engine before releasin
STay Chapter 44: Cassidy
##Chapter 44: CassidyBook One: Stay"Nate was my first." Unable to hold his stare, I drop my gaze to my hands. "Honestly, I don't remember much about the experience except that it was fast." I grimace at how awkward and painful it'd felt. "Big surprise, I never heard from him again. There were a few other guys after that. Just random hookups. None of them meant anything, but they dulled the pain and took my mind off everything else that was going on." Embarrassment heats my cheeks as I stare out the windshield. "I'd get so trashed that I usually couldn't remember what happened the next morning."His shuttered expression scares me more than anything, because I have absolutely no idea what he's thinking. Cole has such an expressive face and he's always so open with his feelings. That's no longer the case.Even though my throat feels as if it is closing up, I continue, needing to get it over with. "I was still going to classes because I thought by some miracle, I'd be able to pull off pa
STay Chapter 45: Cassidy
##Chapter 45: CassidyBook One: StayCole drops a kiss against the crown of my head. "You're going to be great out there."His arms band around me as people walk past on the way to the stands. Excitement charges the frigid air around us."I'll be in the bleachers the entire time," he murmurs when I remain silent.He's doing everything he can to help settle my nerves. I haven't played in a real game since high school. Last year, I rode the bench during the season. Even though this is just an intramural game, I'm choking on my nerves. Cole will be watching, and I don't want to embarrass myself or disappoint him. More than anything, I want to make him proud.He presses another kiss against the top of my head before whispering, "Just have fun out there. That's what it's all about. That's what it's always been about."I know he's giving me solid advice, but the nerves won't stop churning in my belly. They probably won't stop until I get out on the ice for warm-ups.No pep talk is going to c
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