I hit the blue line first and then circle around my cone, but Asher gains ground by the time we hit the blue line again. We race toward the attack zone, where the puck waits for us, and it’s so fucking close I’m certain we’re going to collide.
With a burst of energy that seems to come from nowhere, Asher cuts me off, shoots, and scores. I swear he must’ve had rockets on his skates for the last few feet.
He sends a smirk my way, and even though he’s trying to hide it, I can tell he’s proud that he managed to beat me. “Have fun at your boyfriend’s house tonight.”
Come to think of it, Asher was right. This was a win for me, no matter what.
28
Jasper
Even though I know Asher isn’t home, I’m not exactly thrilled to be approaching their house. If I wasn’t so invested in helping Rhys out, I’d wait for the nights West can come to me. But like he said when he told me about the ridiculous pissing match they had at practice the other day, they agreed that I wouldn’t come over to see West, and technically I’m not.
If he happens to be home from practice by the time I’m done, I can’t be held responsible for that, can I?
I’m glad things are out in the open. Everyone knows, and once Asher gets used to the idea, surely he’ll come around. I hope.
I only have to knock once before Rhys tugs open the front door. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming today,” he says in greeting.
“Tuesdays and Thursdays, right?”
“Yeah, but after Asher’s tantrum, I didn’t know if you’d stay away.”
I step inside and close the door behind me before following Rhys through to the dining room. Hazel gives me a wave as I pull out my chair.
“Where’s Mrs. Peterson?” I ask, looking around like I’m expecting her to jump out at me.
“Ben and Em were being loud, and she knew I was trying to study, so she took them to the park.”
“Smart woman. We should probably take advantage of the quiet and get into it.” I slide the paper in front of him toward me. “How did you do with these?”
“There were two I got stuck on, but the others were easy.”
“Two?”
“Yeah.” He rubs his neck, looking unsure.
I almost laugh. “You should have been stuck on a few more than two.” I’d purposely thrown some tricky ones in there and ones we hadn’t covered yet to see if he could figure it out on his own. I mark them off and turn the paper back to him.
“I’m impressed,” I say.
Rhys lights up. “Really?”
“Yep. We’ll be moving on to differentials soon.”
“Hell yeah.” His phone lights up, and a smile pops up onto his face.
“Girlfriend?” I ask, taking a stab in the dark.
“Yep. We’ve been together a few months. I told her how you were tutoring me, and she thinks it’s so cool.”
I nod at his phone. “You can answer. We’re not in class.”
“Thanks.” He quickly swipes to answer, then jumps up and heads out of the room. I hear him say, “Yeah, Jasper’s here now …” before he disappears, and those four words fill me with warmth.
I can’t help thinking how different high school would have been if people thought brains were cool back then. But brains weren’t my only problem.
The combination of brains, appearance, and sexuality put me top of the bullies’ radars. Rhys might not be dark-haired like his brothers, but he’s inherited some of their distinct features: the defined jaw, the straight nose, the full lips, plus he has no issues talking to people, so thankfully being smart doesn’t seem to be holding him back.
I want to feel sad about those things holding me back, but while high school wasn’t fun for me, I don’t remember a time where I didn’t want to go.
Mostly, I kept my head down and hid out in the classrooms during lunchtime where I could. I spent more time with the teachers than my peers. There are one or two I even remember by name because of how they’d taken pity on me.
I tap my foot, suddenly reminded of what West said.
“Isn’t letting a couple of kids off the hook worth supporting that one student who might truly need it?”
I was that student.
Something like guilt washes over me.
Damn him.
West is turning me soft.
“You okay?”
I look up at Hazel’s voice and find her studying me. She might only be eleven, but there’s something about her eyes that’s unnerving. Like she sees too much.
“Yeah, fine. Just thinking.”
“You looked sad.”
I force a smile. “Not sad exactly.” I weigh whether to be honest or not. Hazel is still wary of me, but if anyone can understand a less than ideal school situation, it’s probably her. “I was thinking back to school and how when I went, being smart wasn’t seen as a good thing. I’m glad it’s not like that for Rhys.”